Discover Rwanda – Week 2: Safari and Adventure
Week 2 was dedicated to a little adventure and animal sighting. I started the trip with a safari in the savannahs on the hottest day of the year. Not the brightest idea but still had a wonderful time. I ended the week enjoying Mount Kigali in their adventure land.
Table of Contents
DESTINATIONS:
1. Akagera National Park
I booked a Akagera National Park tour with Lions Safari. Emile is our driver and he is just incredible. One of the best tour guides I have ever had. He came to my hotel the night before to finalize the tour and gave me a list of to dos. 1. Don’t wear black or navy blue as it attracts horse flies, 2. Pack lunch since we will be out all day. He said that the hotel can prepare lunch if we let the front desk know in advance. That worked out smoothly. 3. Make sure to wear sunscreen since we are driving in the hottest region in Rwanda. These were all great tips. Emile picked my crew up at 5:30am in his safari vehicle. The tour was $250 a person for an all-day excursion.
Akagera National Park is a 3-hour drive from Kigali. Every tour company will say that it is a 2.5-hour drive but that is a lie. The drive can take anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. There is only one main highway out of Kigali, one lane each way. Being stuck behind a shipment truck will add minutes to the drive.
The drive is breathtaking since it takes you through the countryside. There are numerous farms and rice terraces. I admire watching how people live. You could see people walking miles to the nearest produce market, people pushing containers of water tied to their bikes up the hill, and people walking with tin buckets filled with milk. Life feels different here than in the city.
During our halfway point, Emile took us to a local market for a quick snack and a bathroom break. Here, we purchased coffee and a pastry.
As we got closer to the savannah, we could feel the temperature rising. Emile used to work at Akegera as a tour guide for 5 years so he had the hook up. He put our names on the list and paid in advance for us. There was a line of vehicles waiting to enter but we just drove up to the gate. Once we entered, we propped open the sunroof that allowed us to stand. Immediately we saw Antelope.
During the safari, we came across two different species of antelope, baboon, giraffe, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos. We even had lunch in front of hippos. We did not see all the animals we wanted to see since it was so hot. The animals were all hiding. Overall it was a great tour and I would do it again.
Cost: $250 | Time Spent: 12 hr
2. Mount Kigali
Mount Kigali has so much to offer. There is a company called Fazenda Sengha where you could go horseback riding, ziplining, atv-ing, paintballing, and more. My friend and I decided to do horseback riding for 30,000 and ziplining for 10,000.
When you first enter the facility, you are given a guide to escort you around and take photos for you. The first thing we did was ziplining. There is a team working together to make sure that the harness and helmets are secured. We did 4 round trips. The ziplining was not that high up so it was not that scary. Thank goodness.
After ziplining, our guide walked us over to ride horses. There are only 6 horses at the property and 3 horses can only be reserved at a time. New riders, will be given a guide to walk you through the mountains while more experienced riders follow the guide on horseback. Since I was a new rider, my guide, Innocent walked beside me all the way. My horse, Acorn was so calm and just wanted to eat. My friend and I chose the trail option. The option starts off going through neighborhoods. It is a bit strange as the locals ran to the road to watch us ride the horses. Innocent says that a lot of the locals have never seen horses before even being this close to the center. Innocent on the other hand has been riding horses for quite some time and teaches lessons at the facility. Once we past the neighborhoods, we rode through the forest and were welcomed to view of Nyaborongo River. It was stunning. After ziplining, we went back to the center and our main guide greeted us with refreshments that tasted like strawberry water.
Cost: 10,000 RwF (Ziplining), 30,000 RwF (Trail Horseback Riding) | Time Spent: 3 hrs
3. Kimironko Market
Kimironko Market is hands down the most chaotic market I have ever been to. I took a Yego to Kimironko Market, and instantly, there was a group of porters at the window before I even pulled out my cash to pay the driver. As I stepped out, a group of young men asked if they could carry my things. I kindly declined and decided to conquer the market on my own.
At the entrance of the market, you will find local produce and meats for sale. In the back of the market are cool little souvenirs and a team waiting to design customized African clothing. As you walk in, everybody is talking to you asking you to visit their shop. When I pulled up to one shop, there was a group of people surrounding me asking to to enter their shops as I was trying to bargain with the salesperson. When my colleague was done making a sale, people were trying to pull her to their shop. It was absolutely mental. We spent only 15 minutes here because we could not walk anywhere without a group of people trying to get us into their shop. I have been to my share of markets but this takes the cake for the most chaotic. Not for the faint of heart!
WHERE TO EAT
Lunch: Mount Kigali Cafe
→ KN 61 St, Kigali, Rwanda
Mount Kigali Cafe is a relaxing cafe located on Fazenda Sengha. After an exhilarating day of ziplining and horseback riding, we ended our day with a vodka lemonade for 7,000 RwF, samosas for 5,000 RwF, and margarita pizza for 8,000 RwF.
Dinner: Umut Cafe
→ Chic Building Ground Floor, KN 2 St, Rwanda
Umut Cafe is a Mediterranean restaurant that is tailored towards tourists. Here, I ordered the kebab wrap for 6,500 RwF. Right after dinner, visit the busy street adjacent to Umut Cafe to shop at several vendors selling food, clothes, and other miscellaneous things.