Travel Guide Chutes De Rusumo

The road to Rusumo is sumptuous. First a landscape of hills, then reliefs that evoke the Auvergne, plunges towards the Cyambwe lake, and the crossing of traditional villages like Mulindi or Nasho where everything makes you want to stop: the architecture and the color of the facades, the restaurant signs, the good mood of the inhabitants, the meeting with the cows with very long horns. The border post has been refurbished, with new offices, a parking lot for trucks, not to mention the infrastructure of the nearby hydroelectric plant. A new bridge has been built to replace the old one, made of metal and wood, a tragic symbol of the Rwandan genocide and the flight of several hundred thousand people to neighboring Tanzania in 1994. It is also through this bridge that the first Europeans arrived in Rwanda, the Germans in 1894, followed much later by the Belgians who took possession of Rwanda at the expense of Germany in 1916. The Rusumo Falls straddle Rwanda and Tanzania, so the bridge was the only place to cross the river. Today, the new Rusumo Bridge has become synonymous with a promising future and allows a large part of Rwanda's imports to be transported by road. From the old bridge, it is still possible to admire the Akagera River as it crashes in violent waterfalls, letting fine drops fall on the walkers. Warning: it is necessary to ask permission from the Rwandan customs officers before using the old bridge.