Kigali/Ruhengeri, Rwanda to Volcanoes National Park - August 23

This morning at 9:00 we had a private tour of the city with our guide William that included the Genocide Memorial, a craft market and lunch. We had a wonderful breakfast on the patio overlooking the pool at Kigali Serena Hotel. There were a lot of pretty flowers and birds to enjoy while eating our breakfast.

 hotel lobby

 patio of our room

 Speckled Mousebird

 

We met our guide downstairs and our first stop was the Rwanda Genocide Memorial. Along the way we shot pictures of the city as we drove by. It’s a bustling city and it seemed that anything and everything can be carried on your head without using your hands at all. The woven baskets are filled with food and the jerry cans are filled with water or banana beer. We saw someone carrying poles of bamboo balanced on her head and one had a huge umbrella balanced on her head. (folded not open).

 

The Genocide Memorial was very well done. It started with a short film that explained what transpired and I just sat there with tears streaming down my face as I heard that friends and neighbors turned on each other brutally murdering them with machetes.

The Rwandan Genocide was a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority. During the approximate 100-day period from April 7 to mid-July 1994, an estimated 500,000–1,000,000 Rwandans were killed.

On April 6, 1994, an airplane carrying Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down on its descent into Kigali, killing all on board. Genocidal killings began the following day. Soldiers, police and militia quickly executed key Tutsi and moderate Hutu leaders, then erected checkpoints and barricades and used Rwandans' national identity cards to systematically kill Tutsi. These forces recruited or pressured Hutu civilians to arm themselves with machetes, clubs, blunt objects and other weapons to rape, maim and kill their Tutsi neighbors and to destroy or steal their property. Hutu who had lived next to Tutsi  for years sharing meals and were good friends turned on them and slaughtered them. It took a couple hours to go through the memorial inside and out. No photos were allowed inside, but outside at the mass graves and the gardens they were permitted.

 mass graves

 

There was a nice viewpoint to see the city scape of Kigali.

 

We then went to a craft market. Since it was Sunday, some of the stalls were not open, but there was plenty there.

 craft market

 

Our guide asked if we wanted a more Western lunch or a place with more local food. Those who know us know that was not a choice we had to think about very long. We always want to try the local cuisine. We were taken to a restaurant that had a great buffet so we could try lots of different things. Everything was good!

 William our guide and me

Greg inside Restaurant Chez Robert

 

After lunch we departed for the Parc National des Volcans region, driving northwest through the beautiful terraced hillsides that characterize much of Rwanda’s landscape. Crops are grown on the terraced hills. It was one beautiful site after another. We gradually climbed to the base of the awesome Virunga volcanoes, seeing as many as five peaks. (1 to 2 hour ride) Along the way lots of people were walking up and down the steep hills carrying anything and everything. We also passed through a lot of small villages along the way. What a pleasant drive!

 this little guy "photo bombed" me as he popped up right next to my car window

 local market

 scenic overlook stop

 this guy was hanging on to the truck to get a pull up the steep hill

 William explained this was a pre-wedding party

 everyone brings food to cook

 crops are grown terraced on the side of the mountain

 Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International building

 

We stayed 2 nights in Sabinyo Silverback lodge. Here is their website: http://www.governorscamp.com/property-descriptions/silverback-lodge-parc-national-des-volcans-rwanda

Much was made of the steep and long climb to get to the lodge and they were right, especially when you factored in the altitude. However, if you were doing the gorilla trek, you had to be able to handle the walk to the lodge as the trekking may be rough as well.

We were greeted with a nice cold drink and invited to sit on the patio as we filled out our information for the stay.

 the main lodge

 patio of the main lodge

 front door to the lodge

 sitting area on the patio

 sitting area

 dining room

 sitting area in bar

 sitting area in bar

 alcove in bar

 

We had booked a regular cottage, but they upgraded us to a suite the first night and we were supposed to switch to a cottage the 2^nd night. The first night while enjoying appetizers and the company of others at the lodge the manager said that the suite had not been confirmed for the 2^nd night so we didn’t have to move. We didn’t look forward to having to repack again.

 our cottage

 back patio

 front patio

 yes, we did need the fire wood

 our butler Felician

 huge walk-in closet

view from our cottage

We went on a walk around their gardens and there were beautiful flowers and lots of very pretty birds. We got ready for dinner and made the hike down to the main lodge. (we were in the highest cottage)

 path to the gardens

 sunbird

 Pale Flycatcher

Mouse-colored Sunbird 

 Streaky Seedeater

 entrance to the gardens

 Collared Sunbird?

Stuhlmann's Sunbird

 

Sunbird

The hosts Thor & Alisa were very good at letting things happen naturally. They had the movie Gorillas in the Mist on in the bar and people started to gravitate in there. As it filled up people were chatting and enjoying the popcorn they brought out and then the appetizers they served. Eventually, we all gathered in the dining room for dinner. A nice couple from New Zealand invited us to sit with them. They were delightful. The food here was some of the best we had on our whole trip and we have had some really good food on this trip.

 

 walking back to the cottage at dusk

 

We knew we had an early morning to get ready for our Mountain Gorilla Trek the next day. Felecian had a roaring fire going for us when we got back to the cottage.