My father is Ugandan and I grew up and went to school there, so the well being of the wildlife is very close to my heart. I first went gorilla trekking in June 2012 in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and this was one of the highlights of my life so far. Mountain Gorillas are found in the Virunga Massif which spans three land borders – Uganda (Mt Gahinga National Park), Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and DRC (Virunga National Park) – as well as in Uganda’s Bwindi Forest in the Kigezi Highlands. Whilst the capture and poaching of gorillas for gruesome souvenirs or live animal trade has diminished recently, the threat from habitat destruction is now the greatest challenge – the Virungas and Kigezi highlands are some of the most densely populated human areas in Africa. The land is incredibly fertile and over the last century, what was once forest is now nearly all fields.
More Nature Based Tourism in Uganda | Responsible Travel with Rainbow Tours.
Leila joined Rainbow Tours in January 2013 and is our resident Uganda expert. Having grown up and lived there for most of her life, Leila has Uganda in her blood and is passionate about the country. It would probably be easier to list the places Leila has not been in Uganda rather then where she has, with Kidepo National Park being the only park she has yet to venture to.
Growing up in Uganda Leila has experienced all that this beautiful country has to offer. At the tender age of 15 she went white water rafting down the River Nile for the first time and was instantly hooked, since then she has been rafting down the Nile over 10 times and has also been bungee jumping over the River. In 2000 during a school trip she climbed Mount Elgon, a bit of a scramble up and down in 4 days, it was an experience that she loved and has inspired her plans to climb the Rwenzoris.
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