Last Africa Post - Akagera National Park, Kigali, and a Cautionary Tale.

 

Giraffe at Akagera National Park, Rwanda.

Saturday, 9/28, was another long driving day. Although it does seem weird to me that we could drive nearly all the way across the entire country of Rwanda to Akagera National Park in about five hours. While both countries are stunning, we did notice some differences between Uganda and Rwanda. The boda boda (motorcycle taxis) in Rwanda seemed to be used only for passengers and helmets were required. Conversely, there was a crazy amount of cumbersome goods being transported by bicycle. If you could see how hilly the terrain was, you would be in awe. They sweated, pushing the bikes uphill and then carefully coasted down the other side, only to dismount and push again. Whew!

A beautiful waterfall along our route.

Boda Bodas everywhere, but helmets required in Rwanda.

Bicycles are used to transport an insane amount of goods.

Rabbit hutches over the aquaculture ponds.
Feed the rabbits who then poop and feed the fish. Brilliant!

Akagera National Park was founded in 1934 by the colonial Belgian government to protect the lands and wildlife surrounding the Kagera River. It originally covered 965 square miles, almost 10% of the country! The park was decimated as a result of the civil war and the 1994 genocide. Battles raged across park land and after the genocide, the government allowed many returning refugees to settle in Akagera, along with 700,000 cattle. Rwanda is a densely populated country and there were few alternatives available. Soon settlements, grazing, and poaching led to the destruction of natural habitats and the severe reduction or extinction of many species within the park. In 1997, the size of the park was reduced by two-thirds and fenced to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Many species of animals, including lions and rhinos, were reintroduced and the park has made a remarkable recovery, once again home to Africa's "Big 5" (leopard, lion, elephant, cape buffalo and rhinos). One of our Rwandan guides spoke eloquently of the three elements needed for the parks and wildlife to thrive - government funding and support; education, engagement and revenue sharing with local communities; and the influx of money from tourism. He was emphatic that each element was critical to the success of the parks. 

Progress!! In 2013 park staff removed 1997 snares,
compared to only 25 found in 2021.

We did a full day game drive on Sunday, starting out at 8am and returning to the lodge at 6pm. That’s eight plus hours on bumpy dirt roads, but we were thrilled to see rhinos up close and watch the antics of several juvenile giraffes (check out the video!). We saw a young male lion early in the morning lounging is some cool mud. When we went back late in the afternoon the same lion was in the same spot, he hadn’t moved all day! Joe wondered if he might be sick or injured, but he looked perfectly healthy and when we pulled up, he rolled over and opened one eye as if to ask what we were doing back. Maybe he was just waiting on his lady love to bring him dinner. Lol. 

This lazy lion - same spot all day! 
First picture taken at 10am and the second at 5pm. 

Tiny owl with attitude.

Curious antelopes.

Lunch break!
The tire chairs were surprisingly comfortable. 

Rian spotted this huge monitor lizard.

Warthogs checking us out.

Considering the history of the park, we were really happy with the diversity and number of animals we saw.  We had the best time watching some juvenile giraffes cavorting. They are so funny to watch run, gallumping along and generally instigating mayhem among the herd. We also spent considerable time with the rhinos. Again, the interactions within the family unit was priceless. The younger rhino was clearly trying to entice his more sedate parents to play. It reminded me of Raney trying to engage Riley, it was certainly our day for wildlife zoomies. Lol.

You don't often catch a giraffe lying down in the wild.

Video Clip (24 sec):  Giraffe Zoomies!

Rhino family and warthogs.

Video Clip (1 min):  Younger Rhino wants to play!

Each zebra has a unique pattern, full-body fingerprints!

Caught this awesome elephant coming and going. Lol. 

Love my hippos!

Video Clip (43 sec): Why did the hippo cross the road?

Our accommodations, the beautiful Ruzizi Tented Lodge, was actually inside the park. I was so intrigued with the tree that grew right through the walls and roof of the lodge. We were right next to Lake Ihemba and it was another lodge where the hippos come out of the water nearly on your doorstep. Rian was not amused. Lol. At least this time, we didn’t need to be escorted because all the tent-cabins and lodge are connected by raised wooden boardwalks with electric fencing underneath. And I do believe there were miles of boardwalk. Lol. I counted steps down the boardwalk to our tent/cabin, did a little math and came up with 175 yards! Of course, that didn’t deter the baboons and vervet monkeys who sashayed down the boardwalks or gave a heart-pounding wake-up call by leaping onto the canvas roof of our tent and running across the top to leap into a nearby tree.

Our secluded tent/cabin at Ruzizi.

Can you see our early morning visitor?

I swear there were MILES of boardwalk. Lol. 

Huge tree growing right through the main building.

I loved the hippos and had great fun listing to their grunting calls throughout the night. About 1:30am I heard a different sound and got up to investigate, there was a huge hippo right outside our tent-cabin munching away. Between the cows, goats, and hippos I don’t think anybody here owns a lawnmower! Lol. It was so dark, the pic of my early morning visitor turned out more like a pointillist impressionist painting, but still evidence! Here’s another one of his buddy who decided to do a little landscape maintenance next to the dining patio.

The grounds crew at work. Lol.

Photo or Pointillism. You decide. 

Speaking of the dining patio, it was at the end of pier overlooking the lake and we just loved it! There was an evening fire and unless it was raining all our meals were served there. The morning and evening skies and especially the moonrise were all spectacularly beautiful.

Breakfast on the patio pier...

...and relaxing fireside after dinner.

Blood moon rising.
(No filters, it was that wild!)

Rian, sunset and night skies.

On Monday, 9/30, Rog and I went on a short one-hour boat ride on Lake Ihemba. Rian opted to take the day off and try to catch up on her sleep. Note to self - next time we plan a trip like this build in some “off days”. Between the go-go-go schedule and unpleasant side effects of the malaria meds, we were all pretty worn out. That said, who knows if or when we’ll be back, so I wanted to wring every bit out of our last days in Africa.

Crowned Crane.

Mr. Nile Crocodile.

Tuesday was our final day in Africa! We left Ruzizi at 9am for the 2-hour drive to Kigali. Rwanda is probably the cleanest country you will ever visit. Everyone is required to participate in a mandatory 2-hour cleanup the last Saturday of every month and there is obvious pride in the beautiful landscaping. We had stopped briefly in Kigali, the capital city, on the way to Akagara, mostly just a chance to stretch our legs and wander through a pedestrian-only block of shops and kiosks. With a red-eye flight, we now had a whole day to spend there.

Kigali, capital of Rwanda.

KIGALI!

We stopped for more francs and then hit an incredible market. It was a veritable warren of tiny booths selling everything from foodstuffs, to building supplies, to baskets and kitschy souvenirs, to thousands of gorgeous fabrics. It was crazy and claustrophobic and we were escorted by a guide and Richard who had a clothing/fabric shop. Richard was very helpful navigating the maze and promised if we bought fabric, he could have whatever we wanted custom made and delivered that evening! I picked out a red and gold fabric and asked for four pillow covers, he threw in a dozen napkins and had it all to me that evening as promised. Wow!

Kigali market.

My custom made pillow covers.
Thank you Richard!

In the afternoon we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. That was a sobering experience. The memorial buildings are situated near a hillside that is the site of a mass grave for 250,000 residents murdered during the genocide. Memorial buildings house artifacts and multi-media displays that tell the story of the genocide in Rwanda through the experience and testimony of many of the survivors. No pictures may be taken inside, so these are from their website. The memorial provided some insight into differences we’d noticed between the Ugandan and Rwandan people. That kind of horrific generational trauma leaves a mark. The country is doing a remarkable job of trying to heal but the genocide has cast a long shadow, the emphasis is on being “Rwandan”, talk of ethnicity remains illegal.

Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Our flight out of Kigali wasn’t scheduled to depart until 2am.  Since we couldn’t enter the airport until three hours before our scheduled departure (11pm), we ended up booking a hotel room at the lovely Heaven Villa Boutique Hotel for the evening. We walked from the hotel to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Then we sorted and repacked our luggage and were happy to have a spot to nap, shower and relax until Joe picked us up to take us to the airport. Before entering the Kigali Airport property all of our luggage had to be unloaded and searched by dogs while we walked through a metal detector. Then we loaded it all back up and drove to the departing terminal where our reservation was checked before we were allowed to enter the building. Armed guards were everywhere, a bit different from Sea-Tac airport. Remind me not to complain about having to take off my shoes. Lol.

Kigali at night. View from the restaurant.

 Our return flight went smoothly. Although I was a bit nervous about making our connecting flight in Istanbul. Turkish Air had changed the flight times, reducing our layover to 1 hour 25 minutes. I think I mentioned that Istanbul Airport is the largest in the world and they have signs throughout estimating the walking time from one point to another. Lol. However, both of our flights were delayed so we had no trouble making the connection.

Boarding our connecting flight in Instanbul.

Our housesitter, Laurie, kindly picked us up at Sea-Tac on Monday afternoon, 10/2.  Laurie had also cleaned the house from top to bottom and stocked the fridge. Talk about a rock star! It had been a long flight and we were thrilled to be home. After a joyful reunion with the puppers, we started the requisite post-vacation mountain of laundry. What a reality check. Lol. Rian had a flight out the next day to Sacramento and then back to work for her. Ugh! Guess I better not complain too much.

Home again!!

So that is the end of our fantastic African adventure. Thank you all for joining us. Before I let you go, though, I thought you might enjoy this little cautionary tale. After traveling half-way around the world, trekking through rainforests, getting within touching distance of the most amazing and majestic wild animals with nary a problem…I managed to break my neck getting out of bed. Yes. Seriously! 😊 About 2:30am on Sunday, 10/8, I woke up with an awful leg cramp. I groggily sat up and saw Raney sleeping next to the bed. I figured I’d get up and walk it off and went to stand up. Then BAM! my head nearly exploded. I thought Raney had head-butted me. Rog asked me how I’d fallen, and I told him, “I didn’t fall, Raney hit me!” Then I realized I was on the floor. So, what actually happened was I stood up, passed out, and toppled over hitting my head on the oak dresser. I had a goose egg and my neck hurt like hell. We debated going to the ER, but I opted not. We had a soft neck brace, so I put that on and went back to sleep. By Friday there was no improvement, so I went to the doctor’s office. He ordered a CT scan which showed an acute type II fracture of my C2 vertebrae. So, learn from my mistake. Apparently getting out of bed is an extreme sport and should be actively avoided!! Lol.

It has been almost six weeks since my little face plant. I am feeling much better, thank you, but the orthopedic doctor says I need to wear this hard collar 24/7 for three months. That would take me into January. Not happy about that. I managed to negotiate a recheck the end of November, fingers crossed I get a lighter sentence. Lol.

My new fashion accessory. Not recommending it. Lol. 

We’ll be back in the RV for our next trip. We aren’t even close to finalizing our plans, but we want to view the April 2024 solar eclipse in Texas, visit Wyoming in June, and who knows what else. If you’ve got any don’t miss suggestions, we’re all ears!

Goodbye Uganda, Hello Rwanda - Golden Monkeys and Gorillas!

 

Even the steep hillsides are cultivated by hand.

Monday, 9/25, was a long driving day, about 6 hours on the road and a border crossing into Rwanda. The countryside in southern Uganda is absolutely spectacular. Sometimes it looked like every available inch was farmed including hillsides so steep I’d have needed a rope to climb them.

We got a wave from this serious looking little angel.

 

You can see that agriculture is a big part of Uganda's economy.

It was our last day with Eddie, and we were determined to make the most of it. I cannot express how sad we were to leave Uganda and our fabulous guide, Eddie, behind. In the ten days we’ve been together he’s become a family friend. We’ve shared stories and more than a few beers (or G&T’s 😊) and a great deal of laughter. He really made the trip so much more fun, especially for Rian. Hanging out with only Mom and Dad just doesn’t cut it. Cue Eddie to the rescue. Lol.  We stopped at Heritage Camp on the shore of Lake Bunyonyi, to see the second deepest lake in Africa. We hope he can make it to the USA so we can drive him around and show him the sights!

Eddie wouldn't swap vehicles with Rian,
but she did manage to swap their sunglasses. Lol. 

A stop at Heritage Camp on Lake Bunyonyi.

Rian on the pier at Lake Bunyonyi.

Our last family photo.
We miss you Eddie!

I knew there will be more amazing adventures in Rwanda with our new guide, Joe, but it certainly wouldn’t be the same. Speaking of Joe, kudos to him because we weren’t our best selves when he picked us up. We were physically exhausted and sad and grumpy after saying goodbye to Eddie. Rog was also suffering from a bacterial bug, and all three of us were feeling the very unpleasant side effects of the anti-malarial drugs. Trust me, when I say you really don’t want the details. Lol.  Luckily, we had nothing else on the schedule, so Joe dropped us off at the lovely 5 Volcanos Boutique Hotel near Ruhengeri, about 45 minutes from the border. The hotel’s namesake volcanos are just gorgeous.

Another stellar lodge.

These rugged volcanos are home to the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

The next morning was our Golden Monkey trek. Somehow, we were under the impression this was just a short walk to see the Golden Monkeys. Luckily, we got a last-minute heads up from Joe that it was run just like the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking - so a briefing, guides, trackers, porters, guards, etc.  That required some hasty prep on our part, so we were dressed for the occasion and had the appropriate tips on hand. We got it squared away and the “trek” was quite fun. Joe drove us to the starting point, and we wound our way through cultivated fields to a bamboo forest at the base of the Virunga Mountains in Volcanos National Park where we quickly located our family.

Rog and I at the Information Center for our pre-trek briefing.

Walking through the fields to the Golden Monkeys.

The volcano provides a stunning backdrop to the lush fields.

We found the Golden Monkeys!

The habituated Golden Monkeys are in four groups, each with about 120 individuals. The Golden Monkeys were little perpetual motion machines. The bamboo shoots were in season and they were busy digging and munching. I swear, with their little cheeks stuffed full they looked like giant, long tailed chipmunks. Lol. We spent an hour enjoying their antics.

Golden Monkey mom munches on fresh bamboo shoots.

Video Clip (53 sec): Golden Monkey Mom happily munching on bamboo shoots.

Check out those cheeks!

How close did they get, you ask?
This close. Lol.

In the afternoon we were supposed to go to a cultural center and learn how the forest people (the Twa or Pygmies as they were called) lived before the area was designated as a National Park and they were all forced to leave. Rog did some reading on what happened in Uganda and it was pretty horrendous. I’m guessing it wasn’t much better in Rwanda. We decided to run some errands first. I needed to hit an ATM to get some of the local currency (Rwandan Francs) and Joe made the mistake of pointing out a good place to buy souvenirs and baskets. Lol. The building was like a mini-mall with each tiny shop run by a different vendor. Much of the merchandise was similar, so to say the competition between the vendors was fierce would be an understatement. We aren’t fans of the hard sell, so it wasn’t a particularly pleasant shopping experience. But Rian did find some great baskets to hang on her wall and I picked up some souvenirs.

A few of my favorite souvenirs -  hand carved, beaded walking stick,
baskets, and a gorilla carved from the local volcanic rock.

We opted to skip the cultural activity and return to the hotel for a late lunch. On the way we passed by a large park and were intrigued by these giant bamboo sculptures. They were left over from the Kwita Izina celebration held there in early September. The celebration is modeled off a centuries old tradition in which Rwandans name their children in the presence of family and friends. In 2005, Rwanda began officially naming the baby mountain gorillas. We arrived in Rwanda too late to attend this year’s event, where 23 infant gorillas were named. The celebration draws people from all over the world and raises awareness of the endangered mountain gorillas. 

Gigantic bamboo sculptures from the Kwita Izina celebration.

Our third and final gorilla trek was on Wednesday, 9/27.  I was interested to see how the experience would be different from our treks in Uganda. Everything I read said the trekking experience in Rwanda was easier, no surprise we found it to be exactly the opposite! Lol. Rian has a bum foot and I’m no spring chicken, so we have tried to make sure we weren’t in the triathlon trekking group. Our two treks in Uganda were very easy, unfortunately, the gorillas in Rwanda failed to get the memo! We were assigned to what was supposed to be the easy group. On the previous day they were only a 15 minute walk from the starting point.  But before we arrived, the gorilla family had decided to move further up the mountain in search of bamboo shoots requiring us to hike for an hour and a half straight up the mountainside!

Seeing these amazing creatures was well worth the hike!

Thank heaven for the porters who were there to lend a hand, pushing and pulling and keeping us from falling on our asses. Lol. We had a 75-year-old mom and her daughter from Austin, TX in our group. Nobody had anticipated such a strenuous hike, and the porters had been hired to carry mom up in a litter. The first part of our trek was through cultivated fields to the park boundary. 

This Texas Mom was traveling in style!

Then the porters with the litter took the lead with someone to hack a path through the vegetation and they easily beat us up the mountain! Lol. The daughter was really struggling and about ready to quit. Then she told us she had leukemia, and the climb was just too much. Everyone rallied around her, and the porters provided additional support so she could make it to the gorilla family. The hike ended up having about 2,480 feet of elevation gain, topping out at around 8,600 ft. Between the altitude, heat, and humidity, it was a challenge. But, how awful would it have been to come so far and get within 30 minutes of your goal and not make it. 

Fire ants also managed to get into Rian's boots during one of the rest breaks. When we paused, she and several others were standing right in the middle of an ant highway, it only took seconds for them to infiltrate even though she had on gaiters and had her pants tucked into her socks. Itchy ant bites. Ugh!

Once we got to the mountain slopes,
the guides hacked a path through the thick vegetation.

Even after we contacted our gorilla family, they were much more difficult to see. The vegetation was super thick and the hillside very steep. They also continued to move, searching for the bamboo shoots that the Golden Monkeys had found so delectable. We had to follow along to stay in contact until, finally, the big silverback settled down for a long nap and we got to hang out with him and some of the others that congregated near him. The first video shows how close the gorillas were to our group. Because they were moving around more and the vegetation was so thick, they literally walked right through our group a couple of times. Lol. Everybody was pretty chill, although one gal kept grabbing onto Rian when the gorillas came close. Rian was not amused. Lol. 

Video Clip (50 sec): How close do the gorillas get?

Mom and baby move through our group.

I just never get tired watching them.

Video Clip (50 sec): Gorillas grooming

Younger gorilla grooming the silverback.

No, it's not Bigfoot! Lol.  

Our last hour with the gorillas was quickly over, but I am so grateful we had such an amazing opportunity to spend time observing them on their home turf. We made it back down the mountainside with the help of our ever-able porters. Lol. 

Time to hike back. We did not accept any hitchhikers. 😏

I plan to wrap up our Africa travels in one last post. You'll get to see Akagera National Park and the city of Kigali. Hang with us, we're almost home!