Journey to Gisakura and Kings Palace - 4th June

Driving in Rwanda 

Firstly, they drive on the right, so make sure you’ve thought about that! Rules of the road are generally the same, traffic lights, stop signs etc. 

Make sure you are looking in your mirrors A LOT. There are so many of the little scooters and they are a bit like a swarm of flies you are trying not to squash. In the city this was hard, but they got fewer as we drove further out. 

There are police stationed regularly around the city, and there are a lot of speed cameras (photo to come). Everyone is fairly relaxed though and there’s no beeping other that to let someone know you’re there in case they haven’t seen you trying to overtake. 

You will need to have your driving license and an international drivers permit. We were informed by Kingfisher that the police WILL pull us over at some point. Give them all the documents and answer any questions they have politely. They may check the car and your luggage. Be polite and they will be polite back. We are yet to be pulled over but I’m sure it will happen. 

The roads are pretty good, with the odd bit of bad surface, stick to the main roads whatever google maps tells you - google maps goes off the roads more travelled which include all the ‘roads’ only wide enough for scooters. Best not to try! 

People will stare at you, and occasionally a small child will see you and you’ll be able to witness their jaw falling towards the floor in shock at someone from another country! But mostly they smile :) 

Kings palace 

The Kings Palace is an absolute must if you are driving that way. We had our own private guide and he was very kind and knowledgeable. The old palace was home to the second to last king, who refused the modernisation of the Belgium’s, but his son had a Belgian education and so loved in the new modern palace that was built for him. Sadly he was then killed by the Belgians in 1959 when he tried to ask for independence for Rwanda and there has not been a king there since. 

The tour takes you round the kings palace and tells you of all his lady friends (what happens in the palace, stays in the palace) and then you see the milk house (guarded by a Virgin girl because milk was considered holy) and the beer house (guarded by a virgin boy to check its quality and that it wasn’t actually poison). 

You then see the most incredible sight you will ever see. The king had beautiful horned cows, kept as a status symbol for their beauty. They do not make enough Milk to use for dairy, nor do they eat them. When they die they bury the body, and keep the horns. The keepers of these cows sang to the cows and brought one for us to groom and take pictures with. She was beautiful.

We then randomly managed to get stuck at the palace because a local football club (very well loved by the locals) brought their tour bus into the hotel. Many locals were outside cheering. We used it as an opportunity for lunch! 

The drive to Nyungwe 

The closer we got to Nyungwe, the higher we climbed and the thicker the jungle. The landscape was incredible and we were amazed by how beautiful it was. 

It wasn’t long before I saw a monkey! Too quick for Ben to stop but a little black and white monkey none the less! 

The next bit of wildlife I saw I made Ben stop and reverse. A small antelope (think, springer spaniel sized) grazing at the side of the road. I later found out it was a Diuker antelope(left). We saw another one a bit further along. 

We then saw three more of the little monkeys I saw before, and that time Ben actually got to see them! I have later researched he’d and found out they are L’Hoests monkeys (right), quite famous in Nyungwe. 

As we drove through the park, we saw many rangers stationed along the sides of the road. It wasn’t until one was frantically waving at us to slow down we knew why. A group of about 30 colobus monkeys up a cliff in one side of the road, and crossing the road to sit the other side on the grass! Very cool. 

We slowly drove on and then out of Nyungwe, where the forest stopped suddenly and turned into tea plantations. A few miles further and we found our lodge. 

Chimpanzee Lodge

A small little eco lodge with only about 12 rooms, but it does overlook the national park. The room is a bit basic, but has a lovely balcony with deck chairs so you can watch the sun go down - and the moon come up! 

They gave us a welcome tea (local) - it was a little bit bitter so definitely drizzle in some of the honey they bring you too! 

They serve a few local dishes in the restaurant and have a small bar. They also offer packed lunches to take with you if you are doing any trekking in the national park. 

There is the main road right behind the lodges, so you do hear trucks go past, but it isn’t very often, especially after dark!