The Real Rwanda - Beyond Kigali

Leaving the capital, Kigali, by road, the overwhelming feeling is of surprise and wonder. Rwanda is completely African and yet not, at the same time. The little landlocked country, sandwiched between Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Burundi, has an excellent tarred road network linking towns and there is cellphone reception all over.

As you travel south from Kigali to the intellectual capital Butare, with a fine university and even finer market that bustles with second-hand clothes, fresh bananas and household utensils. The architecture hints that missionaries have been here too.

Venture to Lake Kivu on the border with DRC. A few dozen boats lie just offshore, parked in perfectly neat rows, and the fishermen on board are rhythmically beating the water with whip-like fishing rods, as if chasing sand from a carpet. The cheerful fishermen are merrily catching tilapia, a staple food for people living around the lake.

The ancient Nyungwe rainforest is one of the oldest in Africa and is today the largest single tract of montane forest remaining in East and Central Africa, covering nearly 1000 km2. It’s a true rainforest because it receives over 2 000 mm of rain per year and boasts magnificent biodiversity.

There are 75 mammal species just in Nyungwe, which include 13 species of primate and a population of 500 chimpanzees; 275 bird species; 120 species of butterfly and over 100 species of orchid. This forest canopy comprises 200 tree species, most often cloaked in soft cloud.

With most of Rwanda lying at between 1 500 m and 2 500 m above sea level, much too high for malaria, Akagera is quite different. A place of low-lying undulating plains and woodland, dotted with lakes, it’s a stark contrast to Nyungwe and the Virungas with very different offerings too, a variety of unusual antelope which include Defassa waterbuck, topi, Roan antelope, Bohor reedbuck, oribi and sitatunga.

This unusual and blossoming country has not forgotten its tempest past. The atrocities of the 1994 genocide are remembered in the numerous memorials dotted across the country, which honour the million Tutsis who died in the 100-day genocide. Mass graves have been opened and bodies displayed in stark racks in cool cement rooms. The sentiment is similar to the holocaust memorials in Germany; the intention is also the same.

Rwandans are completely united in looking forward and forging a positive future, ensuring history never repeats itself. For over a decade now, Rwanda has been perfectly peaceful as genocide perpetrators languish in jails.

Rwanda has a new lease on life, a new president, a new flag and only Rwandans; no tribal differences are ever noted. The country is the epitome of peaceful coexistence, and increasing foreign investment bears testimony to this stability. International hotel chains have built in Kigali and along Lake Kivu so tourism is growing accordingly.

Rwandans are doing a remarkable job in turning tragedy into prosperity. Everyone wears a smile, a positive attitude and a work ethic that’s hard to match in Africa. Rwanda is a modern tale of a Phoenix from the ashes on a continent that often has little positive news.

Words by Keri Harvey

To Rwanda

If you look at a piece of crystalline carbon, it’s not all that impressive. Yet when cut and polished it becomes a diamond, and Rwanda is fast becoming one of Africa’s tourism diamonds.

WEATHER: Rwanda has the type of weather that most countries envy. Temperatures rarely rise above 30ºC during the day or drop below 15ºC at night throughout the year. February to May is wet, July to September the dry season.

VISA: You will need a valid passport, but will not need a visa if you’re travelling on a South African passport. You will also need a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. Malaria is not a major concern, but the disease is still present and prophylactics are recommended. Stick to bottled water rather than drinking tap water.

CURRENCY: While the local currency is Rwanda franc, the US dollar is still the currency of preference. Credit cards are usually only accepted at major hotels in Kigali.

LANGUAGE: The indigenous language of Kinyarwanda, French and English are the official languages.

THE CAPITAL: Kigali is one of the safest and friendliest African capitals, and the ideal springboard from which to explore the rest of the country. The low-rise city centre surrounds a busy market where tourists can souvenir shop to their hearts content. A wide range of hotels is on offer to suit almost any taste and budget.

TRANSPORT: Rwanda probably has the best roads in East Africa. All the major centres are connected by local or luxury bus services and air charter is available anywhere in the country.

HIGHLIGHTS: No visit to Rwanda is complete without a trip to Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park). This 125 km2 of mountain forest is home to the six Virunga Volcanoes, and is also home to the world famous mountain gorillas. This is where conservationist Diane Fossey spent 18 years of her life protecting these animals.

Musanze, the base point for gorilla visits, is a 90-minute drive from Kigali. While you can take a taxi from Kigali to Musanze, you will need to organise your own transport from there to the park boundaries, from where you will continue on foot.

A gorilla visit can entail anything from a 1 - 4 hour hike through the forest. While the walk is breathtaking, the high point and on of the greatest wildlife experiences is meeting the giant gorillas as the go about their daily lives. Nothing can prepare one for the impact of encountering a fully-grown silverback gorilla, up to three times the size of an average man, yet remarkably peaceable and tolerant of human visitors.

Words by Malcolm Theunissen

Africa....beyond imagination!

There are places in Africa that are Off the Beaten Track and beyond imagination. Where the real magic lies. You may have taken the traditional route to Africa before....now it’s time to explore the Green Route menu of life-enriching places that your champions won’t believe and will savour forever. Let us tell you about some of these extraordinary locations.....

Jack’s Camp (Makgadigadi Pans, Kalahari Desert, Botswana)

Imagine travelling at speed for hours on quad bikes from Jack’s Camp and arriving...nowhere! Jack’s perfectly showcases the savage and haunting beauty of the African wilderness and is located deep in the Kalahari Desert in a palm grove that seems like an idyllic mirage at the edge of the Makgadigadi National Park, the largest salt pans in the world. A place in Africa beyond imagination!

This is a sophisticated yet in harmony with nature camp (no electricity, just pure silence) that captures the classic 1940’s East African style. A perfect retreat for exclusive executive groups always in search of something “different....unique.....startling.” This is the authentic magic.

Jack’s has 10 spacious, stylish en-suite tents, each with inside and outside shower, and the hub is a canvas pavilion with pool overlooking a vista that is forever. These pans are a relic of one of the world’s largest super-lakes, the size of Switzerland that dried up thousands of years ago.

You may reach Jack’s by road or air from Maun, which is at the heartbeat of Botswana’s legendary safari camps. Three nights on a wild, wild safari and then two nights at Jack would truly be a unique and life-enriching experience.

In 2007 the acclaimed BBC motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson visited Jack’s and wrote: “I loved it more than any other journey I’ve ever made. It’s even better than driving an Enzo Ferrari.”  We’ve got lots more enticing information on Jack’s....so talk to us soon!

Rocktail Bay Beach Camp (KwaZulu Natal, South Africa)

So, it’s “unique” and “sensational” you are searching for? Then send your small exclusive incentive group to Rocktail Beach Camp where the superlatives and “reasons to go” are easy to identify.

Located, under canvas, in the shaded sanctuary of a lush forest on South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal coast, it is a place of incredible and remote diversity and can’t be topped for exclusivity – you have 40km of unspoilt, pristine shoreline to yourself.

The camp has 17 rooms (nine standard, seven family suites and one VIP suite) overlooking the ocean, though it’s a brisk 20-minute walk to the beach where world-class snorkelling, scuba diving and unspoilt beach adventures await.

This is in the Greater St Lucia Wetlands World Heritage Site marine reserve (boating, fires and driving on the beach are prohibited) and where the bird life and turtles are major attractions. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles are quite famous here and they lay their eggs on the beach to hatch.

The lodge dining room, bar and lounge have a wrap-around veranda with views of the ocean and there’s also a large pool and a wine cellar. Activities include superb dive spots at pristine reefs, the beach, forest trails, forest and grassland bird watching, surf and rock fishing, Zulu dancing and culture, quad bikes, star gazing, swimming and cultural visits to nearby Gugulesizwe.

Bushman’s Kloof (Cederberg Area, Western Cape, South Africa)

Cape Town is a global hot-spot for incentive groups, with that pulse even quickening following World Cup soccer and to be further heightened when the international SITE Congress is held there from 4-7 December this year. The natural and most desired add-on is a big-five safari elsewhere...but many now need an alternative to wildlife safari.

Think of all the apt superlatives from any place on earth you have ever experienced. Bushmans Kloof is in that class...and beyond most. Marketing hype has degraded words and phrases and many places make wild and undeserved claims.

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, 270km from Cape Town, beckons you to “lie still and feel the earth” and promises to “nourish your soul with calm and comfort.” These are not empty clichés but precise facts. Voted by Conde Nast Traveler as “Best Hotel in the World 2009” the citation said to experience Bushmans was “deeply enriching and beyond all expectations.” The global accolades have been many and richly deserved, including Tattler’s top hotels in the world.

A majestic Relais & Chateaux brand and member of the elite Red Carnation Group it features 16 spectacular luxury rooms and suites set in an ecological oasis of open plains, rock pools and waterfalls and landscapes of staggering rock formations. There are more than 130 ancient Bushman rock art sites and you are assured of exclusivity and rejuvenation that beggars belief. There is a spirit and mystical beauty that soothes and the world-class spa truly rejuvenates.

Bushmans Kloof has also received consistent world-wide acclaim for its exceptional dedication to preserving the natural beauty of the 7,500 hectare estate that provides a predator and malaria free sanctuary to many endangered species of flora and fauna. The Cederberg wilderness area is part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site.

Hit the high-spots in Cape Town and then take your VIP group to Bushmans on a journey of discovery, enrichment and indulgence. There can’t be a better spot on the planet for that!

Marataba Safari Co. (Waterberg Mountains, South Africa)

There are several famous and acclaimed safari lodges in South Africa, but Marataba? It’s time to discover a relatively new wilderness and wildlife treasure! Located at the foot of the Waterberg Mountains just a three hour drive from Johannesburg Marataba’s 15 suites under canvas provide exclusive Big 5 bush luxury under the auspices of the Relais & Chateaux brand.

Innovative and modern architecture is the hallmark and stone masonry characterises the main lodge, with a huge expanse of glass enhancing the panoramic scenery. It’s a Big 5 reserve of 85,000 exclusive acres and the suites are a clever combination of stone and canvas.

Wildlife includes black and white rhino, cheetah, lion, brown hyena, leopard and antelope such as sable, kudu, impala, eland, waterbuck, tsessebe and hartebeest.

Green Route recommends this exclusive property for a true bush experience and African adventure.