Climbing Mt. Bisoke in Rwanda
I had heard really good things about Rwanda – from breathtaking volcanic landscapes, to being one of the cleanest and safest African countries. Of all the places I had traveled to during the Covid pandemic, Rwanda surprised me the most with it’s really well thought out, logical and completely digitized approach to PCR testing for arriving tourists.
It was heartening to see how quickly the nation has come together to recover from its troubled past and build a national identity. Today, Rwanda shines as a great example of what collective action can achieve for a country.
Today, Rwanda shines as a great example of what collective action can achieve for a country.
Musanze – Gateway to the Volcanoes National Park
Musanze, home to the famous Dian Fossey Gorilla foundation, is where a lot of travelers end up for their adventures. Being the closest town to the Volcanoes National Park, it’s a great base to explore the national park – be it climbing one of the 5 imposing volcanoes surrounding the town, or tracking the gorgeous mountain gorillas. I had spent a fortune tracking gorillas in Uganda a few years back, so I was hoping to go on a hike and run into these gorgeous creatures once again. Rwanda is home to five beautiful volcanoes – Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo, with Karisimbi being the highest at 4507 m.
Being fascinated by crater lakes, I ended up deciding to hike Mt. Bisoke – a blown-off top and a crater lake which is half in Rwanda and half in Congo sounded very interesting. At 6:30 a.m., I set off to the park’s visitor center on a motorbike taxi. I showed my negative Covid test, paid for the hike (75 USD) and waited for my guide and other potential guests to arrive. I loved that that they serve kick-ass complementary coffee at the visitor center! Typically, you need your own 4×4 to get to the trailhead from the park’s visitor center. Since none of us going on the hike had one, we decided to rent up at the park entrance. Its about an hour’s ride to the trailhead on an extremely bumpy road!
Muddy waters
Volcanoes national park is heavily guarded, so don’t be surprised when you see armed guards accompany you on the hike – they are just there to protect the wildlife. In all the excitement, I had forgotten what it means to hike in this part of the world after a night of heavy downpour! The hike started with a fair bit of slippery, slimy mud – which turned into a foot deep flowing stream of mud. After 15 minutes of trying to keep our shoes dry, all of us gave up, and just waded through it! Yikes!
A steep strenuous climb
It’s roughly a 8-9 hour round trip, with some interesting flaura and fauna, and an opportunity to see mountain gorillas along the way. The hike starts off with a gentle climb through one of the villages, which is a great opportunity to observe and photograph the agriculture-based local living. However, the trail soon starts to become steep, and if it is a muddy day, very strenuous.
Locals picking flowers to produce insect repellent 
A muddy hike after a day’s rain
It was a rather cloudy day, so we didn’t get to see other volcanoes along the way. We made it to the summit in about 4 hours. The crater lake at the top is pretty – with unique flaura and fauna, although it’s a pity you can’t swim in the lake given it’s half in Congo.
The descend down was a dance of faith to say the least – the mud had gotten muddier, and the profanities more profane. A surprise visit by a baby mountain gorilla saved the day!
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