39. Nyungwe Rain Forest Adventure

June 11 - 13, 2016
This weekend we had a beautiful 3 day, 2 night trip to Rwanda's Nyungwe National Forest and Wildlife Reserve. It was magical! We left Kigali early Saturday morning, arriving in Huye at the perfect time for a perfect macchiato at Cafe ConneXion.

We continued our travel into the Nyungwe Forest. Naomi's reaction was what I had hoped for. As we drove into the forest she could sense the change in the altitude, the "deepness" of the green, green forest, the steepness of the mountains, the wetness in the air. You can tell you have driven into an awesome rain forest and Naomi was very excited!

We arrived at the visitors center and were welcomed by Rebecca Hiemstra and her companion, (Alphonse)? They helped get our car parked safely and then we were hiking down the mountain, a 45 min - 1 hour hike, to the village of Banda. We saw monkeys in the tall cedar trees. We were awed by the pine forest. We were careful on the slippery, steep parts of the path! It got hotter and hotter as we descended into the valley.

The evening was an enjoyable mix of making dinner in an outdoor kitchen with a charcoal stove. Rebecca is an expert and had pre-arranged everything. But a "quick trip" to the market to buy a few vegetables provided an incredible glimpse into village life. Naomi, we soon found, was an instant celebrity with a papparazi group (minus cameras and asking questions) of at least 20 - 30 children at all times!

The next morning we were going to the Anglican church. We had to arrive early because Rebecca was the guest preacher (in Kinyarwandan)! After we arrived, we were told we would also be sitting up front, behind the altar, with Rebecca and the pastor! The large church was packed. There were probably 300 people there. 6 'districts' were represented, and each district seemed to sit together in certain rows. There were also 6 choirs! Rebecca's sermon was great (I could tell, even though I could not understand the words) and the choirs and other events of the service kept everything lively. Of course, it finished with frenzied dancing and singing with joy in
the aisles. Banda people love to give praise to God!

At this point we had to start our journey up the mountain so that we would reach our car by 4pm. Isaac and I took the 2 hour hiking mode. (Isaac could have done it in 1 without his slow mom.) And we enjoyed getting to know our guide, a long-time friend of Rebecca's. John and Naomi got to come up the mountain (with our luggage) on two motorcycles! Naomi's first time on a moto!

After arriving at our car, we drove to the Eastern edge of the forest to Kitabe, where there is a university center that offers lodging and a restaurant for tourists. Much to Isaac's delight, they even had a flat screen TV for watching the Germany vs. Ukraine soccer game in the European championship series!

The next morning we drove back into the forest to start our "canopy walk adventure" at the beautiful Umwinka Visitors Center. It is an impressively constructed and organized center. Truly worth a visit. And the canopy walk with two other visitors from the US and France. Our guide was a wonderfully knowledgeable man, as all our guides in national parks here have been. They are true professionals.

After the the park visit, we started our journey home. We stopped in Huye for a late lunch with Eran, our new-found friend. We even zipped off to Cafe ConneXion for a proper espresso after ordering our meal and made it back to the restaurant (where Isaac was waiting) before the food came. We've got the system down!