Kisiizi Falls: From Tragedy to Hope
I consider myself privileged to live right beside of one the gems of the Gorilla Highlands region, the 30m/98ft Kisiizi Falls. This beautiful waterfall gives…
Category: History
5 Historical and Cultural Curiosities of Lake Mutanda
Lying in between Uganda’s Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks, Lake Mutanda is a handy spot to relax after your gorilla tracking. There is much more…
When Lions Ate Letters
Lions used to be common in the lower altitudes of the Virunga volcanoes but are now are locally extinct, along with the leopard. Historically they…
100 Years Ago Dr Leonard Sharp Revolutionised Lake Bunyonyi
There are three islands on Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi’s that are connected through the deeply fascinating story of Dr Leonard Sharp, an English missionary (pictured above, driving…
Rough and Tough People of the Hills
The Gorilla Highlands Initiative was born 10 years ago in the land of the Bakiga (pronunciation: “Bachiga”; singular: Mukiga; language: Rukiga), the tribe from southwestern…
“No Persons of Sufficient Intelligence”
“One has to admire the English: they managed to run almost half a billion people and control a quarter of the world’s land — all…
Last Survivor of Lake Bunyonyi’s Punishment Island
The ancient people of the Gorillas Highlands region came up with several horrible ways to discourage girls from getting pregnant prematurely. On Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi,…
The Godfather and the Controversial Martyr of Mountain Gorilla Research
The first scientist to study mountain gorillas full time in the wild was George Schaller. When he reviewed the literature he could find few verifiable facts, largely…
Batwa “Pygmies”: History and Present
The Batwa “Pygmies” are one of the oldest peoples in Africa and their origin is unknown. They were hunter-gatherers, roaming the forests in bands foraging for honey, wild yams, fruit, stems…
Dawn of Gorilla Tracking as a Tourism Activity
While there were sporadic non-scientific expeditions to mountain gorillas before, real tourism began with the arrival of Walter Baumgartel. Baumgartel was a German who had…