Travelling in Rural Africa

One of the many adventures of living in a remote place is travelling. Since I've been in this line of work, I have appreciated the ease with which I could travel in normal times. Getting from point A to B now takes a lot of planning and consideration. To get out of Uvira, the town I am currently in, I have to travel for 3 hours to another town called Kamanyola, then cross the border to Rwanda to a town called Kamembe.    

Kamembe is a small town that has a national forest of 1020km2. There are two exit/entry points from the Democratic Republic of Congo into South Kivu : 1) Kamanyola, which is around 46km and around 1hour and 15 minutes from Kamembe airport and 2) Bukavu which is 20km from the Kamembe airport and about a 40 minute drive. Typically, I would spend the night in Kamembe then fly to Kigali the following morning. It is a 40 minute flight, but a 5 hour drive to Kigali where I can fly from. This option is more practical for me than going to the capital (Kinshasa) to access the international airport. It is equally a two day trip.

See my previous post about some of my first impressions of the DRC.

A Delighful Few Days in Kigali

I went back to Rwanda for a few days, but this time I only stayed in the capital as I went for a meeting. It was a quick trip but I was sure to make the best of it.

I went by road from Kibondo in Western Tanzania and it was an 8 hour drive. There are hardly any tarred roads in Kibondo so I was on bumpy roads for about 4 hours then close to the border, the road was tarred but had a lot of potholes so it wasn’t different. From the border to Kigali takes 3 hours and a half and the roads are good. There are parts that are rough but the road is good in general. The scenery for me was the best part. Rwanda is beautiful indeed. 

Rwanda - A Country of Hills and History

One country in Africa has had my attention for some time now…the reason being that this country suffered so much tragedy not many years ago. The tragedy put the country in the spotlight but today, the country has made itself one to visit!

You guessed right, it is Rwanda! I visited! I stayed at first in Nyamata, outside the capital, Kigali. It is about 30km and a 30 to 40 minute drive into Kigali. Nyamata might not be the usual urban city but it has its own allure. I stayed in La Palisse Golden Tulip hotel. I hear it is government owned. It has the facilities needed for a comfortable stay.

One side of the hotel

There is an Olympic sized swimming pool which is well maintained.
I was there for work but I have learnt to seize every opportunity! After work, I stayed on for five more days to explore. The training I attended took place in the same hotel. Having the pool to go to each day was a delight!