Introduction
The western province borders Lake Kivu which is the natural border between Rwanda and DR Congo. The lake offers tourist attractions no other province of Rwanda has such as kayaking and visiting the beautiful islands located inside the lake. Next to the lake lies the famous Congo Nile trail which crosses the entire province from Gisenyi through Kibuye to Kemembe.
The Congo-Nile trail
Because the project I am doing with AIESEC is called "Explore Rwanda." I wanted do to some exploring on my own. Before coming to Rwanda I saw online that there is a hiking trail of ten days in total which lies acround the Rwandese part of Lake Kivu. Not planning on doing the actual ten days but still wanting to experience the country by myself, I decided to walk 70 km of the Congo-Nile trail in three days. I started at Gisenyi and finished in Bumba.
Before my departure I wanted to be as prepared as possible because after all I would be traveling in an, for me, unknown country by myself. I searched online and stumbled across the existence of the Congo-Nile trail map. This map would provide the route, useful information and other tips. Unfortunately I could not find the map anywhere in Musanze. I did stumble upon a useful blogpost however which also had pictures of the map (https://responsiblenomad.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/congo-nile-trail-everything-you-need-to-know/). So not as prepared as planned but with great enthusiasm I started my first day by leaving the city limits of Gisenyi at about eleven in the morning. The road immediately went uphill. This was heavy but it also offered my a beautiful view of the lake, one of many. The first sign of the route had "viewing point" written beneath it and I went even higher. Coming to the top of the hill I saw what was an amazing view of the surrounding hills on the one hand, and on the other the lake, vast and wide. I kind of lost my way when I went down, the only time during the whole trip I must say, but found myself back on course not a half hour later. The next hill offered me a choice. Take the normal Cong-Nile route or be an adventurer and take the Pfunda sub-trail. When weighing my options a local guy came up to me and told me there were Hot Springs at the foot of the hill in which you could bathe. So I decided to postpone my decision and take a bath. Which was nice. Back on top of the hill I decided I already lost too much time bathing that I would take the normal route. The rest of the day was filled with beautiful views, hard work and little children following you around yelling 'Mzungou.' Which is Kinyarwanda for "white guy." The first day was beautiful and every corner seemed to provide another view of the lake and the surrounding nature. In total it was a pretty long walk, 25 kilometers or so and at the end I was walking on my last legs. But I made it. I had a little trouble finding the Rwinyoni Base camp where I would spend the night, but the local people helped my kindly. Staying in Rwinyoni was nice, it only cost 7500 RWF for the night, dinner and also breakfast. The landlord helpen me with plannig the details of my trip and I could even wash my clothes. The next morning I left around ten for the second day. I knew beforehand that the second day would not be as hard as the first. It was around eighteen to twenty kilometers to Kinunu, my next basecamp. During my hike I was stopped by a giant pick-up truck who offered to take me a little. Not wanting to put down such an offer - and not being able to because the driver solely spoke Kinyarwanda - I climbed in. They drove me a few kilometers until I reached a little fishing town called Nkora. I knew I was ahead of schedule because of the truck so I walked around the village a bit, talked to the children and ate some lunch. After Nkora it was some ten kilometers until Kinunu where I would spend the night. Arriving at the village of Kinunu I did had to walk all the way to the foot of the hill before I reached my basecamp. In total some 2.5 kilometers. The Kinunu basecamp is quite expensive at 25000 RWF for the night and 5000 RWF for dinner. It was a nice place though and in the morning I could take a dive in Lake Kivu to wake myself up. During my first two days it often happenned that I was followed by local children who practiced their freshly learned English on me. Starting with "Good morning," which was always nice, but sometimes finishing with "Give me money," which felt less good. If you are doing the Congo-Nile trail on foot be prepared to meet a lot of local people who will wave to you and greet you. It is not a trip you are making on your own. This is not a bad thing however because it is really intersting to see how they live and they are often glad to help when you have trouble finding the way. On the third day however the path changed. It got smaller and looked less travelled. I was delighted to walk some parts fully on my own just looking at the beautiful views and enjoying the great variety of birds. This day I find the best day of my trip. It was a long one, but it offered a broad range of scenery and really made you feel like you were in the heart of Rwanda. At some point you will reach the valley between two hills and see a sign indicating the way to the Bumba base camp. I hoped it would be close by, but I was a bit skeptical because after the Kinunu sign it also proved to be a long walk. My skepticism was right. It was a 5 km long, 600 meter descend until I reached the basecamp. Really nice people and midway between Kinunu and Rwinyoni at 15000 RWF for a night. This was the end of my three day hiking trip along the Congo-Nile trail. I had a great experience and saw lots of birds, amazing landscaped and met a lot of local people. I can recommend anyone to do it. It is even possible by bike or car if you want. |
Nyungwe ForestOne moment the road is winding through a characteristic rural Rwandan landscape of rolling tea plantations and artificially terraced hills, the next a dense tangle of trees rises imperiously from the fringing cultivation. The road takes on sharper turns, clinging improbably to steep forested...
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My experience in the western province
On my, Soila is the name, trip to Rwanda, I was only able to have a total of one day in Karongi, located in the Western province as the rest of the time was spent traveling. However, it definitely wasn’t a wasted trip. In that time, my friends and I were able to visit two places:
- Muesum of Environment
Inside the museum is a lesson on geography, history, environmental science etc. It is an information hub presented in three languages (Kinyarwanda, French and English) on energy sources on earth and how human beings should use them while still conserving the environment. The study is not confined to Rwanda, but draws examples from all over the world.
On the rooftop is a garden with a variety of exhibitions of traditional medicinal plants, all neatly labelled with the scientific name, local name and its uses. The guide is friendly and will answer any questions you might have about all the things on display. The traffic is slow so you will probably have the museum to yourself when you visit.
On the rooftop is a garden with a variety of exhibitions of traditional medicinal plants, all neatly labelled with the scientific name, local name and its uses. The guide is friendly and will answer any questions you might have about all the things on display. The traffic is slow so you will probably have the museum to yourself when you visit.
2. Kivu – 15 islands
Another trip to The Lake. But it is well worth it as from this point, one is able to take a boat ride for 10,000RWF per hour and visit the islands littered around the lake.
This is an activity best done with friends as there are many opportunities to take photos. The views are spectacular as you can see numerous hills in the distance and the lake extends beyond where your eyes can follow.
The boat makes stop-overs at some of the islands, depending on how many hours you are able to pay for. Examples include Napoleon island which is a bird watching site and we got to see bats circling around at 12 noon. The island is in the shape of a mound and takes a bit of work to walk up. However, its white shores are magnificently beautiful as the moss and algae gather where the land meets the water to create a green ring around the shore.
Another trip to The Lake. But it is well worth it as from this point, one is able to take a boat ride for 10,000RWF per hour and visit the islands littered around the lake.
This is an activity best done with friends as there are many opportunities to take photos. The views are spectacular as you can see numerous hills in the distance and the lake extends beyond where your eyes can follow.
The boat makes stop-overs at some of the islands, depending on how many hours you are able to pay for. Examples include Napoleon island which is a bird watching site and we got to see bats circling around at 12 noon. The island is in the shape of a mound and takes a bit of work to walk up. However, its white shores are magnificently beautiful as the moss and algae gather where the land meets the water to create a green ring around the shore.
Another island is Monkey island where we got a glimpse of a rare, newly discovered breed of monkey called the Lesula monkey. It is only the second new species of monkey to be discovered in Africa in the last 28 years. Its unique feature is its brilliant blue testicles, noticeable from a distance away. It came to our boat with the promise of bananas form the guide then quickly ate and scurried away.
The last island we docked at was Peace island which used to have a bar that was closed down by the government. The trees at its shore make for a brilliant canopy to take pictures.
The whole journey is a very calming experience as one can doze while the boat steadily moves through the waters.
The last island we docked at was Peace island which used to have a bar that was closed down by the government. The trees at its shore make for a brilliant canopy to take pictures.
The whole journey is a very calming experience as one can doze while the boat steadily moves through the waters.
GumaGuma festival
The GumaGuma festival is an annual festival hosted by Primus, a local beer brand. During this festival seven aspiring artist will show off their music in front of a professional jury. This jury will the select a winner who gains the privilege of going to Kigali for the finals.
I came onto the festival pitch, it actually was a football field so not a bad choice of words. And saw far away the stage with in front hundreds of local people jumping around. I stayed at the VIP stage, invited by a friend, which was an area in front of the stage and we had a really great view of the artists. The local people were dancing and jumping the whole time and the atmosphere was great. The VIP stage however was not very crowded and people kind of stood around. There was some beer but it was kind of hard to come by, but it was free when you had it. So that was nice. The artists did two or three songs and then left the stage. The local crowd loved it but it was unfortunate I could not understand any of the lyrics. The atmosphere and the whole experience was very nice though. The sun was shining, the people were nice and there was music. |
Lake Kivu - Relaxing along Rwanda's lakeshores
Lake Kivu is a lovely option to take easy while travelling between Nyungwe Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda's largest lake is the perfect spot for water sports, relaxing and beautiful sunsets.
Let me take you to this beautiful Lake! |
The road gently curves through hills and mountains beside the lake from Gisenyi all the way to Cyangugu, with Kibuye almost at its centre point. Because Kibuye offers the pretiest views over Lake Kivu we decided to visit this picturesque area.
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