The evening bus ride to Kigali from Kampala was rather long, the immigration officials and policemen at the Katuna border point were quite strict. They thoroughly checked through passengers’ luggage and confiscated plastic bags as they are prohibited in Rwanda. I was relieved as soon as my passport was stamped and I had boarded the bus once again for Kigali. The bus finally halted at the bus station early in the morning and I took a motor bike to my accommodation facility.
The streets were impressively clean and organized, Rwanda has a consistent schedule in community cleaning every last Saturday of the month ranking it one of the cleanest countries in Africa.
I have always been keen on Rwanda especially the president; Paul Kagame, who inherited a country that had been torn apart by genocide by the year 2000. 20 years later Rwanda is stable, prosperous, unified and has one of the most developed transport infrastructures in Africa.
I was up early the next day ready to set off to the Nyungwe Forest for the canopy walk expedition. The mini vans to the outskirts of Rwanda were quite old and dilapidated, I sat for almost 4 hours waiting for the van to fill up until the journey finally begun. It was about 9pm in the evening when I was warmly welcomed to the Nyungwe Nziza eco lodge, an accommodation facility I highly recommend using. The owner and the staff are quite hospitable and the views of the forest from the lodge are amazing.
I was up by 7am the next morning. I stood by the road side and patiently waited for the public bus to ferry me to the Nyungwe National Park, a top tourist destination in Rwanda that is good for relaxation, adventure and also gives one a great insight into the country’s beauty. I waited for about 4 hours in the scorching heat for the bus to arrive in vain. I braved it out and decided to hitch hike a ride in a massive cargo truck that was driving all the way from Zambia.