#8 Empowering a New East Africa: Gorilla Highlands’ Vision For Peace and Education In the Region

Let's dive into the Insight, Inspiration & Impact behind Gorilla Highlands with Miha Logar

Follow & Support Gorilla Highlands

• WSA Winning Year: 2013

• Award: The World Summit Award

• Category: Culture & Heritage

• Founders: Miha Logar

• Country: Uganda

• On WSA website: https://wsa-global.org/winner/gorilla-highlands/

In the lush, green highlands where Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo converge, a story of purpose and passion unfolds. Gorilla Highlands, a unique blend of responsible tourism and social good, is more than a tour operator or an NGO. It’s a movement born from the vision of Miha Logar, a Slovenian journalist turned Ugandan citizen, whose journey to East Africa transformed his life and sparked a mission to bridge cultures, empower communities, and showcase the beauty of a region often misunderstood. Through Miha’s story, we uncover how inspiration leads to insight, creating lasting impact rooted in values of authenticity, connection, and sustainability.

A Spark of Inspiration: Discovering a New Home

Miha’s journey began in the 1990s, not with a childhood dream of Africa but with a curiosity about the developing world and the potential of technology to uplift it. As a journalism student in Slovenia, specializing in international relations, he was captivated by the utopian promises of the internet age. Yet, he wondered: how could these advancements benefit those left out of the narrative, like a Black African woman farmer? This question led him to Uganda, a country on the cusp of technological progress in the 1990s, under a president eager to embrace innovation.

Arriving in East Africa in 1999, Miha expected a dramatic shift in perspective, but what he found was profound: a sense of belonging. “Within a week of being in East Africa, I knew I came home,” he recalls. The vibrant landscapes, from the misty mountains to the serene lakes, contrasted with the stereotypical “safari Africa” he’d imagined. More than the scenery, it was the entrepreneurial energy and welcoming spirit of the people that captivated him. Unlike the structured systems of the West, where he felt like a cog in a machine, East Africa offered a canvas to build something meaningful from scratch. This inspiration set the stage for Gorilla Highlands, a venture that would blend his love for technology, storytelling, and social impact.

From Inspiration to Insight: Building a Vision

Miha’s early years in Uganda were marked by a deep dive into the region’s potential. Settling near Lake Bunyonyi, he established an information center powered by a car battery and later solar energy, introducing rural communities to technology through movie screenings and knowledge-sharing. His master’s degree in development studies at a university on the equator deepened his understanding of the region’s challenges and opportunities. It was here that the concept of “Risa”—meaning “window” in the local language—took root. Miha envisioned Gorilla Highlands as a window for the world to see the true Africa, beyond stereotypes, and for Africans to engage with the global community in a balanced, authentic way.

This insight shaped the core values of Gorilla Highlands: authenticity, cultural pride, and mutual benefit. Miha recognized that perceptions of Africa were often unfairly negative, while idealized views of the West prevailed locally. His mission was to challenge these narratives through storytelling, whether through interactive e-books, podcasts, or cultural exchanges. An early project, an interactive book about the region, won a global award, affirming the power of technology to share stories that inspire and educate. Yet, Miha’s vision extended beyond storytelling. He saw tourism as a tool to generate income for local communities while fostering pride in their heritage, ensuring that every visitor’s experience was a validation of the region’s worth.

Impact Through Action: Empowering Communities

Gorilla Highlands operates as both a tour operator and an NGO, a dual structure driven by necessity and purpose. The tourism arm, launched post-COVID to create a sustainable income stream, focuses on responsible travel that immerses visitors in the region’s culture and landscapes. Unlike mass tourism, Gorilla Highlands offers bespoke experiences—hiking through remote villages, staying with local families, or canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi. These activities not only generate income for guides, hosts, and artisans but also instill a sense of cultural pride. “When someone travels from far away to visit an African village, it shows there’s something valuable there,” Miha explains.

A standout story is that of Mr. Tom, a former security guard who became a “hotelier” in his retirement. After identifying his beautiful island on Lake Bunyonyi as a potential homestay location, Gorilla Highlands helped Tom create “Tom’s Homestay,” where he now hosts visitors, cooks traditional meals, and shares stories by the campfire. This transformation not only secured his livelihood but also gave him a new sense of purpose. Similarly, partnerships with Batwa Pygmy communities, often marginalized, have reformed tourism practices, treating them as equals and ensuring they benefit financially and socially from visitor interactions.

On the NGO side, Gorilla Highlands runs programs like Youth Spaces, a four-month initiative that equips high schoolers and students with leadership skills and environmental entrepreneurship. By connecting young people from Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo, the program fosters cross-border friendships, laying the groundwork for peace and collaboration in a region marked by historical tensions. A recent weekend camp brought together youth from all three countries, a moment Miha describes as deeply fulfilling, seeing “the happiness of Ugandans, Rwandans, and Congolese getting to know each other.”

Technology remains a cornerstone of these efforts. From teaching locals to use Trello for organizing tours and reporting to leveraging mobile money for seamless cross-border transactions, Gorilla Highlands maximizes accessible tools to empower communities. Miha notes that mobile phones have driven the spread of solar energy, as people seek to charge their devices, illustrating how technology adoption has transformed rural life since the days of car-battery-powered laptops.

Values That Guide the Way

At the heart of Gorilla Highlands are values that reflect Miha’s personal ethos and the region’s needs. Authenticity ensures that tourism experiences are genuine, rooted in daily life rather than staged performances. Sustainability guides the commitment to small-scale, responsible tourism that respects the environment and local capacity. Connection drives efforts to bridge cultures, whether through visitor-host interactions or youth programs fostering regional unity. And entrepreneurial spirit defines the lean, action-oriented approach, rejecting dependency on external funding in favor of self-reliance and innovation.

Miha’s disdain for bureaucratic inefficiencies and handout mentalities, shaped by his development studies background, informs Gorilla Highlands’ “lean and mean” philosophy. Even as an NGO, the organization avoids the pitfalls of slow, committee-driven processes, maintaining a startup-like agility. This mindset allows Gorilla Highlands to adapt quickly, as seen in its post-COVID pivot to a tourism-focused model while continuing social initiatives.

Challenges and Dreams for the Future

Operating in a region with political and security challenges is no small feat. Miha cites human resources as the biggest hurdle, with skilled locals often leaving for opportunities abroad, creating a brain drain. Political instability, like rebel activity in Congo or isolated incidents in Uganda, can disrupt tourism, requiring constant vigilance and local knowledge to ensure safety. Yet, Miha remains optimistic, emphasizing that 90% of the region is safe for visitors, and security is heightened after rare incidents.

Looking ahead, Miha dreams of Gorilla Highlands playing a pivotal role in fostering peace, prosperity, and stability across Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. This ambitious goal, spanning decades, hinges on building human connections and empowering youth to reject conflict and embrace collaboration. Personally, Miha aspires to step back from day-to-day operations, focusing on media projects to share the region’s stories globally, confident that the systems he’s built will sustain the mission.

A Call to Experience and Support

Gorilla Highlands is a testament to the power of inspiration leading to insight and impact. Miha’s journey from a curious student to a passionate advocate for East Africa shows how one person’s vision, grounded in values of authenticity and connection, can transform lives. Whether through a trek that supports a local family, a youth program that sparks leadership, or a story that challenges stereotypes, Gorilla Highlands invites us to see the world differently.

For those inspired to explore this vibrant region, Gorilla Highlands offers a chance to experience its beauty and culture firsthand, knowing your visit supports communities and fosters peace. Visit their website to learn more or plan a trip, and consider supporting their NGO initiatives through partnerships or volunteering. As Miha says, “We’ve opened the eyes of thousands to how beautiful this world is.”

Join them in this journey of discovery and impact.

Preffer Reading? Find a Summary Of Our Conversation Here

Discover Other Episodes