ASCENSION DU MONT KABUYE
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En quelques heures, on gravit ce sommet de 2 647 m qui domine Gakenke (Nemba), petite bourgade située à 1 heure de route de Kigali et 30 minutes de Musanze. « L’ascension est facile et peut se faire dans la matinée, et tout le long de la randonnée, la vue sur la chaîne des volcans est superbe », note Françoise Widmer, une randonneuse chevronnée. Il faut environ 3 heures pour atteindre le sommet et 2 heures pour descendre. Et pourquoi ne pas faire le trajet de Gakenke et Musanze (30 km environ), en prenant les sentiers de traverse empruntés par les paysans, très nombreux dans cette région ? Le paysage y est agréable, entre forêts d’eucalyptus et cultures en terrasses, avec toujours une vue magnifique sur la chaîne des Virunga.
Info pratique : l'ascension est payante (40 US$ par personne). Elle est gérée par la société Beyond The Gorillas Experience. Contacter Théodore Nzabonimpa (+250 788 495 604 – beyondthegorillasexperience@gmail.com). Des guides professionnels vous accompagneront (dont un guide francophone), ils vous montreront le chemin et vous apprendrez beaucoup à leurs côtés sur la vie rurale dans les villages du Rwanda. Une visite à l'école primaire de Mushubi est généralement programmée. Pour ceux qui voudraient prendre le temps, il est possible de camper au sommet, à condition de réserver à l'avance, et pour les plus sportifs de poursuivre cette somptueuse randonnée le lendemain vers Musanze, à travers champs, villages, collines, lacs et forêts d'eucalyptus (compter 8 heures de marche).
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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%.