Week 2 - Nyungwe

On Monday we travelled out of Nyamasheke to visit the Nyungwe forest for our "weekend." The landscape here was even greener, still as mountainous but the banana plantations were replaced with the lush greens of tea plantations and forest - absolutely stunning. We stayed in a town named Gisakura. There was a slight hiccup with accommodation but everything turned out fine and our host was particularly attentive! During the afternoon we went for a walk as a group through the tea plantations. Strangely, it reminded me of the vineyards - the mountains covered in a patchwork of different greens.

Tuesday warranted an early start; 4am to get into the forest early. It was absolutely worth it. After an hour bouncing around in a jeep watching the sunrise, our ranger, Christopher invited us to get out and explained that we must go quickly as the chimps were not far. We started off on paths. It was humid but relatively easy underfoot. Suddenly he turned off and started cutting his way through the jungle with our group following, desperately trying to keep up. This was not easy. The ground was steep and uneven and branches and leaves were flying at us, apparently from all directions. We stopped, abruptly. Above us was a chimp peering down from a high tree. We were silent, hardly daring to breathe for fear of startling him. Slowly he climbed down and without warning, scampered off into the jungle. After a few seconds we followed. He led us to a family in an idyllic tree. They had made nests for the babies. Christopher said there were eight babies. I definitely saw four. They were playing and stuffing their faces with fruit. We followed the family around for a while, watching them as they interacted. The sound of the family communicating with others in the jungle was phenomenal, piercing through the trees. Truly unforgettable.


We returned to Gisakura and I went to Eagles nest and sat with a soda trying to make sense of the morning. We could hear monkeys around us but, at that time, we didn't see them. Eventually some of the others came back and we decided to go on a tea plantation tour run by Ric. He was so knowledgeable and has led an incredible life. He walked us through forest and tea explaining all stages of tea production but also telling tales of Rwanda. I have no idea how far we walked but it was fascinating.

The next morning my group went further into the jungle to walk the canopy walkway - a series of bridges strung high above the forest. This was scarier than I had anticipated but the views were like nothing else. Our guide sung at us as we crossed to calm everyone's nerves which resulted in a group disney sing off - in harmony.

I think it's safe to say we all thoroughly enjoyed these excursions and the memories will stay with us.