The Land of a Thousand Hills and Eternal Spring

The story · 1 days

Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills and eternal spring. A country devastated in 1994 by an unprecedented genocide and which is now trying to overcome this trauma. You can see it in the dynamism of the streets of Kigali, in the smile of the children who smile and call out "Musungo". A country that has launched a fight against corruption unprecedented in Africa and in much of the rest of the world, a country that has banned the import and use of plastic bags, that bases its development on renewable energy, incredibly clean and quiet. A fantastic climate throughout the year. A welcome surprise, also because tourism has not yet arrived here and we hope it comes gradually! Thursday 15/3/2012 Kisoro (Uganda). Musanze/Ruhengeri (Rwanda) Transfer from Kisoro to the Kianika (Chianika) border post.

We say goodbye to Joel who accompanied us during the 10 days in Uganda and cross the border on foot. The formalities are quick; on the Rwandan side we present the visa requested online, pay 30 USD each and we are in Rwanda. A minibus takes us about 3 km to the first village from which the bus to Musanze departs, about 30 minutes for 400 FRW each (1 EUR = 770 FRW). We arrive at the bus station of Musanze and to acclimatise and organise ourselves we sit at the adjacent bar. Money change, purchase of a phone card, and we transfer by taxi to the friends of Team Rwanda. Lunch at the Vulcana bar with lasagne and pizza, not bad. A tour of the town and back for dinner with the cyclists of Team Rwanda. Friday 16/3/2012 Musanze/Ruhengeri to Giseny (Lake Kivu) km 65 We organise to rent a 4x4 to continue the visit of Rwanda. We manage to get a Toyota Land Cruiser at 50,000 FRW a day.

We set off for Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu on the border with the DRC. On the other side of the frontier the town of Goma can be glimpsed. After travelling along the lakeside and Kivu Beach we continue towards Rubona, where a series of hotels and lodges stand directly on the lake. A stop for a coffee at "La bella" in Rubona, where the owner Jadmila (bella in Arabic) welcomes us, daughter of a Rwandan mother and an Omani father who has various commercial activities in Goma in the DRC and opened this lodge a couple of years ago in a beautiful position on the lake (48000 FRW for a double with breakfast). We set off again to take a look around and settle for the night at the Palm Garden Resort (45000 FRW for a double with breakfast). It has about ten very nice bungalows directly on the lake with a stepped restaurant room inside a rustic portico with a brazier in the middle.

Appetiser with a Mutzig beer produced a couple of km from here and fried sambasa, little fish from Lake Kivu, truly delicious. The fishermen (awarozi) set off at sunset aboard the "ubgato", triple canoes, singing to propitiate the catch of the sambasa. Dinner at the lodge (17000 FRW for two) by candlelight because of a blackout across the whole area. Saturday 17/3/2012 Gisenyi (Lake Kivu) – Kibuye (Lake Kivu) km 124 Departure from Giseny/Rubona after an abundant breakfast at the Palm Garden Resort. It is almost 10. We pass the beer factory and continue on the coastal road, which is being rehabilitated. The road climbs up the hills offering breathtaking landscapes and panoramic views of Lake Kivu. On the sides of the road there is a chorus of "musungo" and children's smiles. Most of the huts still have roofs of terracotta tiles.

At every corner you have to stop for a photo of a landscape, a child or the coffee-washing stations. The road partly coincides with the trail of the Nile – Congo ridge route. We are in fact in the mountains where the 2 main African rivers originate. All the water falling on the eastern slope gives rise to a series of rivers that feed Lake Victoria and consequently the Nile, while the rain falling on the western slope flows into Lake Kivu, whose outflow, the Ruzizi, feeds Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River. After about two hours of picture-postcard landscapes we reach the main dirt road that connects Giseny with Kibuye. Along the road the various coffee-washing stations follow one another with hundreds of people busy at work. We arrive in Kibuye around 15h00. Panoramic visit to the various hotels and lodges and we decide to stay overnight at the Holiday Hotel (40000 FRW for a double).

The lodge is in a fantastic position, a shame that the rooms are excessively small and you can barely move inside. Lunch/dinner at the Cormoran Lodge, located in the bay adjacent to the Holiday Hotel. Towards late afternoon, as on the previous day, a downpour of rain, of short duration. Sunday 18/3/2012 Kibuye (Lake Kivu) – Cyangugu (Lake Kivu) km 150 Breakfast at the Holiday Hotel, where we discover that only one breakfast is included in the room price, so the second is to be paid for (4000 FRW). We set off around 9; near the hospital of Kibuye we leave the tarmac to take the track on the left towards Cyangugu, about 120 km of track in terrible condition, but accompanied by the intense scent of flowering eucalyptus. After the first two hours we have covered only 30 km.

The landscapes continue to be interesting with glimpses of Lake Kivu, even though at times the track cuts inland, not allowing us to keep contact with the lake. In the last 30 km the road improves considerably and there is work in progress to asphalt this stretch of road. We stop for lunch at Ishara, one of the base camps of the Nile Congo trail. We take the track again and, as every day in this period, it starts to rain. The road quickly turns into a sea of extremely slippery mud. We reach the tarmac road, or at least what remains of the asphalt, turning left towards the Nyungwe Forest park. At the Gisakura post a storm breaks out and we look for accommodation in the guest house, but it is fully booked. We have no choice but to head back towards Cyangugu, where we settle for the night at the Peace Guest House, which offers rooms at 23000 FRW and bungalows at 52,000.

We take the bungalow, truly enormous with 2 rooms, a living room and bathroom. Before dinner a visit to Cyangugu and the border post with the DRC. The bridge over the Ruzizi river divides the town of Cyangugu from Bukavu. Dinner at the guesthouse restaurant with a tapestry of the Last Supper on the walls and even a sermon on the TV. Yes indeed, the guest house is run by the Anglican diocese.

Day 119 Mar 2012

Monday 19/3/2012 Cyangugu (Lake Kivu) – Butare km 160 Departure from Cyangugu and we begin to climb towards the Nyungwe forest; the road is being rebuilt. After about an hour we reach the first access point to the park (Gisakura); shortly afterwards the road enters the forest. We reach the Uwinka station where there is a modern visitor centre. Nyungwe is considered the most important forest area in East Africa; it hosts various species of monkeys including chimpanzees and some herbivores, as well as various species of birds, about thirty of which are endemic. In the park you can take guided excursions on various trails ranging from 2 to 8 hours. Along the road, an encounter with a mountain monkey. The forest is magnificent and the road divides it in two as it climbs up to 2700 metres of altitude. Shortly before the pass we reach the dividing line between the Nile and Congo basins.

We then descend towards Butare. Lunch lasting longer than planned and the visit to the local handicraft cooperative lead us to stop here for the night. We stay at the Ibis Hotel right in the centre, 34000 FRW for a suite. Dinner at the hotel, not bad at all. At the Ibis restaurant, internet connection. The artisans' cooperative of Butare COPABU has so many interesting objects, from straw baskets to wooden utensils and sculptures to imigongo art paintings produced with cow dung painted with natural colours, by the women of a village near Kibongo on the border with Tanzania. We discover this original form of art here and decide to change our itinerary to stop and visit the village where they are produced. In this way we will also go to visit the Rusumo falls.

This art originated in the 19th century in this area of Rwanda, promoted by Kakira, son of the king of Gisaka, who introduced this form of painting to decorate the houses of the villages. At the cooperative in Butare we buy some original wooden bottles and raffia baskets, as well as a jacaranda wood tray. Tuesday 20/3/2012 Butare – Akagera Game Lodge km 388 Departure from Butare in the direction of Kigali. After about two hours we reach Kigali, a brief stop for money exchange and shopping for the picnic. We continue towards Kayonza and then head south in the direction of the border with Tanzania. The border is on the Akagera river and the bridge that divides the two countries is located right on the Rusumo falls; we ask the Rwandan policemen for permission to go onto the bridge from which you get an excellent view of the falls.

At the border an endless queue of trucks waiting to enter Rwanda; almost all products imported by Rwanda pass through here, coming from the port of Dar Es Salaam. A few shots and we set off again in the direction of Kibongo to visit the cooperative of women who produce the imigongo panels. We buy 2 panels at 5000 FRW each. The road in this stretch is lined with an endless row of acacias with yellow flowers and continuous people moving on foot or by bicycle. We take the road again in the direction of the Akagera nature park; we leave the asphalt road to get onto the red track that in 40 km leads to the southern entrance of the park. We arrive at 17:30, shortly before closing. All the entrance facilities of the park are under construction. Park entrance 30 USD per person plus 7 USD for the vehicle.

We reach the Akagera Game Lodge, where we will spend the night (100 USD for the double), here too the lodge is being renovated, located in a fantastic position on a hill with a view of Lake Lhema. Only about ten people in the lodge; we have dinner and prepare for the visit to the park the following day. Wednesday 21/3/2012 Akagera Game Lodge – Kigali km 390 Wake up at 5:30, breakfast on the terrace with a view of the lake. Day dedicated to the visit to the park. Starting from the lodge, which is located in the southern sector, we descend towards Lake Lhema; after a few hundred metres we meet a first large group of baboons. The first part of the route is in an area of shrubby vegetation, many elephant droppings on the road, but unfortunately we will not meet any. Some detours to the right lead to the shores of the lake.

Some areas are highly infested with tse tse flies, so you must proceed with the windows closed. After Lake Hago we take the left detour that leads to the Mutumba Hills; the landscape changes completely, with open spaces dotted with acacias; the first groups of zebras, roan antelopes, impalas and cob appear. The view from the hills is very panoramic with glimpses of the lakes and in the distance of the Akagera river. In this area many groups of zebras, antelopes and a few buffalo are concentrated. After the Mutumba Hills we descend again into the plain along a very rough track, but very panoramic towards Lake Rwanyakizinga. A detour to the right leads towards the lake where we meet a group of giraffes and near the lake hippos, crowned cranes, fish eagles.

We continue towards the Gishani plain, an area of open savannah that ends in the papyrus wetlands; here too a great concentration of animals. It is almost 17:00, we have covered about 140 km in the park, so we head towards the northern exit of the park. 20 km of track take us back onto the asphalt on the road that leads to the border with Uganda. We turn south towards Kayonza, driving along Lake Muhazi. Our programme included a stop for the night at the Dereva Hotel shortly after Kayonza, but for the first time we find no room and are forced to continue to Kigali, an hour and a half away. We reach Kigali around 20:30 and stay at the Emeraude Guest house in the Gishushu neighbourhood. A quiet and very clean place at 90 USD per night for the double.

Thursday 22/3/2012 Kigali – Kigali Day dedicated to visiting Kigali, buying handicrafts, the Muslim quarter, the administrative area of Muhima, the city centre, Hotel Mille Collines with lunch at the best pizzeria in Kigali "Sole Luna", on a terrace with a view of the hills of Kigali.

Friday 23/3/2012 Kigali – Ruhengeri – Kigali km 130 Last day of the rented car, so we have to return to Ruhengeri to give it back. We choose the route that passes by Lake Burera. At Base, after the bridge, we leave the asphalt road and take the track to the right that in about 30 km leads to Lake Burera. We pass through small farming villages, here too always accompanied by cyclists with unthinkable loads. After Kirambo the road rises onto the hills and the fabulous views of the lake begin. After a few km the outline of the Muhabura volcano appears in the background; we continue among villages and views of the lake to return to the asphalt a few km from the Cyanika border, thus closing the circle of our tour in Rwanda. Lunch at Ruhengeri at the Volcana Lodge, we return the car and take the Virunga express bus to Kigali (1800 FRW per person).

In 2 hours we are in Kigali, to prepare the luggage. Saturday 24/3/2012 Kigali – Addis Ababa Ethiopian flight to Addis Ababa, with a stopover in Entebbe, overnight stay at the De Leopol at Ethiopian's expense. Visit to the Yod Abissinia to drink a traditional coffee and watch the traditional dances. Panoramic tour of the city, Orthodox church, square, merkato, central bank, walls of the king's palace, the Sheraton that dominates Addis Ababa and, at the taxi driver's insistence, the new ring road.