Our family recently moved to Rwanda after extended stints in the East Africa region. One of the joys of living in the region is our own family explorations. Until the last month, we had seen most of Rwanda. Our remaining region of exploration was southeastern Rwanda, and particularly Nyungwe Forest. My wife, Jana previously had gone with a friend, Laura Sager to see the Nyungwe Forest chimpanzees, and returned with stories of captivating beauty in a magical forest. Also, as she described the difficult hikes up and down the ravines, I thought surely such a place can not truly exist.
My first exposure to Nyungwe was a truly humbling experience. My eleven year old son, Caleb; and nine year old son, Ethan were on school holidays. It seemed appropriate to take 2 days off of work, and do some Rwanda exploration with my sons.
As we drove my book worm sons devoured all the information they could about Nyungwe Forest. The Rwanda Office of Tourism and National Parks in Kigali gave us a 2 page hand out. We tried to make a booking in Kigali, but it became apparent that Nyungwe is just one of those locations where the best thing to do is show up and make your way. Nyungwe is off the beaten path and it appears that few tourists make their way to this delightful forest.
My sons' next item of intellectual devouring was the Rwanda Bradt Travel Guide. As they spit out one interesting fact after another, I soon reached the parental point of intellectual over load. Nyungwe Forest is the largest mountain forest in Africa. It covers 1,030 square kilometers. It is the home to 13 different types of primates, over 275 species of birds, more than 25078 species of vegetation, and large mammals such as leopards, golden cats, bush pigs, and the black-fronted duiker. Twenty five of the species of birds in Nyungwe are endemic. But what does endemic mean? After reading the fine print we discovered endemic means their range is restricted to the few remaining forests in the Albertine Rift.
There are many more scientific facts about Nyungwe than I can possibly remember or comprehend. I knew it soon would be time to move past book knowledge discovery to practical hiking through a rainforest experiences. I hoped our stay in Nyungwe would continue to ignite my sons love for this region’s captivating beauty and people. Nyungwe went beyond my expectations.
After a four hour journey we reached the edge of Nyungwe Forest. I could not believe such a place existed anywhere in the world. It was as if we had entered a protected forest of a magical kingdom. My son’s imaginations soon took them to lands of myths, fables, and ferry tales. Nyungwe takes a child’s imagination to it outermost reaches. It ranges in elevation from 1,600 to 2,950 meters above sea level. The peaks and deep crevices of the forest defy the imagination. The greenery is indescribable. We crossed streams and stopped to view small waterfalls.
At one point we drove through a portion of the forest that had the eerie haunts of a forest fire. Old remnants of massive trees stood against a backdrop of sun. Underneath the forest was rejuvenating itself. Ferns and young green tree shoots reached towards the sun. It seemed a fitting natural commentary on Rwanda’s historical experience and current renewal. Occasionally, we would see a monkey on the side of the road, and our minds wandered to what other species our future hikes may see.
Then we crossed the continental divide between the Congo and Nile Basins. My sons were captivated by the idea that on one side of a mountainous ridge the water would eventually flow to the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo River, and on another the water would flow to Mediterranean Sea through the Nile River. We pulled out our best but inadequate maps and tried to get our minds around this wonder of African geography. Nyungwe is the source for 70% of Rwanda’s water supply. Some are now even arguing that it is the true source of the Nile River.
We stopped at several high locations to view the wondrous views. Then we saw something unbelievable. In the distance to the north we could see the active Congolese Volcano of Mikeno over 80 kilometers away. Truly, we were in a magical kingdom.
Our next stop was the UWINIKA tourist site. We found their staff immediately helpful and informative. Inside the office was a skull of the last remaining elephant in Nyungwe which had been discovered in 1999. The extinction of mountain elephants and buffalo from Nyungwe is an environmental tragedy. The massive skull brought to mind the questions Rwanda begs – What was this land before? What is it today? What will it become in the future?
It has a campsite, and appears to be a wonderful location to spend a quiet night. The guest book showed infrequent visitors. Though the road from Kigali to Nyungwe is excellent, this truly is an out of the way location that has yet to reach its tourist potential. UWINIKA sits at 2,500 meters in elevation. The temperatures range from 8 to 23 Celsius. It rains most days. A night here would require sweaters and a warm jacket. Also, the frequent rains require rain gear.
The guides gave us a great amount of helpful information, and helped us plan the next days hike that would test my sons growing athleticism, but also not leave me carrying two exhausted boys out of the forest. We decided to hike the pink trail of 4.8 kilometers the following morning and hope to see primates.
From UWINIKA we traveled another 18 kilometers to the ORTPN headquarters and guest house. Along the way we noticed soldiers patrolling the region to insure its security and to guard against poaching. Since we had no booking we were thankful to find there were plentiful rooms available. There were several options ranging in price from a 15,000 RWF single sharing a toilet; a 20,000 RWF double sharing a toilet; a 25,000 RWF double self-contained room, and a 35,000 RWF suite.
Though at first a bit disorganized we found the staff competent, able to communicate in English, and helpful. Our dinner was served much sooner than we anticipated after our order, and tasted beyond our expectations. The rooms were simple but clean. The guesthouse can be described as a charming quaint resting point with beautiful gardens. It was a pleasant place to stop, watch a sunset, or read a book. From our other African experiences of just showing up the dinner and night at the guest house went much better than we anticipated. (We have since found that a booking can be made through Daphne at 25078-08-675-501).
The following morning, we traveled back to UWINIKA to begin our hike. Hiking boots are required as are items such as a hat, rain gear, and water. The temperature started off chilly with sweaters, but as the hike went on we were soon down to t-shirts. This is a hike to dress in layers with a light back pack for water, food, and a place to put required clothing for Nyungwe’s variable climate. We found our guide informative. He apologized for his lack of English proficiency, but we found it endearing. His English was far better than my Kiswahili, and it was actually quite fun during our moments of unclear communication to help one another learn together. Through out the hike he continued to share with us interesting facts that kept my young bookworms fascinated. We did not see as many primates or birds as we hoped for, but we saw enough to prick our interest in returning again. The highlight of the hike was reaching the base of the first waterfall. This was as far as we planned to go with my sons and we began a circle back to the UWINIKA.
We planned to do another hike in the afternoon, but changed our minds due to an afternoon rain shower. We thus explored Cyangugu by road, and took advantage of the spectacular views of Lake Kivu and interspersed tea fields.
The following morning we returned to Kigali with our appetites wet for more exploration. Nyungwe had accomplished all and more that I desired it to for my sons. We learned, tested our physical abilities, and came away eager to explore again. I am looking forward to exploring Nyungwe in a few years when my sons are teenagers. Some areas of future interest will be longer hikes to see more waterfalls, tracking habituated chimpanzees, excursions to Kamiranzovu Marsh, and scaling Mt. Bigugu (2,925 meters).
One suggestion I would render to ORTPN would be to create a yearly family national park membership for Rwandan residents. By paying $20 for each person’s entrance, our family budget becomes a bit stretched, and we may choose to spend our entertainment budgets in other locations of Rwanda.
However, Nyungwe compels us to explore again. It provided all that I could hope for in a father son trip.
