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Rwanda The Last Outpost Of Mountain Gorillas And Africa s Top Ecotourism Destination
rom a geographical map, population of Rwanda, estimated
Rwanda, the tiny at around 9 million people.
east-central African
country appears to be almost Different Bantu-speaking groups
chocking from a collective grip later joined the Twa,
by the giant neighbors arriving at different times.
surrounding her. Uganda is These latter groups are the
squeezing from the north, descendants of the better-known
Democratic republic of Congo Hutu and Tutsi.
pressuring to the west and Because of the terrible conflicts
Tanzania pulling from the east. and the apparent rift between the
On the southern side of the Hutu and Tutsi, many have come to
country lies Burundi, a neighbor take it for granted that they are
more or less like a twin-sister, different ethnic groups. However,
considering their physical size the Hutu and Tutsi speak the same
and shared history. language; this is besides the
fact that they share many social
Rwanda is a perfectly beautiful and cultural practices. In fact,
country. It is characterized by social scientists differ in
steep, rolling hills, deep opinion on matter as to whether
valleys, mesmerizing savanna. The they are actually different
landscape is simply stunning! ethnic groups. The most
significant distinction appears
A pygmy hunter-gatherer people to be have been on the basis of
are said to have been the one's occupation and social class
original settlers to this region. rather than one's ethnicity. In
These are the ancestors of the their earlier days, those who
Twa people. Descendants of this tilled the land practiced
aboriginal group currently make agriculture were the masses and
up mere 0.25% of the whole were considered the Hutu, whereas
the pastoralist who kept cattle, Unfortunately, and as with many
were the elite and were colonial powers of that time, the
identified as the Tutsi. philosophy of divide and rule was
an attractive tool. The Belgian
In the earlier days, everybody style of indirect rule meant they
paid pledged loyalty to the same had to divide the general
king and the identity as either population to rule easily.
Hutu or Tutsi was not fixed. For Therefore they sought to magnify
example, a person considered the differences between the
Tutsi would lose his cattle groups. The ethnicity label
(wealth) from some disease. This provided a perfect chance. For
lose of wealth would revert his example, in 1933 identity cards
status to Hutu. And likewise a were introduced. These cards
Hutu who worked harder and classified one according to
acquired cattle would gain status ethnic group. Besides being an
and climb up the social ladder to identity tool, it served only to
become Tutsi. That was then. This widen the already-existing gap
harmless social distinction ended between the groups.
with the onset of colonization.
It began to change into a fixed Rwanda attained political
ethnic label to the extent that independence in 1962, with
physical characteristics Gregoire Kayibanda as
separating the 2 groups were prime minister. But the ethnic
sought. tensions did not end. Only a year
after independence, in 1963,
After the Berlin Conference of clashes broke out, leading to
1885, Germany colonized Rwanda. A thousands of deaths - of mostly
little later, in 1918, Belgium Tutsi civilians. Many others fled
took over after winning a League as refugees into the neighboring
of Nations mandate. countries.
Finally, Tutsi-dominated rebel
Despite the social and political group captured the capital and
instability, Rwanda was able to installed a new government
struggle past the challenges of
being a modern state and make The past is behind, the future
progress. As a travel lies ahead
destination, Rwanda was able to
claim its rightful place in the Since 1995, Rwanda has made
tourist map. Gorilla tracking in tremendous steps of recovery –
the Virunga Mountains was slowly, steadily and amazingly.
Rwanda’s main tourist attraction. And in terms of travel, tourists
And until the early 1990s, Rwanda are streaming back to watch the
remained firmly in the travel mountain gorillas of Virunga
supplement of major travel Mountains and the elephants of
magazines and travel agents Akagera National park.
brochures. Currently, about 40,000 tourists
visit Rwanda annually.
The year 1994
Top on the list of Rwanda’s
Rwanda grabbed world headlines in tourist attraction is the
a nasty way in the early months mountain gorillas. The
of 1994. The plane that was gorillas share 97% of their genes
carrying both the presidents of with humans. Those who have had
Rwanda and Burundi crashed the opportunity to view the
mysteriously, killing both of gorillas find no words to
them. This triggered what has describe the feeling. No wildlife
come to be known as and Rwanda guide-book or study can ever
genocide of 1994. Between April prepare one for this poignant
and July of 1994 almost 800,000 experience. The gorillas are
people, mostly Tutsi were killed. huge. The male can be three times
as big as the average man. Yet, became the enemy of the hunters.
in comparison, they are so In 1985, she was murdered in the
remarkably peace-loving! park. She is buried at
Karisoke, the primate
‘In the heart of Central Africa, research centre she had set up at
so high up that you shiver more the Virungas.
than you sweat, are great, old
volcanoes towering up almost Fossey’s effort and subsequent
15,000 feet, and nearly covered death were not in vain. The
with rich, green rainforest – the Virungas remain the last outpost
Virungas’. These words were for the mountain gorillas. It is
written by Dian Fossey. estimated that half of the
The story of Virunga mountain world’s population of mountain
gorillas is not complete without gorilla – currently at 740 -
that of Dian Fossey. She lived resides at the Virungas. Before
amongst the gorillas and died her death, she wrote a book –
trying to protect them. In fact, Gorillas In The Mist. It
the few mountain gorillas that we was published in 1983. A
have today, survived because of biographical film based on her
Dian Fossey’s efforts. story and this book was released
in 1988. The film generated
Dian Fossey left her home in positive publicity that helped
Kentucky to go and live amongst the case for the conservation of
the gorillas in Rwanda. She the mountain gorillas.
wanted to understand them and International awareness on the
preserve them. She argued for the plight of the rare mountain
protection of the mountain gorillas was raised.
gorillas from the hunters who
killed them for their skin, hands There are 5 habituated gorilla
and head. In doing this, she groups that can be viewed by
tourists. Each group can be Rwanda Tourism board, in Kigali
visited by a maximum of 8 people or Ruhengeri.
per day and the visit lasts only
1 hour. The trekking can take Besides hosting the mountain
from 1 to 6 hours and climb to gorillas, the Virungas themselves
altitudes in excess of 7,500 are a spectacle to behold. As you
feet. The terrain is rough and at walk through the foothills of the
times muddy. Although the hike is mountains you have for yourself
physically demanding the beauty an all round view that is simply
of the forest and surrounding breath-taking.
scenery make the trekking
worthwhile and fun. Once the Akagera National Park
gorillas are located, all fatigue
is forgotten, as the experience The next park in terms of
is often described as being the prominence is the Akagera
most profound natural history National park which is located on
experience in the world. Cameras the eastern side of Rwanda, on
and plenty of fast speed film are the border with Tanzania. The
recommended. It can rain at a few park holds swamps and lakes that
minutes notice; hence waterproof follow the course of the Akagera
clothing is a good essential River, which is part of the
including zip lock bags for source of the Nile.
cameras and film. It is important
to take plenty of water. Note The park has big game. Elephants
also that the minimum age for and buffalo are easily seen
gorilla tracking is 15 years. wandering to the lakes for a
drink. You will also see giraffe
The permits are issue by Office and zebra in the savannah and a
Rwandaise du Tourisme et des variety of antelopes. Notable
Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN)/ The among the antelopes is the
world’s largest antelope, the pleasure of visiting Nyungwe is
Cape eland. If lady luck smiles enhanced by a network of
at you, it won’t be difficult to well-maintained walking trails
see the leopard, lion and spotted that allows the visitor to enjoy
hyena. And with the lakes and the beauty of the forest. The
swamps, hippos and crocodile trails lead to the waterfalls and
complete the list of residents. viewpoints. There is a rest-house
and a campsite along the road
Nyungwe National park too. Although Nyungwe can be
visited as a day trip, it is
Nyungwe national park is the recommended that you allocate at
single largest montane forest in least 2 days of your itinerary so
the whole of east and central as to get the real feel.
Africa. The park extends for
over 1000 square kilometers Lake Kivu
across the hills of Rwanda on the
south-eastern side. This park has Lake Kivu is an inland sea which
a very rich and unique diversity is enclosed by steep terraced
in terms of flora and fauna. The hills along the border with
forest has more than 200 Democratic Republic of Congo. It
different types of trees. is the largest of the numerous
freshwaters bodies that abound in
Nature-lovers are drawn to the valleys of Rwanda. Three
Nyungwe by is the primates and towns, Gisenyi, Kibuye and
birds. The forest is home to 13 Cyangugu are lined up along the
species of primates, including length of the lake. Gisenyi being
the Chimpanzee - our closest the most developed for travelers,
living relative. It is here at lies less than 1 hour from Parc
Nyungwe also, that you will find des Volcans. Kibuye lies to
over 300 species of birds. The Gisenyi’s south and Cyangugu on
the southern-most tip of the lake Rwanda in general is shared taxis
is very close to Nyungwe forest. linking the different towns and
All the 3 towns are connected by villages within the country. For
a road. There is also a charter long distance road travel to the
boat service on the lake neighboring countries, coach
connecting the 3 towns. services are available.
Kigali Butare
Kigali is the capital city of Butare was the largest and most
Rwanda. The city is located right important city in Rwanda prior to
at the centre of the country. It 1965, when it lost out to the
is also most important business more centrally located Kigali,
centre and port of entry. There 135km to its north, as the
is an efficient international capital of independent Rwanda.
airport and the road transport Today it is the site of several
connecting it to the neighboring academic institutions, including
countries is reliable. the country’s largest university.
It still regarded as the
Kigali boasts a range of hotels intellectual and cultural pulse
that cater for all tastes. It is of Rwanda.
amongst the safest African
capitals and is blessed with a However, the most prominent
moderate high altitude climate. tourist attraction in Butare is
It is centrally located such that the superb National Museum, which
most tourist sites are utmost 3 houses perhaps the finest
hours drive from Kigali. ethnographic collection in East
Africa
The main form of public
transportation in Kigali and When is the best time to visit
Rwanda and track the undertaken during the drier
gorillas? months - June to September. The
European winter is the best time
Rwanda is an all-year-round for bird-watchers, as Palaearctic
destination. However, gorilla migrant birds supplement the
tracking and other forest walks resident species to create a
are less demanding when paradise!
Solomon Okila is the Editor of African Voyages Travel Journal, which is part of Africanvoyages Tours and Safaris. If you need more information on African Safaris or Hotels and Lodges please visit our website today!
Published At: www.Isnare.com
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