Education Tourism in Action: Zee Boys Kampala Visit the Home of Kigezi Museum

This September, The African Travelling Teacher welcomed 30 students from Zee Boys Kampala for a unique education tourism experience in Kisoro District. The journey began at Casa Gorilla Lodge and Campsite, a mission-driven stay that partners with The African Travelling Teacher to connect travel with impact. By choosing Casa, guests directly support children living in protected areas of Mgahinga and Bwindi to access quality education.

From Casa Gorilla to the Home of Kigezi

After a night at Casa, the students embarked on an inquiry-based educational tour to the Home of Kigezi Museum. This space is more than a museum; it is an archive of the Kigezi region, preserving the stories, traditions, and innovations of the communities that call this land home.

Founded by Gerald Nkusi, this Living Culture museum houses a rich collection of artifacts from the Bafumbira,Bakiga and Batwa traditions, indigenous trees and Plants with herbal and medicinal values, as well as all the cultural tools once used in households across Kigezi. Home of Kigezi also doubles as an Ecotourism and Virunga Landscape (Uganda ,Rwanda,DR Congo) Conservation Learning hub, where permaculture and ecologically led landscape restoration practices reflect the region’s deep respect for nature.

More than a record of the past, the Home of Kigezi is a living classroom that connects history to today’s challenges  from sustainability to identity and inspires young people to see themselves as part of an ongoing story of sustainable conservation led growth and inspired Green Economies. . 

Inquiry-Based Learning for Purpose

The African Travelling Teacher designed this visit as an inquiry-based activity. Students were not only spectators but explorers, encouraged to ask questions, document their observations, and reflect on the relevance of culture to their own lives and future careers.

Some of the guiding prompts included:

• What do you see here that surprises you?
  
• What problem was this tool or tradition meant to solve?
  
• How can knowledge from the past inspire us to solve today’s challenges?
  
• If you could choose one problem to help solve in your community, what would it be?
  

This approach helped learners see that education is not just about passing exams but about finding purpose, discovering passions, and using knowledge to serve communities.

Education Tourism: Learning Beyond Borders

This visit was more than a cultural excursion; it was the launchpad of The African Travelling Teacher’s Education Tourism program. Education Tourism connects travel with purposeful learning, allowing young people to experience the world, see the challenges communities face, and be inspired to become problem-solvers.

From Casa Gorilla Lodge’s mission-driven hospitality to Nkusi’s passionate work at the Home of Kigezi, this trip showcased how travel, culture, and education can come together to create powerful learning experiences.

A Call to Action

At The African Travelling Teacher, we believe that education should equip learners with skills and knowledge to serve communities and solve real problems. Through programs like Education Tourism, we hope to raise a generation of African learners who are curious, creative, and committed to building a better future.

This activity with Zee Boys Kampala was just one step in a larger journey  and a reminder that when education goes beyond the classroom, it awakens purpose.