ASCENT OF MOUNT KABUYE
In a few hours, one climbs this 2,647 m peak which dominates Gakenke (Nemba), a small town located 1 hour's drive from Kigali and 30 minutes from Musanze. "The ascent is easy and can be done in the morning, and all along the hike, the view of the volcano chain is superb," notes Françoise Widmer, an experienced hiker. It takes about 3 hours to reach the summit and 2 hours to descend. And why not make the journey from Gakenke and Musanze (about 30 km), taking the cross-country trails used by the farmers, who are very numerous in this region? The landscape is pleasant, between eucalyptus forests and terraced crops, always with a magnificent view of the Virunga mountain range.
Practical info: the ascent is not free (40 US$ per person). It is managed by the company Beyond The Gorillas Experience. Contact Theodore Nzabonimpa (+250 788 495 604 - [email protected]). Professional guides will accompany you (including a French-speaking guide), they will show you the way and you will learn a lot by their side about rural life in the villages of Rwanda. A visit to the Mushubi primary school is usually scheduled. For those who would like to take their time, it is possible to camp at the summit, provided that you book in advance, and for the more sporty ones to continue this sumptuous hike the next day towards Musanze, through fields, villages, hills, lakes and eucalyptus forests (count 8 hours of walking).
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%.