Nyungwe forest

On Wednesday, Shell, Catherine (Shell’s workmate from Brisbane) and I hired a 4x4 vehicle and headed off to the Nyungwe forest in South West Rwanda.  We arrived late in the evening (an expected three hour trip turned into seven hours) and missed out on the views of the rain forest as we drove to our guest house.

We got up early on Thursday morning and headed to the visitor centre to book our trip.  We decided that the 9.5km trail was exactly what we needed so we booked our trip and were provided with a guide.  The walk led us through some lovely rain forest and we were able to view four waterfalls.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any of the wild life we were expecting, e.g. birds and monkeys, which left us all a little disappointed.

Meeting our guide

Watch your step ladies

Shell at Waterfall 1

A nice resting place

An example of the rough mountain roads

Nevertheless, it was a great day out and another challenging drive through the hills of Rwanda.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

On Sunday, January 16, 2011, Shell, Anna, Georgia, Walter and I headed off on our Gorilla adventure.  We spent Sunday night in Gisenyi on the Rwanda/Congo boarder where we took in the views of the lake and surrounding hills.

Another lunch of fish and goat brochettes

The view from our room

The boats have arrived

Fishing boat heading out

Local children out collecting water

My little mate

Baby sitting Rwanda style

On Monday we traveled an hour back to Musanze where we spent the night before our gorilla trekking adventure.  On Tuesday morning we were picked up early by our driver and headed to the Volcano National Park to find out which gorilla group we would be visiting.  After a brief introduction to the guide he provide some information on our gorilla group, the Amahoro (peaceful) group, which is made up of 17 individuals: 1 silverback, 2 black backs, 5 adult females; 2 sub adult males; 2 juveniles and 5 babies.

Our journey started with a 45 minute drive up the bumpy mountain road to the start of our walk.  Everyone was provided with walking sticks before we set off. The walk to the gorillas took just over two hours through muddy trails and thick forest.  We finally made it to the awaiting trekkers who informed us that the gorillas were very close.  You could hear the gorilla’s communicating with each other, yet they could not be seen. 

Car ride to start of walk

And we are off

Still fairly easy

Time for a worm lunch

A little muddier and harder

Into the stinging nettles

Working through the forest

 It was amazing when we finally moved a few meters through the forest and the gorillas came into view.  They were all spread out and busy eating.  For the next hour we made our way through the forest, cutting paths through the thick bush and stinging nettles so that we could see different members of the group.

One of the first gorilla’s we came across was the dominant male Silver Back who was busy munching on bamboo.  As expected, he stood and prepared to charge us, which scared everyone who was in his line of sight.  Fortunately this was just a show of superiority and he quickly settled back down to his bamboo meal.

We had another close encounter with ‘Mr Lucky’ (he’s known to have fathered many children without being the dominant male) a large adult male.  He walked passed our group and then bumped against myself and the man in front of me.  It felt like a horse was nudging me, he was so strong.  Trying to get out of the way, I slipped on Walters muddy foot and hit the ground.  The passing gorilla grabbed my foot but quickly let me go.  I almost needed a change of undies and the heart was beating quickly for a short while!

Big Daddy, the Silver back

Munching on bamboo

We survived

Just a little muddy

After the one hour visit was complete we made our way back down to our vehicle for the return trip to Musanze and a visit to the local basket weaving ladies.  The girls all tried their hand at making baskets and then spent their money purchasing some.  It was a nice way to finish up the day before heading back to Kigali.

The girls learning to weave

Shell and Anna hard at work

Whitewater rafting in Uganda

On Friday, January 7, 2011, Shell, Caitlin (another Kiva fellow in Kigali) and I caught an overnight bus from Kigali to Kampala, Uganda.  We were picked up in Kampala by the Adrift Rafting company and driven to Jinja (about 90 minutes drive) for our whitewater rafting trip down the Nile river.

After a quick meet and greet, we were put into groups of eight, kitted up with life jackets and oars then put into rafts.  Once on the water we practiced paddling, listened to our safety instructions and learnt how to correctly fall out of the boat.  We spent five hours on the water, going through grade 1 – 5 rapids, which was so much fun.  We only stopped for a short lunch break on a small island in the middle of the Nile.

Here we go

Hang on

We've lost one

Overlooking the Nile

After the rafting was completed it was time for a BBQ and some beers before driving 45 minutes back to the Adrift headquarter in Jinja.  Shell, Caitlin and I decided to spend the night at Adrift and had a great time mixing with other rafters.

Adam with our guide

Shell with other members from our raft

Upside down drinking

Sunday was spent relaxing, overlooking the Nile and then catching a bus back to Kampala.  We then caught the overnight bus from Kampala to Kigali, arriving at 9am, just in time to get to work on Monday morning.

It was the perfect way to spend the weekend

New Years Eve

On Friday, December 31, 2010, Shell and I finished work around lunchtime, headed home to pack a bag then jumped on the motorbike and headed for Gisenyi, which is on the Rwanda/Congo border in North West Rwanda.

 

After a few stops to avoid the rain we made it to Gisenyi in just over four hours.  The ride was fantastic and allowed us to see the Rwandan countryside for the first time since we arrived here.  We passed through a number of different sized towns/villages on the way; each time we were greeted by the locals with their huge smiles and warm welcomes.

Shell with some locals on our ride

The evening was spent hanging out at a local beer garden with some friends where we enjoyed a drink and some BBQ brochettes.  We totally missed the midnight countdown and the fireworks alerted us that 2011 had arrived.  We hurried to the Serena hotel, which is located next to the water to watch Miss Shanel and her band perform.

Why so scared?

Excited locals on the street

Beach fire to keep warm

Miss Shanel and band

On New Year’s day, Shell and I took headed back to Musanze, an hour from Gisenyi.  Due to torrential rain we had to spend the day indoors.

On January 2nd we work up early and took the bike for a 3 hour ride around Lake Burero.  The scenery was superb, with the lake and mountains in the background.  It was so much fun to ride along the winding mountain dirt roads.  Once again we were greeted by everyone we passed along the roads.  This was a great way to start 2011.

Looking our over Lake Burero

Lake Burero

Some locals wanting to say hello

The scenery around Lake Burero