ASCENSO DEL MONTE KABUYE
En pocas horas, se sube a este pico de 2.647 m que domina Gakenke (Nemba), un pequeño pueblo situado a 1 hora en coche de Kigali y a 30 minutos de Musanze. "El ascenso es fácil y se puede hacer por la mañana, y a lo largo de la caminata, la vista de la cadena de volcanes es magnífica", señala Françoise Widmer, una excursionista experimentada. Se tarda unas 3 horas en llegar a la cumbre y 2 horas en bajar. ¿Y por qué no hacer el viaje desde Gakenke y Musanze (unos 30 km), tomando los senderos transversales utilizados por los agricultores, que son muy numerosos en esta región? El paisaje es agradable, entre bosques de eucaliptos y cultivos en terrazas, siempre con una magnífica vista de la cordillera Virunga.
Información práctica: el ascenso se paga (40 dólares por persona). Es administrado por la compañía Beyond The Gorillas Experience. Contacte con Theodore Nzabonimpa (+250 788 495 604 - [email protected]). Guías profesionales le acompañarán (incluyendo un guía francófono), le mostrarán el camino y usted aprenderá mucho a su lado sobre la vida rural en las aldeas de Rwanda. Se suele programar una visita a la escuela primaria de Mushubi. Para los que quieran tomarse su tiempo, es posible acampar en la cumbre, siempre que se reserve con antelación, y para los más deportistas continuar esta suntuosa caminata al día siguiente hacia Musanze, a través de campos, pueblos, colinas, lagos y bosques de eucaliptos (contar 8 horas de caminata).
At the top you'll find camping site with a restaurant that a private company called Beyond the Gorillas Experience. We hiked on our own from the bottom on public paths. We arrived here (it already smelt suspicious when 2 overly happy employees started to walk towards us), ordered some drinks while we rest. At the end they presented us with a price list and pointed to a "Self-guided without any services" - 20K per person. So they are charging 20K for not giving us a guide and providing no services? Nowhere does it say there is an entrance fee (not online, not along the hike at any point). We flatly refused to pay this scam. They showed us on their phone a letter from RDB (Rwanda Development Board). I read the letter - it says nothing about them being able to charge us 20K for walking in public territory. The letter says RDB congratulates them on being a tourist company and that they will support them. There are even houses at the top. They kept pointing to a price list page of their own company. They seem to have no authority to be charging people a "self-guided hike" and "no services provided". The audacity is incredible.
I suggest don't even come into this camping area (they are charging 90USD per person to camp!) to avoid this scam attempt. This is a public area and not a national park. National parks like Nyungwe and Akagera have a government website stating official fees.
Also be careful that at the bottom of the hike some overly happy people will intercept you. 1 guy just started walking with us and following us. Then another guy joined him and tried to make us speak to someone on the phone. We refused this and told them to leave. The guy followed us for half an hour. They either claim we need to pay them for the hike (through villages and public paths) or that they are with the Beyond Gorilla Experience.
Regarding the hike itself - it's beautiful, but, as you'll notice, you are often hiking up on rocks and clay-like earth, which are very slippery if wet. The whole way down (2.5 hours) we kept falling and slipping on the steep mountain. I am an experienced hiker and this was one the most dangerous ways down on went clay/rocks, when you have to watch your very carefully step like 70%.