On a hot Kampala afternoon, Asha Utamuriza is away from the forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of the places her work as a tour operator takes her most frequently. As managing director of Let’s Go Gorilla Uganda, she helps organise trips for visitors travelling to see mountain gorillas.
Her work involves more than securing permits. Accommodation, transport, guides, clients’ expectations and the experience visitors have before and after the trek all fall within the business of making a safari work.
Yet, as we talk over lunch, Utamuriza’s concerns extend beyond the logistics of taking tourists into the forest. She wants Uganda to do more with its gorillas, both as a tourism attraction and as an economic resource, without undermining the conservation efforts that make the experience possible.