How to eat like a Rwandan – 10 snacks I bet you haven’t tried
An introduction to Rwandan foods – a snacking guide for hungry travellers!
Trying new foods is such an integral part of the travel experience.
As well as the regular packets of biscuits and bottles of sodas and water, the small bus park in Musanze (stop off point for tracking the gorillas in Rwanda) has an interesting selection of snacks for the traveller.
Rwanda seems remarkably free from the heavy, starchy snacks like chapatti, mandazi and ‘defenders’ (‘defender from hunger’ cakes), and even sambosas (samosas) that we have everywhere in Uganda.
In Rwanda, you might break up your bus journey by munching on:
- Hard-boiled eggs, served with hot akabanga chilli oil of course!
- Fresh groundnuts in their shells
- Cape gooseberries – in a plastic bag! – in Rwanda?
- Strings of bright orange tangerines
- Igikwanga (chewy snack made of cassava flour) pictured above. On its own igikwanga has little taste. Eat it with groundnuts and it’s rather interesting.
- Strings of sweet tree tomatoes (it’s rare to see these in Uganda)
I really enjoy Rwandan food and have been known to bring a few titbits back with me to Uganda. Some of the favourite items I’ve found so far are:
- Nyirangarama strawberry jam. I love strawberries and they are rare to find in Uganda. This strawberry jam is made in Rwanda. It’s delectable and full of fruit.
- Gishwati cheese. This mild flavoured Gouda-type cheese is very moorish and can withstand a two-day journey back to my village in western Uganda! It’s better priced than any such quality cheese in Uganda. Did you know Gishwati – Mukura is Rwanda’s newest National Park?
- At Red Rocks Initiatives in Musanze, I tasted potato wine and banana beer. My friend David loved the banana beer so much, he wrote a whole story about it.
- Rwanda is known for its good quality tea and coffee. Tourists that track the gorillas are given smart-looking presentation boxes of tea or coffee as a memento of their experience.
- Akagera ‘buffer honey’ is harvested from beehives near the boundary of Akagera National Park.
- Nyirangarama must be Rwanda’s most popular stopover – and the BEST place I’ve found in East Africa for enjoying baked (Irish) potatoes! I’m drooling just remembering them. They are big, cheap and always ready. They also sell chips. The shop next door sells whole Gishwati cheese, akabanga chilli oil, fresh bread, mandazi (donuts), strawberry yoghurt, Uganda Waragi, takeaway buffet and other snacks. (There’s a free – clean – toilet nearby too).
- If you’re staying at a tourist hotel, you can often get a packed lunch to take on your journey. The lunch box provided by the Kigali Serena Hotel is one of the smartest I’ve seen. I particularly like the local products.
- However, by far my favourite takeaway on my last trip to Rwanda was this fantastic sambaza (fish) and matooke chips lunch! Thank you and murakoze to Bethany Hotel on Lake Kivu for this filling and tasty lunch.
These are some of my favourite Rwandan snacks and foods – and I haven’t even mentioned brochettes and the excellent beers!
Trying local food is such an important part of my travels and so is taking public transport, but beware the ‘helpful porter’ at Musanze who grabs hold of your bag as you exit the bus and demands 500 Rwanda francs to haul it 100 metres!
“No way!” I told him. “I dragged my heavy bag for 20 minutes and no-one paid me!” I joked indignantly in a language he did not understand. I pulled a face and the price dropped to 100 RWF – for a service I didn’t really need.
Which are your favourite East African foods? If you are in Uganda, it may be the rolex! Mombasa street food is a favourite of mine too.
Pandemic people – my best of 2021
From #LockdownDiaries to gratitude! Diary of a Muzungu’s review of 2021
Wasn’t 2021 extraordinary? Isolation has given us all an opportunity to rethink many things – whether we wanted to or not 🤦♀️ – and I certainly ended the year in a more positive frame of mind. This would not have been possible without the support and inspiration of so many friends and colleagues. Pandemic People is dedicated to them.
The biggest shout-out goes to my family who I had not seen for nearly 3 years. When I finally made it back to the UK for my dad’s 80th birthday, I took every occasion to reconnect with family and childhood friends, reminisce, dip into the family photo archives and allow myself to be full-throttle nostalgic! Travel to Red List UK via Spain was a logistical nightmare but a useful exercise to share with would-be travellers.
I do not confine my gratitude to 2021. Many of the people I list below have been with me – virtually at least – since the start of the pandemic. I share my thanks to them individually here, in no particular order:
In 2021, Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegai won gold and silver medals at the Olympics in Tokyo. Ugandan social media was buzzing for days after his win and British sports commentator Rob Walker’s words went viral:
“And what unadulterated joy this win will have triggered back home in Uganda – one of the friendliest, most beautiful countries you could ever hope to visit!”
Rob Walker, sports commentator
As regular Diary of a Muzungu readers know, home is a wooden house at Sunbird Hill, on the edge of Kibale Forest, my green sanctuary during the pandemic. I have endless stories about my incredible life here with Julia and Dillon. Grateful everyday is dedicated to them (and the wild creatures that share my house with me!)
When Internet failed me (and my mojo was at an all-time low) aviation expert and fellow travel blogger Prof Wolfgang Thome invited me to publish a series of #LockdownDiaries for his site ATC News (ATC stands for Aviation, Travel and Conservation). Although my morning forest walks frequently felt like the 1993 film Groundhog Day, lockdown gave me the chance to connect with nature on a deeper level.
Damn has this digital nomad missed traveling! 🤦♀️ Solomon Oleny and I both write for Ng’aali, Uganda Airlines magazine.
When I want to know what’s going on in Kampala, my friend and social barometer Arthur Mwenky Katabalwa is just a tweet or phone call away! (Newspapers can only be bought in Fort Portal, an hour’s drive from home).
Bradt Guides author Philip Briggs lives in Wilderness, South Africa, where they endured some of the toughest lockdown measures. His daily run around the cabbage patch in his garden inspired me to start running again. (Ironically, he was the first person I know to have had COVID-19).
Responsible tourism colleague Daniel Quintana was the first person I spoke to when we finally got broadband Internet (several painful months into lockdown). How different our lives were during the pandemic: he isolating in modern Miami, us in the forest!
With so much on hold, I’ve missed working with my web developer Sam Risbond. I know we’ll be back on track in 2022 😎
As the pandemic hit, Steve Dumba voiced his concern at how I would survive with tourism dead in the water. Dumba has helped me update Diary of a Muzungu and runs E-zone School of Computing in Kampala.
Another support team member I must thank is the ever-patient George Mukalazi of Laz Systems tel +256 702 926323. George is my go-to IT person
I was honoured when Miha Logar invited me to be one of the Gorilla Highlands Experts, a global team of volunteers who are passionate about developing and promoting responsible tourism in the Gorilla Highlands of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Gorilla Highlands Experts’ virtual picnics and group Zoom sessions reconnected me with coffee growers in Kisoro, expert chef Rama Ramadhan Sindayigaya in Rwanda, award-winning photographer Marcus Westberg in Sweden, Jon “The Voice” Lee in California and countless others all over the globe. I can’t tell you how much that connection has meant to me during lockdown. Gorilla Highlands’ latest endeavour is the SEE AFRICA BREATHE AFRICA podcast.
I was tickled pink when Andrew Roberts asked me to help with a spot of proofreading for his fantastic Uganda Safari book. Andy and I worked together at the Uganda Conservation Foundation. You may know Andy as the co-author of the Bradt Uganda guide.
I was over the moon when the journalist Susan Muumbi invited me to write an article for The East African. In 2018, we tracked Rwanda’s gorillas and attended Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony together. We swapped life stories as our safari vehicle wound its way up and down Rwanda’s thousand hills. Here’s Susan’s story about our big cat safari in Akagera National Park.
Daily connection with nature has kept me sane (well, almost!) A high point of 2021 was getting back into running. Kudos to Canada’s top fitness trainer 2020 Philip Ndugga for the virtual coaching.
What’s worse than being stuck in lockdown? Being in lockdown when you are a freelancer! Journalist friend Amy Fallon and I compared notes on our double dose of isolation. Best way for us both to get through it? Start running again!
The sea – specifically the Indian Ocean – was the number one thing I hankered after during lockdown and my first international trip was to the 5 star Mombasa Serena Resort, Kenya. The thought that I would see the ocean again made the first few months of 2021 bearable!
While tourism was closed in 2020, I watched how friends in the Kenyan coastal resort of Watamu came together to feed a community that was financially decimated by lockdown. They were some of the first people I had to see after lockdown. Kudos to Jane Spilsbury, Steve Trott, Mike Mwangombe of Watamu Marine Association, Mel and the team at Hemingways Watamu, Lynne Elson and Tushar (and many others) for keeping the community going. In December 2021, KTN News Kenya broadcast a report about the Watamu Marine Association’s work to protect the Indian Ocean’s wildlife and beaches. This circular economy project: creates jobs to collect plastic waste, upcycles old plastic to make cool products, cleans the ocean to protect wildlife and keeps beaches clean to welcome tourists!
One of the upsides of travelling on your own is having quality time to connect with new people. In Kilifi (north of Mombasa), rafiki Thomas Mbashu of Tripesa and I discussed Kilifi’s tourism attractions over fish, prawns and oysters at Nautilus Restaurant – a delectable treat after all those months in the village eating posho and beans!
A week at Distant Relatives renewed my desire to be a digital nomad… If you are looking for a cool place to hang out, party and enjoy superb live music and DJs, at extremely affordable prices, look no further than Distant Relatives Backpackers in Kilifi, midway between Mombasa and Watamu. Far more than just a backpacker hostel, DR is one of the most innovative, well-run places to stay on Kenya’s coast. Distant Relatives Backpackers Instagram page is 🔥!
While most of us tourism folk languished in the doldrums, Albert Ntambiko showed us how to turn a business around during the pandemic. What do you do if your café isn’t allowed sit-in customers? You reinvent yourself as a takeaway business! Coffee at Last is in Makindye, Kampala.
I have missed the lovely Moreen Mungu during the pandemic. Our trip with the Kasese Tourism Investment Forum was a highlight of my year. In Kasese, I was honoured to speak alongside David Gonahasa, the brains behind Tripesa and Home of the Gorillas Initiative that “seeks to increase global awareness of Mountain Gorillas by leveraging technology to generate non-trekking revenues towards gorilla conservation.”
I could listen to Ian Redmond for hours: he is a master at explaining complex ideas in non-techy language (for us non-scientists!) For example, did you know that the ‘ecosystem services’ offered by a single forest elephant are valued at 1.7 million USD? This recognises elephants’ value in carbon sequestration (preventing the release of carbon and thus reducing climate change). This staggering amount of money is in addition to elephants’ value to the tourism economy. Ian is co-founder of Rebalance Earth a social impact company that proposes using block chain technology to offset carbon emissions: win:wins for elephants, forests, local inhabitants near National Parks, the climate, EVERYONE!
In 2021, Ian was part of the team that launched Ecoflix “the first not-for-profit global streaming platform dedicated to saving animals and the planet.” Do check it out!
Every interaction with Dr Celestine Katongole is a learning experience. Celestine masterminded Uganda Tourism Board’s tourism recovery plan and the award-winning Entanda Tours (traditional hunting experience) near Mityana. His latest project is Work & Rise a company that “connects people who have jobs to those looking for the jobs.”
Sleeping in a tent up a mountain is not for the faint-hearted, especially when it’s your first time. I was intrigued to know why Jean Byamugisha CEO of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, chose to swap her self-confessed ‘boujee’ lifestyle for walking boots and a tent. In Out of my element Jean shared her personal account of climbing Mount Elgon. I really felt her pain! (And her determination).
Beewol’s “A wet and wild escapade” is the funniest read this side of the River Nile
The CBI project to train tour operators in digital marketing involved Peter Fabricius and I writing a syllabus and developing training materials. Revisiting old content in the context of the pandemic brought some illuminating discussions and a new hybrid approach: in-person group discussions, live remote presentations from Peter’s home office in Cape Town and virtual breakout rooms on Zoom. Working with Peter is like having my own personal coach – I can’t think of a better way to get back to full-time work!
Finally – after so many years daydreaming – I made it to Karamoja, where Theo told me all about their plans for the Warrior Nomad Trail and the Tour of Karamoja Uganda’s ultimate wilderness bicycle tradition, taking place in April 2022. “Expect a physical and mental challenge, rich cultural encounters, dramatic scenery and Uganda’s finest wildlife.” The Warrior Nomad Trail takes you 6 completely unique days / 6 stages through Uganda’s final frontier on the extreme edges of the East African Rift. The final days are celebrated in the award-winning Kidepo Valley National Park.
I’ve loved being a small part of implementing the EyeOpenerWorks’ vision for tourism and hospitality. I look forward to working with Martijn, Lex, Laiqah and the team again soon.
It was a pleasure to spend two days with Sheila Kogo-Malinga at Kisubi Forest Cottages off Entebbe Road. Her company Lodge Solutions is a one-stop shop for everything you’ll need if you’re setting up a tourism business in Uganda.
In 2022 I’ll be travelling to Tanzania. Kudos to CEO Sirili Akko for the great work Tanzania Association of Tour Operators TATO are doing promoting Tanzania during the pandemic. Their approach has been radically different to Uganda’s but as long as visitors are travelling to Africa again, I’m happy!
In London, I attended World Travel Market. Africa had little representation but West Africa Tourism Association did the continent proud. Here Daniel of I Like Local introduced me to WATO’s delightful CEO Ola Wright.
Horizon Guides has grown to be a reputable travel brand. I’m thrilled that Matt Barker asked me to update the Guide to Tracking Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda, a project we first worked on together in 2016.
Liz Warner is one of the UK founders of Different Kind, and former CEO of Comic Relief, a new online marketplace for “goods that do good.” I got a buzz from recommending a few ideas from Uganda and hope to recommend more as DK evolves.
In this short clip, Vanessa Nakate talks about the changing weather patterns in Uganda. “Historically Africa is responsible for just 3% of global emissions yet is suffering some of its worst impacts.”
Closer to home, I am a fan of the work of AFRIYEA and their practical clean-up Fort Portal / River Mpanga campaigns. Let’s support young environmentalists in 2022!
Trends indicate that post-pandemic, more of us will choose to travel sustainably. Silver linings! Kudos to Judy Kepher-Gona and the team at Sustainable Tourism and Travel Agenda in Kenya who are at the forefront of training young people and tourism businesses on how to operate sustainably. I hope to attend their annual summit in 2022. #STAS22
We were delighted when our former colleague Lilly Ajarova became CEO of UTB, but can you imagine being head of the Uganda Tourism Board during the pandemic? 🤦♀️Not to be deterred, in 2020, Lilly led a team of climbers to the top of Mount Margherita, the highest point in Uganda. Where she leads, others follow. Domestic tourism has come of age during the pandemic!
“Approaching Entebbe Airport, bright orange sunshine filled the plane. I felt like the sun was rising over Africa and my new life. I was a little nervous and very excited.
VSO was a passport to an incredible life. I didn’t know anything about Uganda beyond Idi Amin, Lake Victoria and mountain gorillas, but I had a feeling I might stay longer than my two-year placement …”
Charlotte Beauvoisin, woman & home magazine
Voluntary Service Overseas was my ticket to a new life in Uganda (and the first three years of Diary of a Muzungu recount those life-changing experiences). In 2021, I was delighted to help promote VSO’s work in an interview with Woman and Home, the U.K.’s bestselling women’s magazine.
And what does 2022 hold for Diary of a Muzungu?
I don’t know how I would have survived the last two years without everyone featured here. In small ways and big, they’ve helped and inspired me. I’m still processing so much of the last two years. I felt hopelessly lost at certain points but now I’m just letting things settle. Conservation, digital marketing training, travel travel travel and AFRICA will continue to be central to Diary of a Muzungu but quite how that all pans out, I’m still figuring out!
Mwebale nyo – thank you – to everyone who has attended my training workshops and to the tourism businesses that advertise in the Travel Directory. We look forward to brighter times 🙏😎
My last thank you is to everyone who reads Diary of Muzungu! Wishing us all the very best for a successful and happy new year! Keep in touch – sign up to my monthly newsletter.
The land of 1000 … surprises! A solo exploration of Rwanda
Want to explore Rwanda? An ABC of Rwanda’s tourist accommodation – AirBnB, boutique hotels, camping and luxury lodges
A recent trip to Rwanda revealed such a wide variety of places to stay that I thought I must share them with you. Although Rwanda pitches itself as a high-end destination now – and has some wonderful luxury lodges like the remarkable Virunga Lodge – the country has a wide variety of accommodation for all budgets. It’s a very easy country to travel around too (although Ugandan friends did freak out when our vehicle started driving on the right side of the road!)
I seem to have developed this habit of leaving home for three days and returning after three weeks. It’s hard to resist the invitation to visit new places, especially when you’re already far from home (and your toothbrush is packed!)
The early morning bus from Kampala to Kigali is so much more pleasant than the night bus. (Why on earth did I take all those night buses?) I used to think I could kill a night by sleeping on the bus but sitting on the bus is no recompense for lack of a bed. I love Jaguar’s new wide ‘VIP only’ seats. There’s plenty of legroom and – hooray! – working seat belts. I’ve been using Jaguar Executive Coaches between Kampala and Kigali since 2011.
Despite rumours of bad politics between Uganda and Rwanda, I couldn’t tell whether anything was different at the border. Rwanda immigration’s new building is just having its last coat of paint. Those immigration officials must be relieved. If you cross the border late at night, they sit there in open-sided shipping containers, wearing thick jackets and suffering the cold of the damp river crossing.
At Nyabugogo bus park in Kigali, I met my new friend and kindred spirit Denis Senechal, a French-Canadian who has relocated to Rwanda’s capital with his Rwandan wife. Read my story about the cobbler of Nyabugogo bus park that I wrote while looking out of the bus window.
Denis and I swapped stories about their former life in Kampala as he drove me to the cosy and colourful Umusambi Bed and Breakfast in Kibagabaga, my home for the next few days.
After a leisurely breakfast the next morning – “don’t rush me, I’ve only been sitting at the breakfast table for an hour and a half” – I got chatting to an Australian couple who invited me to tour Inema Arts Gallery and the Caplaki craft market. I’ve managed to finance my nomad lifestyle by not visiting craft shops (so it was rather weird to be seen as a tourist).
Rwandan arts and crafts: Inema Arts Gallery and Caplaki Craft Market, Kigali
Caplaki Craft Market has excellent quality crafts – and divergent prices! Luckily we had the lovely Tony from Burundi to negotiate and whisper “don’t pay more than that” under his breath as we wandered from shop to shop.
We’d established that I could buy a snake (made from recycled bottle tops) for around 8,000 RWF (around $8). The shop next door asked for 15,000 RWF. At shop number three, the man with boozy breath said “I give you good price” and then asked me for 25,000 RWF for the same item! (He was the reminder to not buy the first thing you set your heart on).
In the afternoon, Greg Bakunzi from Red Rocks in Musanze introduced me to the Inzora Rooftop Café at Ikirezi Bookshop / Librairie Ikirezi. This stylish – bookish – café is definitely my kind of place and one I plan to revisit.
A highlight of my time in Kigali was feeling free to walk wherever I wanted. Wide (motorbike-free!) pavements and street lights make walking a pleasure. From Ikirezi Bookshop, I walked to the famous ‘peace basket’ structure that is Kigali Convention Centre. It can be seen from all corners of the city, particularly at night when it is lit in a variety of mesmerising colours. Radisson Blu Hotel forms part of the Convention Centre complex. The presidential convoy of Range Rovers with black-tinted windows sped past me as I left the hotel.
Photo highlights from Kigali and Musanze – click on the photos to reveal their location!
Did you know that Google Maps continues to work even when you’re not on Wi-Fi? (You can see who failed physics, can’t you?) To start, I logged onto the free Wi-Fi at Radisson Blu and typed my destination into the app. Google Maps traced the route and the arrow kept moving, even as I left the WiFi zone behind me to walk 5.5 km uphill and down towards Umusambi Guesthouse. Rwandans are generally polite people, and some greeted me as I walked. Walking the streets of Kigali was a wonderful experience (although not everywhere is as developed as the route between the Convention Centre and Kibagabaga, as I found out the following week when I stayed in a residential back street). First the muzungu got lost, then the moto got lost and later Google Maps dumped me in a field of maize! (But tell me, what is a travel blog without the occasional detour?)
I felt so relaxed at Umusambi Guesthouse, that it was an effort to haul myself off the sofa! I chatted in French with the guesthouse’s Belgian owner and had an eye-opening conversation with an Italian lady who is vaccinating frontline staff against Ebola. “Prevention is better than cure” and we are thankful to see numerous interventions in place across the region.
I’ve travelled by bus from Kigali to Musanze many times and it couldn’t be easier. The Virunga Express from Nyabugogo takes a couple of hours from the city as it winds upwards through some of Rwanda’s one thousand hills.
From Musanze, I took a 7 km moto(rbike) ride to the Red Rocks campsite. Here at high altitude, evenings can be cold. I was glad to have a friendly dog lying on my feet as I warmed myself at the campfire while chatting to two very cool trail-blazing chicks: Harriet, one of Red Rocks’ co-founders and Angel, one of Rwanda’s few women tour drivers.
Red Rocks Campsite and Red Rocks Initiatives, Musanze Rwanda
Red Rocks is a popular campsite with super friendly staff who make a point of greeting you with a big smile. I enjoyed chatting French with the chef. Quels petits déjeuners énormes! (The breakfasts were huge!)
Red Rocks is home to authentic community tourism and I was honoured to spend some time with Kamana Theophile, an environmentalist with a passion for community projects. In the Red Rocks Museum, he demonstrated how banana beer is made in a giant wooden canoe-type structure. (I tried some on a previous trip – it’s delicious!) Profits from Red Rocks Campsite fund the indigenous tree nursery and gardening demonstration plots. Kamana discussed in French (ooo la la) how the local community are given seedlings, learn gardening techniques and good environmental practices – all for free. Through Red Rocks Initiatives, local communities – and the environment – directly benefit from tourism. Every aspect is environmentally sound: the ‘raised bed’ kitchen garden is made of volcanic rock and tree seedlings are carried home in pots made of banana fibre (plastic bags are illegal in Rwanda and the ban is strictly enforced).
For a change of scene – we travel bloggers are rarely off-duty you know! – I was escorted to the new Classic Lodge where I did the full tour of the extensive buildings. The night before, over a thousand people had attended an event there. Had Musanze ever hosted such a large number of people?
Classic Lodge in Musanze is quite a set-up!
Here I was given a tour of the presidential suite (which President Kagame himself visited while it was under construction), a family cottage, suites, superior rooms and others. There are at least 40 different rooms and conference facilities.
Café Crema in Musanze is a cosy setup with charming and courteous staff. It’s the kind of place I love to hang out. The cappuccino was excellent, and I was happy to kill a few hours there (the first 30 minutes of WiFi are free).
Caffeine levels boosted, I dropped by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund exhibition. It was humbling to spend a few moments reconnecting with my first reason for travelling to Rwanda, that being to support gorilla conservation.
Next stop Kigali.
The advantage of having fluid plans is you can take up new opportunities as they present themselves. The downside is you occasionally get stuck without a place to sleep! Thanks to Moses Nezehose who booked me in at the Tea House, another great establishment which is walking distance from Remera, a part of the city that I’ve come to know a little over my years of visiting Kigali.
On my first trips to the capital, I would stay at hostels run by various convents. (You can’t argue with $10 a night, even if the shower is cold). Centre Christus Hostel in Remera is set in green, bird (and monkey)-filled gardens away from the main road and I’ve been happy to stay there on several occasions.
On the second leg of my trip in Kigali, I was spoiled rotten. I spent three nights at the fabulous Pili Pili Boutique Hotel. My – it was heaven – so much so that I didn’t leave the compound for three days! My heart skipped a beat when the beautiful breakfast tray arrived in my room.
The cosmopolitan bar and brilliant music at Pili Pili were quite a thrill for this girl from the village! I loved the fresh grilled Sambaza fish from Lake Tanganyika and enjoyed my chats with Rudy, Pili Pili’s owner. I was fascinated to hear about his former life running hotels and bars in Bujambura. I visited Burundi in 2012 and really fell for the place. J’adore l’Afrique francophone!
Pili Pili Bistro and Boutique Hotel, Kigali
Pre-booked visitors ousted me from my little pad – goddamit – meaning it was time to download Air BnB and try my luck getting a cheap room in the city. Within minutes I was booked in to stay with Josiane and her four young sons. It was hard to understand where she lived so she came to meet me midway on a moto. She couldn’t have been nicer. She almost fell off her chair when I told her that Uganda is the Source of the Nile. She was quite adamant that it is in Rwanda! The debate continues…
After the comforts of a luxury set-up, it was nice to spend time with a Rwandan family. They treated me well and the meals were huge. (As for the cockroaches, well I’m glad I didn’t see any on my first night there; the longer I stayed there, the bigger the cockroaches I saw!)
I happened to be in Kigali on a Sunday when roads are closed to allow city residents space to run and exercise. Groups were exercising at Amahoro Stadium that morning as I walked to Java House in Remera where I fell in love with rhinos! Did you know Rwanda has just successfully relocated five black rhinos from Europe to Rwanda? The transformation of Akagera National Park is sensational, as I have witnessed on my last two visits there.
On my last day in Kigali, I headed to the Rwanda Development Board offices, also in Remera. Tourism, conservation and many other departments are managed by RDB. Boy what an impressive setup. Did you know that it’s free to register a business in Rwanda? Did you know that it generally takes only six hours to do that? The ‘one stop shop’ at RDB really is that. You can make bank payments, get advice from copyright specialists and immigration officials and have someone sit with you and guide you through the whole process of setting up a company, from start to finish. Let’s not do comparisons with Uganda…
Upstairs, I was delighted to see Moses, one of our hosts at the brilliant Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony. Kwita Izina is the annual celebration of conservation and tourism in Rwanda and now lasts a whole week.
Lunchtime took me back to the famous Chez Lando for my final brochettes (grilled meat on skewers) of the trip. I do enjoy Rwandan food. Read How to eat like a Rwandan – 10 snacks (I bet you’ve never tried).
The final leg of my trip took me back to Kampala. Life is easy when you can jump in an Uber as soon as you hit the city outskirts! Boutique B&Bs were a bit of a theme on this trip and I was thrilled when Albert Ntambiko invited me to stay at the new Mahali Guesthouse in Makindye. Albert is also the owner of Coffee at Last. Mahali is housed in the new Coffee at Last building, just a few steps away from the original establishment.
Like I said, I seem to have this habit of leaving home for three days and returning after three weeks! Last year’s four day trip to Mombasa led to invitations to visit high-end hotels in Nyali, explore backpacker hostels and luxury beach resorts in Diani and attend Diani’s Five A Side International Beach Touch Rugby Tournament. (I arrived home three weeks later!)
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Rhinos to Rwanda: the largest ever transport of rhinos from Europe to Africa begins today
Rwanda’s commitment to protecting and investing in its National Parks is phenomenal. The annual Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony is one example of that.
“On Sunday June 23, five critically endangered Eastern Black Rhinoceroses, born and bred in European zoo environments, will be flown 6,000 km to Akagera National Park in Rwanda. This is the largest ever translocation of rhinos from Europe to Africa.
This historic journey will begin at Safari Park Dvůr Králové (Czech Republic) where all five animals have been gathered since November 2018.
While their flight departs on Sunday June 23rd, their journey began years ago, through EAZA’s vision to supplement wild populations in secure parks in Africa with genetically-robust individuals who have been successfully bred and cared for over the years by the EAZA Ex Situ Programme (EEP).
This is a unique collaboration between the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the Government of Rwanda and conservation NGO African Parks.
Fewer than 5,000 wild black rhinos and only 1,000 Eastern Black Rhinos remain in Africa; and their future is severely threatened by poaching for the illegal demand for their horns. This translocation project represents an urgent and valuable opportunity to expand the range and protection of the black rhino, and demonstrate how captive rhinos can help supplement and repopulate wild populations within secure landscapes.
Three female and two male black rhinos, ranging between two to nine years old, were chosen. Jasiri, Jasmina and Manny were born in Safari Park Dvůr Králové (Czech Republic); Olmoti comes from Flamingo Land (United Kingdom) and Mandela is from Ree Park Safari (Denmark). The rhinos are being donated to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the government body that manages Akagera National Park, the rhino’s new home in Rwanda, in partnership with African Parks.
All five rhinos have undergone months of sensitisation to prepare them and minimise stress to ensure the safest journey possible. During the voyage, which will be approximately 30 hours long, they will be inside custom-made crates, and fed and watered regularly. Experienced zookeepers from the Safari Park Dvůr Králové as well as veterinarian Dr. Pete Morkel, a world expert in rhino translocations, will accompany and monitor the rhinos throughout the entire trip, as well as their release into the Park.
“By undertaking a highly supervised and well-planned gradual acclimation process, we believe these rhinos will adapt well to their new environment in Rwanda. They will first be kept in bomas – enclosures made by wooden poles. Later, they will enjoy larger enclosures in a specially protected area. The final step will be to release them into the northern part of the national park where they will roam free,“ said Přemysl Rabas, Director of Safari Park Dvůr Králové.
Akagera National Park is an ideal destination for the reintroduction of the animals.
Rhinos were first reintroduced in 2017 – a decade after they were last seen in the country. In that year, African Parks successfully translocated 18 Eastern black rhinos from South Africa to Akagera in collaboration with RDB and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The translocation entailed a 2,485-mile journey. This success is testament to both the potential of the park to sustain a rhino population, but also to the high levels of security and effective park management. You can read more about that translocation on the African Parks website.
This video is from 2017.
Since 2010, the Park has undergone a revival with poaching practically eliminated, allowing for key species to be reintroduced. In 2015 lions were reintroduced and have since tripled in number [see photo below]. Strong community conservation efforts have resulted in tremendous support for the Park, and tourism is now leading to Akagera being 80% self-financing, generating US $2 million a year, which goes back to the Park and surrounding communities.
“We have been preparing for this moment for years and are excited to build on our efforts to revitalize the Park with the RDB and the successful introduction of the first round of rhinos in 2017,“ said Jes Gruner, Park Manager of Akagera National Park. “This transport of five rhinos from Europe is historic and symbolic, and shows what is possible when dedicated partners collaborate to help protect and restore a truly endangered species.”
These conditions also will allow for the ongoing study of the five animals from Europe and the existing population as they gradually integrate to contribute to a stable population of black rhinoceros in East Africa. The Park is a key component of the Government of Rwanda’s strategy to foster economic growth while providing a secure future for wildlife in the country.
“The translocation of five rhinos from European zoos to Rwanda will further enhance the natural ecosystem in Akagera National Park. This partnership with our European friends is a testament to Rwanda’s commitment to conservation. Today, poaching is almost non-existent in our four national parks and we are confident that these rhinos will thrive in their natural habitat in Akagera. They are a positive addition to Akagera, a Park where tourists can now visit the African Big Five,” said Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer, RDB.
The Rwanda Development Board is responsible for ensuring that the tourism and conservation goals of the Government of Rwanda are successfully implemented.
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria comprises more than 400 zoos, aquariums and other institutions across 48 countries, collaborating for the advancement of conservation, research and education. EAZA Ex Situ Programmes is responsible for the planning and administration of over 200 programmes.
Safari Park Dvůr Králové is one of the best rhino breeders outside of Africa. So far, 46 black rhinos have been born there and the park coordinates efforts to save the northern white rhino. The park assists with conservation of rhinos, even in the wild. In 2014 and 2017, the park organized public burnings of rhino horn stockpiles to raise awareness of the plight of rhinos.
The Akagera Management Company (AMC) is a public-private partnership between RDB and African Parks and has been responsible for fully managing Akagera National Park since 2010. African Parks manages 15 national parks and protected areas covering over 10.5 million hectares in Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia.”
To follow the progress of the rhinos follow #rhinostorwanda on Twitter.
The rebirth of Akagera
Akagera is almost unrecognisable today from what it had become 20 years ago when it seemed destined to be lost forever. While peace was finally restored after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis, Akagera’s demise was just starting. Refugees returning to Rwanda after the genocide were battling to survive. Forests were cut for timber and the park’s savannah became home to tens of thousands of long-horned cattle that displaced wildlife. Rhinos disappeared and lions were hunted to local extinction. The park’s value was “diminished to the point of not existing at all.” This makes Akagera’s revival even more remarkable.
To be honest, I didn’t expect to see a lot of wildlife when I first went on safari to Akagera National Park three years ago (working in conservation in Uganda may have spoiled me!) I was therefore thrilled beyond words to see a leopard (just a few metres from us). Later we spent half an hour in the company of three young lions, offspring of the first lions reintroduced to the park.
Every safari in Akagera is more interesting than the first – I can’t wait to revisit!
Rwanda
The Muzungu’s top reasons to #VisitRwanda
1 – Go mountain gorilla trekking in the Virunga mountains, northern Rwanda. I have written extensively about gorilla tracking in Rwanda. Click on the links for more information or refer to my Ultimate Guide to Mountain Gorilla Tracking.
2 – Learn about gorilla conservation. Visit the grave of famous primatologist Dian Fossey and her favourite gorilla, Digit
3 – Rwanda is an eco-tourist’s dream: 670 bird species, 400 butterfly species, primates galore!
4 – Golden monkey trekking is highly recommended!
5 – Enjoy safari game drives in Akagera National Park, bordering Uganda, a ‘small but perfectly formed’ savannah safari destination where animal numbers are on the increase. Read Rhinos to Rwanda: the largest ever transport of rhinos from Europe to Africa begins today.
6 – Take advantage of free WiFi across Kigali! Oh yes! You can even check your email or WhatsApp when you’re on the city’s buses.
7 – Learn about the genocide of 1994. Visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali. Incredibly moving and a must-visit experience.
8 – Lie on the tropical beach at Lake Kivu. Rwanda has a number of crystal clear lakes. The sandy beaches and tropical weather of Lake Kivu, shared with neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, make the lake a popular weekend and holiday spot. Gisenyi and Kibuye are two popular resort towns.
9 – Go chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest. Birding in Nyungwe Forest is popular and the forest is home to big groups of Black and White Colobus monkeys. I travelled to Nyungwe Forest with my good friend primatologist chimpanzee expert Julia. Julia Lloyd features in the World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation (and is best known for her work in habituating the chimpanzees of Kibale Forest in Uganda).
10 – Hike the magical volcanoes of the Virunga
11 – Watch fabulous traditional Intore dancing. The traditional culture of Rwanda is evidenced everywhere: the Intore dancers are captivating!
12 – Rwanda is a small, accessible country with good roads
12 – English is the (new) lingua franca and French is spoken by many in the capital and in hotels and tourist destinations
13 – The East Africa Tourist Visa makes travel to Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya more affordable.
The small landlocked country of Rwanda is known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” something which you will very quickly appreciate on a road trip. I still have the feeling of being thrown from left to right, right to left, for hours on end, when we drove up and down the hills, round one bend, then back around another, as we travelled from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, down to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. (Historically connected, the two countries share very similar geography).
Rwanda is flourishing, and tourists love to visit this safe and popular little country that has invested heavily in tourism and infrastructure over the last two decades.
Many visitors are lured to Rwanda by the famous and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, who make their home in the staggeringly beautiful Virunga volcanic chain.
It is even possible to fly into Rwanda for just 24 hours to see the gorillas, but I wouldn’t recommend that, there’s a lot more to Rwanda than the mountain gorillas.
Did you know…? The East Africa Tourist Visa makes it easier and cheaper to combine a trip to Rwanda with a visit to Uganda and Kenya.
Are you planning a Rwanda tour? Check out my Travel Directory or read reviews of 100s of Rwanda tour operators on SafariBookings.com
