Quick Facts
- Age:
- Early thirties
- Role:
- Founder, Misty Gorilla Expeditions
- Location:
- Buhoma, southwestern Uganda
- Background:
- Started as a porter, became a guide, then founded his own company
- Company:
- Misty Gorilla Expeditions
- Focus:
- Gorilla trekking and Uganda safari tours
“Tourism should benefit the people who live closest to the wildlife. That is why I built this company here, not in Kampala.”
The Story of Duncan
Duncan was born in Buhoma when the village was even smaller and more remote than it is today. His father farmed, his mother cooked, and the mountain gorillas in the forest above were not yet famous. Tourism was something that happened elsewhere — in Kampala, on the Nile, at Murchison Falls. Not here.
That changed when Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was gazetted and gorilla trekking began in earnest. Suddenly there were tourists on the road, lodges being built, and a new economy forming around the forest. Duncan was a teenager when he got his first job as a porter, carrying bags for trekkers heading into the forest. It was backbreaking work — steep trails, heavy loads, long hours in the rain — but it put him inside the tourism industry.
Over the years, Duncan worked his way up. From porter to assistant guide, from assistant guide to full guide, from guide to logistics coordinator. He learned how safari companies worked — the booking systems, the vehicle maintenance, the permit coordination with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. He saw how much money flowed through the industry and how little of it stayed in villages like Buhoma.
That realization became the seed of Misty Gorilla Expeditions. Duncan founded the company with the conviction that a safari business rooted in the community it operates in would be different — more authentic, more accountable, more beneficial to the people who actually live here. Today he coordinates vehicles, briefs guides, meets arriving guests, and handles the thousand logistics that keep a safari operation running.
A Day in the Life of Duncan
Duncan starts his day early, around 6:00 AM, with a call to his drivers. Safari logistics in Uganda require constant communication — road conditions change overnight, permits need last-minute confirmation, guests change their plans. By the time he has finished his tea, he usually has a clear picture of what the day demands.
By 7:30 he is at the Misty Gorilla Expeditions base, reviewing the day's itineraries. If a group is arriving, he checks the vehicle, confirms the hotel booking, and briefs the assigned guide. Duncan insists on meeting every group personally when possible — he believes that the first impression sets the tone for the entire safari.
Mid-morning is often spent on the phone — coordinating with UWA for permits, negotiating with lodges for availability, troubleshooting problems. A flat tire on the Ishasha road. A flight delay in Entebbe. A guest who wants to add a day at Queen Elizabeth. Safari operations are a constant stream of adjustments.
In the afternoon, Duncan works on the business side — updating the website, responding to booking inquiries, managing finances. He does most of this from his phone, because reliable internet in Buhoma is a luxury. When the connection drops, he walks to a spot near the park gate where the signal is stronger.
If guests are in Buhoma, Duncan often joins them for dinner at the lodge, sharing stories about the area, the gorillas, and the history of the village. He is a natural storyteller — warm, funny, and deeply proud of where he comes from.
He gets home late most evenings, eats whatever his wife has kept warm, and plans the next day. Running a safari company from a village with no reliable electricity or internet is an act of daily persistence. Duncan does it because he believes that tourism should benefit the people who live closest to the wildlife.
Dreams and Future
Duncan dreams of growing Misty Gorilla Expeditions into a company that can compete with the established agencies in Kampala while keeping its roots in Buhoma. He wants to add more vehicles, hire more local guides, and expand beyond gorilla trekking to offer full Uganda safari circuits — from Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth to Murchison Falls.
His bigger dream is systemic. Duncan wants to prove that a community-based safari company can work at scale — that you do not need to be based in the capital with international investors to run a professional operation. He wants other young people in Buhoma to see his company and think: I could do that too.
On a personal level, Duncan dreams of sending his own children to good schools and giving them choices he never had. He grew up carrying bags on forest trails. He wants his children to grow up knowing that Buhoma is a place where you can build something, not just a place you leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
More People of Buhoma
Norman
BodaBoda Driver
The man who knows every road in Buhoma
Emily
Shop Owner
The woman who keeps Buhoma supplied
Prosper
Trainee Tour Guide
The young man building a future in tourism
Nicolus
HopeKitchen and Orphanage Manager
The man who feeds the children of Buhoma
Last updated: July 2026