Where have we arrived now?

Nyuhgwe Forest NP & Volcanoes NP
Rwanda
December 27 - 31, 2019

Creating routes is something that Onno does not like to hand over. Today he makes an exception. The goal is a campsite for the Nyuhgwe Forest National Park. Navigation Garmin calculates the optimal route on the Tracks4Africa road map and conducts over gravel roads. We find it a welcome change after many weeks of asphalt.

Explore
Beautiful hilly landscape passes us by. The car-free villagers are full of attention for our SUV. So much traffic does not pass here every day. Charming wooden bridges over rivers. It is a pleasure to ride this track. The Dutch have installed irrigation in this area, says the roadside sign. After an iron bridge, tire tracks are no longer visible. Garmin knows for sure, we have to go straight through the cart track. The dual track grows over with grass, gradually becoming a single track. Only mopeds drive by. Doubt strikes. Is this a car route? The path is getting worse. A young woman, with a baby in a sling on her back, reminds us to stop. The path is difficult to walk on, we understand from her gestures.

The go-getter wins
I explore the path and the nice woman walks with me. For someone who probably doesn't own a car, she knows how to pinpoint the tricky places in the path. The woman indicates that the path gets better after a right turn. We walk almost a kilometer before we reach this bend. I trust her judgment. If the woman knows what bad places are, she also knows what is passable.
We are going to tell Onno the positive news. All the villagers now stand at the G. And a man who speaks French. On a drawing he makes it clear that the path beyond the village can be walked on. We risk it. Onno skilfully drives the car over the first obstacles. Then comes the most impassable part. Lots of mud masked by grass. Onno adds everything, low gear and the differentials. The car doesn't make it and drops. Three local residents come running with their land tillage shovel. The iron blade is perpendicular to the wooden handle, called 'Dutch hou'. The strong men split the grassy mud until they reach rock. In the new attempt, all villagers push behind the car. It works, the car comes loose. We give the active helpers some money, with which they happily walk home.

Rainforest
The new monkey species along the road confirm that we are entering a completely different area. The Nyungwe Forest National Park is a rainforest in a mountainous area. A winding asphalt road leads past the green-covered mountains. Armed soldiers in green camouflage suits stand at every second bend. They perform a serious task here. Waving back to a tourist is not part of that. I stop with cheerful greetings. The park is located next to the border with Burundi. It was a troubled area a few weeks ago. Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa. They want to keep it that way. The nature reserve is known for the Chimpanzees and was recommended to us by Jean-Philippe, whom we encountered earlier in Zimbabwe. The draws to Tarzan's monkeys, only 10 permits per day, are fully booked for the coming weeks. One of the disadvantages of unplanned travel. We set our sights on the trek to Gorillas in the Vulcanoes National Park.

Be careful
Along Lake Kivu we drive to the North. An area with countless mountains and hills. The agricultural farmers do not leave a square meter unused. Banana trees, corn, carrots and more edible fruit and vegetables are nicely grown in areas on one mountain. It provides a varied landscape. A party to watch. Especially for me. Onno also keeps an eye on the many pedestrians on and along the road. Rwanda compares the trump card with other countries in terms of the amount of people walking. Transport of goods is done by bicycle. The large heavy load loaded on the two-wheeler. The cyclist invariably walks next to his bike. Helped uphill by pushing little boys who want to earn something. The number of passenger cars is low. That is not due to the roads. They are of very good quality. The rainwater on the road descending to irrigation channels. Trucks have plenty of room to crack. They do that too. We see three large trucks along the road one day. Single-sided accidents. Tilted in a bend. The cabin completely crushed. The truck drivers have paid for the race course with their lives.

Old and New
The gorillas live on the five densely grown volcanoes of the Vulcanoes National Park. We settle down at a campsite at the foot of the park. New Year's Day or New Year's Day seem like memorable days to visit the silverback and his family. All tourists think so. Both days are fully booked. There is no alternative but to wait until January 2, 2020. Fortunately, nice sunny weather is predicted. Consequently, we spend New Year's Eve on this campsite. The closer we get to the last day of the year, the more we look forward to the evening. The Dutchmen Thomas and Marjet, fellow camping guests, drive to a luxury Lodge in Uganda on 31 December. We are the only guests left behind together with the employees.

Special party
Celebrating the year with Rwandans is also a special experience, we encourage ourselves. Since the genocide, New Year's Eve has been the celebration of the population. After a church visit at 18.00 p.m. or 22.00 p.m., depending on religion, celebrated with food, drink, music and dancing. We look forward to that. We donate an amount for the refreshments for employees and their families. A moped with three crates of beer arrives at the end of the afternoon. Since then we are awaiting the start of the party and the arrival of the family members. In the meantime, we watch the latest episodes of Casa de Papel in the restaurant on Netflix. After each episode we check whether the party has started. Three episodes further and half an hour before the new year we occupy the bar stools. The five employees sit around the fireplace, without family and snacks. Furthermore, it is silent, interrupted by a radio speech from the president. Just after midnight, the employees come loose from the bank and we toast together. It is that we cheered loudly at midnight, otherwise we would have slipped into the new year unnoticed.

6 reply
    • Onno & Ingrid
      Onno & Ingrid says:

      Best for you too for 2020!
      That bit of “detour” was very nice, and the landscape is also beautiful. Always something to see.
      This also applies to our visit to the gorillas, the pictures of which are now online!
      Greetings

      To answer
  1. Jean-Philippe
    Jean-Philippe says:

    Starting the new year 2020 with the gorillas. Fantastic. I look forward to how that day went and to your photos. Hopefully the trek was not too hard.

    To answer
    • Onno & Ingrid
      Onno & Ingrid says:

      A better start to the year 2020 could not be desired. Check out our latest blog for the fantastic experiences and the photos!
      We wish you a very beautiful and adventurous 2020.

      To answer
  2. esther
    esther says:

    That photo in the mud, with half the village around it… prizewinning !!
    Great how you see the landscape change as you cross a continent!

    To answer
    • Onno & Ingrid
      Onno & Ingrid says:

      Was a great moment, rummaging together in the mud. Still nice how everyone helps you ... although they also know that there is often something in return :). Let's just say what goes for something.

      To answer

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