Stories from Buhoma
True stories from the village at the edge of the forest. The people, the places, and the moments that no guidebook covers.
Life in Buhoma
Emily's world — before the tourists arrive and after they leave.
Emily grew up in Buhoma and runs a small shop in the village. She shows what daily life truly looks like at the edge of Bwindi — the market, the community, and the quiet hours that no guidebook covers.
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One Permit, Many Families
Norman shows how a single tourist visit feeds an entire chain of livelihoods.
An $800 gorilla permit touches far more than one guide. Norman Noel traces how international tourist spending moves from his BodaBoda through the fuel station, the mechanic, the market, and out to Buhoma families.
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A Week Without Tourists
Norman rode his BodaBoda every day. Nobody came.
An Ebola case had been confirmed in Uganda. Norman spent a week riding his BodaBoda in Buhoma with no customers at all. A first-hand account of what happens when tourism stops.
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Roger the Stone Breaker
A 10-year-old boy, a hammer, and the weight of poverty
On a community walk through Buhoma, we met Roger — a boy who breaks stones for construction instead of going to school. His story is one of resilience.
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The Fuel Station
Where a single pump tells the story of an entire village
A weathered fuel pump at the side of the road. A BodaBoda rider filling up for $1.30. A young man watching. In this simple scene lies everything you need.
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The Gate to Bwindi
A quiet morning at the entrance to gorilla country
Nothing dramatic happens at the entrance gate to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Rangers wait. A truck idles. Someone sits on the flatbed. And behind.
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The Valley
Arriving at the edge of Bwindi — green hills, forest mist, and the village below
The road descends, the air changes, and suddenly the valley of Buhoma opens below you — terraced hillsides, red-dirt paths, and the dark wall of Bwindi rising beyond everything.
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Volunteering in Buhoma
What meaningful help actually looks like at the edge of the forest
Between gorilla tourism and subsistence farming, a community navigates the gap. A first-hand account of the HopeKitchen project and what effective volunteering in Buhoma requires.
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The Children of Buhoma
Growing up at the edge of the forest
School mornings, afternoon play, water collection, and the daily world of children who grow up next to a UNESCO World Heritage Site — seen from the ground, not the brochure.
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Daily Life in Buhoma
Morning to evening in gorilla country
An ordinary day in Buhoma runs from pre-dawn cooking fires to the gorilla briefing to the afternoon school rush to the dark of evening. Two worlds share the same valley.
Read the full storyWhy We Tell These Stories
Buhoma is famous for one thing: gorilla trekking. And rightfully so — encountering mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the most profound wildlife experiences on the planet.
But the village itself has stories that deserve to be told. Stories about the people who live at the edge of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stories about children, livelihoods, infrastructure, and the daily rhythms of a community that exists in one of the most remote corners of East Africa.
These are not invented narratives. Every story on this page is based on things we personally witnessed, people we actually met, and moments we experienced during our time in Buhoma. The photographs are our own.
We believe that understanding Buhoma — the real Buhoma, not just the trekking brochure version — makes the entire experience richer. The gorillas are the reason to come. The village and its people are the reason to stay, to look closer, and to come back.
In-Depth Articles
Ebola 2018 and the Collapse of Tourism
How a disease outbreak hundreds of kilometres away silenced Buhoma — and what it revealed about the fragility of a single-product economy.
Bwindi Visitor Statistics and Community Impact
From the 2013 baseline to today — what gorilla tourism numbers actually mean for the families living next to the park.
Community Voices: Tourism and Development
Buhoma residents share how gorilla tourism has reshaped their village — jobs, infrastructure, and the tensions no brochure mentions.
Norman: From BodaBoda to Entrepreneur
The ambition behind the motorcycle — Norman's plan to move from daily fares to car hire, tourism guiding, and a business that survives a bad week.
Experience Buhoma Beyond the Gorillas
Take a community walk, support local projects, or simply spend an extra day in the village. The best stories happen when you slow down.
Last updated: July 2026