Nyungwe Forest is the largest montane rain forest in Africa (or so the claim goes,) and it is stunning! I now see that I have to return more often.
Even the drive there was amazing. As you may be well aware, Rwanda is know as the Land of a Thousand Hills, and this part of the country is no exception. The road is a curvy, undulating collection of switchbacks and turns that even make someone like me, who doesn't get motion sickness all that often, a little nauseated and out of sorts. The funny thing is that the road itself was better constructed than most Interstates in the US. Once you reach the entrance to the park, it is even more of a curvaceous adventure. For someone who has not driven in over 3 months, I got the hang of it, after a while...
Once you are in the park, you go register in one of the Ranger stations. There are multiple hikes, a canopy walk, monkey and chimpanzee walks, and other offerings. It is free to enter the park, but here is the catch: every service they offer is a la carte, meaning you pay for the hikes, the animal visits, etc. And it adds up: tourists pay anywhere from $25-90 per offering. There are reduced rates for Foreign residents like me, and East African citizens and Rwandans pay even less. So, even a hike is $20.
Nevertheless, it is an amazing place to see. We had a late start, and the plan was to do the Colobos Monkey visit first, then lunch, then Canopy Walk. The Colobus Monkey walk was amazing. We lucked out, and were able to see them after only walking about 15 min into the forest, up a ravine that could be considered a possible path for humans to navigate, to a trail that lead to the place where the Colobos were resting after a long morning feeding. We saw about 20 Colobos, and even ventured down the thicket to see them from a different vantage point. According to our guide, the male leaders were making warning sounds to the family, indicating Chimpanzees were near (Chimpanzees are predators of the Colobos.) We got excited of the prospect of seeing Chimpanzees, but these Chimps were far away, and were not habituated to humans, unlike the main group that can be visited on a separate tour. We took that with a grain of salt(...), and just enjoyed our time with the Colobos.
We then headed to the Nyungwe Forest Lodge, located just outside the park. It is a high-end, European-style jewel of a Lodge in the middle of a tea plantation with a gorgeous view of the mountainous Forest. It is also not cheap: ~ $300-400 per night... A 3 course lunch or sipping tea can be had on the veranda, overlooking the tea plantation and the mountains in the background.
During lunch, it started raining, which did not bode well for our plan for the canopy walk. Instead, we milked the most out of our stay, and lounged for a bit longer near the fire place. We then set out for the RDB station so John and Jessica could buy permits for Chimpanzee trekking for the following AM, and finally to our Hotel for the night (Top View Hotel.)
The main lodge here is truly impressive: high, thatched roof ceilings, cool decorations, and a good dinner. The hotel rooms themselves are nice, each "room" is a separate builiding suite, with a living room, fireplace, and a large bedroom and bathroom. Hot water bottles in the beds to have the bed warm at night, mosquito nets, the whole deal. It is a bit pricey, though, but for this guy, I was more than glad to pay for it.
Lesson for the Day: Get out, explore nature, and love it!
Until next time...
Love life, Find meaning, Be happy,
Craiger
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