Rwanda

December 2025

After crossing the border from Uganda without any problems, I arrived in Rwanda. It is a small country. It covers only two-thirds of Switzerland’s area, but has nearly twice as many inhabitants.

Some shady characters tried to talk me into expensive taxi rides at the border, but I quickly found an almost empty bus that was passing by my destination, the small village of Kinyababa. The bus filled up quickly.

Usually, when I arrive somewhere, I take a taxi to get to my accommodation. There weren’t any here, so I continued my journey on two motorcycles, one for me and one for my suitcases. This example shows once again that I can get anywhere with my suitcases.

Ruhondo Lake

After 6 km, we reached the lakeshore. The captain was already waiting to take me across the lake to the peninsula on the other side, where my Airbnb was located.

Evening atmosphere

One of the volcanoes near the lake

The next morning, the volcanoes were shrouded in clouds, as usual.

My breakfast at the nearby hotel

After that, I went on a hike with a guide to the surrounding hills.

Ruhondo Village

We also passed through the nearby village of Ruhondo, where we saw women in their colorful robes. I would have loved to take more photos of them, but most of them didn’t want to be photographed.

A man is making fried pastries.

At the village market

Along the way, we came across this white-tailed blue flycatcher, which is found only in East Africa.

View of the lake and the rolling farmland

The guide had already arranged for a boat to take us back to the starting point.

At the Airbnb, my host told me that a wedding was taking place that very same day, and that as the only foreigner on the island I had been invited as a VIP.

Rwandan Wedding

I was very lucky, because attending the wedding was very interesting. I was told that I could take as many photos as I wanted.

Here, the homemade banana beer is served from a canister. They spared me that and served me a real beer instead.

The loving glances of the bride and groom

Some children are eyeing the white foreigner.

The women of the village serve the wedding meal.

The meal consisted of rice, potato fries, spaghetti, and beans.

Enjoy your meal!

After that, some people danced wildly to the music.

After making a generous donation to the newlyweds, it was time for me and my host to leave. The children said goodbye enthusiastically.

After a few days, I left Lake Ruhongo and rode with two motorcycles to the nearest town, Musanze, which is better known by its former name, Ruhengeri.

Climbing Bizoke Volcano

I stopped in this town to climb Mount Bizoke, a 3,711-meter-high volcano that is still considered active, though it last erupted in 1957. The permit, including a guide, cost USD 75. I booked this hike because mountain gorillas also live here, and there is a small chance of encountering them on this hike.

Our group consisted of another Swiss man and two women from Denmark.

The volcano from below

At first, we hiked through farmland where sheep were grazing.

Now the path became steep and muddy.

Our guide. Because of the possibility of wild animals, we also had armed escorts with us.

Always steeply uphill

We were lucky enough to come across these giant groundsel plants in bloom. These plants only grow at altitudes of around 3,400 meters, so we were almost at the top.

You can even find orchids at this altitude.

Then we reached the summit and caught just a brief glimpse of the crater lake before it disappeared behind the fog.

The Summit Monument

After half an hour, we headed back. Just before we got back, we were caught in a heavy downpour, so we arrived at the cars completely soaked. The Swiss man had a car with a driver and kindly drove me back to my lodging.

The next day, I traveled on to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. One of the two motorcyclists who took me to the bus station was wearing an official jacket from the Swiss national ski team, which really surprised me. It turned out that someone from the Swiss team had donated the jacket to a clothing drive, and my motorcyclist had bought it at a market in Rwanda.

Gisenyi on Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is 50 km long and 42 km wide. About one-third of its area lies in Rwanda and two-thirds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The small town of Gisenyi lies right on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has grown together with the larger Congolese border town of Goma.

On Lake Kivu

The next day, I took a bus along the lake to the village of Kibuye, from where I rode on two motorcycles to my idyllically situated Airbnb house on the nearby peninsula.

Kibuye

My accommodation, aptly named “Paradise Nest,” belongs to a German surveyor who has been working in Africa for 38 years.

In the evening, I had dinner at a nearby lodge, enjoying the sunset and the view of the lake.

The lodge also arranged a boat tour for me.

Boat Tour on Lake Kivu

My boat guide

Our destination was Napoleon Island. The island got its name because, when viewed from a distance, its shape resembles Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat. Thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of fruit bats live here. My boatman and I walked through the forest and could hear the constant flapping of these animals’ wings.

We also came across this giant worm.

View from the highest point on the island

Back at the boat, a monkey was already awaiting us as it was used to receiving a banana from the boatmen.

Château le Marara

While jogging in the area, I suddenly saw this fairytale castle appear, just one kilometer from the village of Kibuye with its simple huts.

This luxury hotel is said to belong to a Rwandan who lives in France and was inspired by the castles there. The hotel was closed at the time. But nine days later, on New Year’s Eve, a huge party took place, according to the security guard.

Some children ran alongside me. Here, too, the children asked me for money. But as a rule, I don’t give anything to children to discourage them from begging.

The next day, I continued on to the capital, Kigali. I traveled the 127 km from Kibuye by bus. The journey took me through hilly terrain, so it lasted over three hours.

Kigali

Traffic chaos reigned around the bus station. I didn’t want to risk riding with two motorcycles to my accommodation. I felt the chance of the motorcyclist taking off with my suitcases and my important laptop was too high. In the end, I managed to find a taxi that charged a reasonably fair price.

With a population of 2 million, Kigali is by far the largest city in the country. The contrast with Uganda’s capital, Kampala, couldn’t be greater. Kigali is clean and safe in the city center, even at night. There are no informal roadside shops, and traffic flows smoothly. Kigali has developed rapidly. When Rwanda gained independence in 1962, fewer than 25,000 people lived in the city, and there were only five paved roads.

Convention Center

One of Kigali’s landmarks is the Convention Center, which I visited during a nighttime stroll.

Open Palm Anti-Corruption Sculpture

The park of the convention center features the anti-corruption sculpture by Iraqi artist Ahmed Albahrani. It was funded by Qatar. The 12-meter-tall open hand is intended to symbolize transparency.

The Christmas lights at the Radisson Blu Hotel, which is part of the convention center

Kigali Genocide Memorial

Unfortunately, I cannot show any photos of the memorial, as photography was prohibited. The most traumatic event in Rwanda’s history is the genocide carried out by Hutu militias against Tutsis and moderate Hutus from April 7 to July 19, 1994, during which more than half a million people were killed and hundreds of thousands of women were raped. The killing only ended after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel group consisting predominantly of Tutsis, was able to conquer the country and overthrow the Hutu government. I was particularly struck by the testimonies of survivors who recounted how Hutus who just months earlier had celebrated children’s birthdays together with their Tutsi neighbors, raped, murdered, and stole their possessions. It demonstrates once again that ordinary people can be turned into monsters under the right propaganda.

Niyo Art Center

Seventeen artists from all over Africa work here and exhibit their works in the integrated gallery. Wonderfully creative!

I didn’t want to leave without experiencing Kigali’s gourmet scene, so I decided to try the Nyurah restaurant.

Nyurah

I have described my visit to this gourmet restaurant in this post.

I flew on to Senegal the same evening.

In 10 days, I was able to visit all the sights in this small country. Rwanda offers many wonderful experiences with friendly people and diverse landscapes.

 

This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com