RWANDA FOR HIKERS AND BESTIES

1. Our dog, Jack

2. My best friend, Sarah

3. My niece, Nalah

4. My mom, Dorothy

That’s the ranking of how well the people I surprised received my showing up without them knowing. Jack was all over me and wagging his tail and not giving me a moment of peace. Sarah’s mouth was hanging wide open for a very long time I had to shut it for her. A week into the trip, in Musanze, she finally turned to me and said it was nice having me in Rwanda; Jenny was right- she really is the black cat in our friendship.

My niece was excited to see me, gave me a hug and ten minutes later was back to watching TV; in the morning she switched on the lights in my room just to tell me goodbye as she was leaving for school. Nalah, I promise I would have heard you even with the lights off- you know what you were doing. My mom walked in as I was finishing up a meeting, stood at the door for a minute to process because according to the information both Sarah and I gave her; she was expecting Sarah and not me. After a bone crushing hug(me doing the bone crushing- I’m obsessed with this woman), she sat down and started connecting all the dots- if she weren’t a midwife, a career as an investigator would have been a great path for Dorothy.

This was my third time in Rwanda. I want to see as much of the world as I possibly can so sometimes that tends to mean prioritizing visiting new countries over going back to old ones. However, this year I revisited both Georgia and Rwanda and both times I absolutely loved it and yes, you may see me revisiting not just these countries but others that I have been to already.

The first four days of our trip were spent reliving memories of our times in AIESEC at the MEA alumni conference. What is AIESEC you ask? I say this with all honesty, Don’t ask, you’re not ready. Once I start talking about AIESEC I don’t stop. I have linked the page to AIESEC so you can read more about it.

Further I have two articles on my experience with AIESEC as an exchange participant and as head of HR and organizational development for Uganda.

So, let’s get to it. Rwanda for hikers and besties!

This trip was focused a lot on hiking as Sarah, myself and a couple of friends are getting ready to hike Kilimanjaro in a few months so we decided to take advantage and use the time for a little practice. The volcanic mountains in Rwanda are mostly located in the North, so we went to Musanze for this.

Getting to Musanze from Kigali:

There are multiple bus services leaving from Kigali to Musanze and back. To go to Kigali from Musanze we paid 3821 per person and used K.J Express bus

This would not be my first option for the bus to use as the bus leaves when full and not at a particular time.

From Musanze to Kigali:

This time, we opted to use Ritco Bus and this is the one I would recommend you use because once you book the ticket, the time specified is the time the bus will actually leave. If you’re conscious of arrival time, I would go with Ritco.

The prices are similar anyway 😊

Where to Stay:

I loved Musanze. The view in the morning from our guest house was absolutely amazing. Speaking of where we stayed at, we stayed at Fido’s guest house. For five days and four nights we paid 68 dollars for two people. This came with a very spacious bed, clean towels, warm shower, breakfast, WiFi and very supportive staff. The guesthouse is also located close to Musanze bus stop- we paid 700RWF each from the bus stop to get here.

To get to the RDB office where the hikes in the volcanic mountains begins, it costs 2500–3000RWF and is only 25 minutes from there.

I booked the property on booking.com.

In Musanze, we found a lot of people didn’t speak English so good ol’ Google Translate came to the rescue. Download it offline for some of the simple day to day interactions.

HIKING ITINERARY

If I had more time I would have done as many hikes as I possibly can.

However, we only had three days, and we tried our best to make as best use of the time we had.

1. Mpenge Waterfalls

The first hike I did was Mpenge Waterfalls. There was not a lot of conclusive information on the internet but I had a free afternoon and therefore opted to try it out. Above is a poster I found on the trail. I called the second phone number and they were able to coordinate a local guide who showed me around.

This I would say was more of walking around the villages. Also, he only showed me two waterfalls and could only speak Kinywarwanda and only showed me two waterfalls despite me using Google Translate to ask for the other waterfalls. Maybe you’re luckier and see all 5? Worth a try if you have the time anyway 😊

2. Twin Lakes Hike

The start of the trail was a motorbike ride away from our guest house. We paid about 3000RWF each for this.

When we got there we were overwhelmed by so many guide in our faces telling us about their different rates. Take your time here. We started with 80 dollars but eventually we paid 55,000 RWF for the both of us. This included a 2–3 hour hike depending on your speed and a boat ride after. We paid 15,000 RWF each for the guide on the hike and 25,000RWF for the boat. The islands there have some hotels and resorts too if that’s something you would like to check out.

Our guide Jean Paul was good. His number is +250793424656. Make sure you write prices down as we realized sometimes he said 15 when he meant 50. As we say back home “Kizungu ilikuja na meli”( Direct translation is that English came in boats; meaning English is very few people’s first language so we try our best).

The trail is also majorly in the village. When you get to the top you get the most amazing view of both Ruhondo and Burera lakes. They also have a camping place at the top so it would be worth checking. I can only imagine a cup of coffee watching the sunrise with that view- do it, so I can live vicariously through you.

3. Sabyinyo Hike

This was not my original volcano hike that I had planned. I had my eyes set on Bisoke thanks to ChatGPT but when I went online to book the permit, I found all slots were taken for Bisoke.

In general, for all volcano hikes, you need to get a permit. The process is quite seamless. You apply for the permit online, on the RDB website. There are different payment options depending on your nationality. For East Africans, it’s 55 dollars for the permit and 75 dollars for other foreigners for most of the hikes other than the longest one which spans two days and involves some camping. On the application, you will need to upload your ID/passport. I tried uploading and kept getting an error; opt for the option to take a picture of your document. It works faster. Once you submit your application, you will receive two emails from RDB. One to notify you that they received your application and the other with the approval and payment instructions. I was able to pay quite seamlessly with VISA card. For each of the different hikes, you would need a separate permit.

Sabyinyo booked, I woke up at 5:30 ready, set and excited to set off. Again why I recommend Fido’s guesthouse, Obed, one of the staff, made sure I had my breakfast packed and my cup of coffee to go; and called me a motorbike to take me to the RDB office.

On getting there, I handed over my passport and my proof of payment. Once they verified everything was in check, I was free to walk around the grounds as I awaited briefing. Make sure you’re there by 7:00am latest.

They also offer free coffee and tea at the office as you await your briefing with the park guide. For all the other hikes, save for Sabyinyo, you need to coordinate a 4X4 to take you from the RDB office to the starting point of the hike. Sources on the internet show that you can get there and then coordinate with other hikers/join their 4X4. The hikers I met also mentioned that this hike was a lot more scenic than Bisoke because the main highlight for Bisoke is the crater lake which you see from quite a distance. So if you only have one hike you can do, don’t discredit Sabyinyo so quickly.

The hike itself was about 6 hours. We had with us, one park guide, two army officers and two porters. Everyone was quite helpful and the group went as slowly or as quickly as we could go. At some point in the uphill trek, Daniel, one of the porters was pulling me up by the hand. I never appreciated flat walking ground as much as I did that day. I questioned why I did do this to myself. Till I got to the top and saw the view; felt the breeze and sipped on my yoghurt and thought- yes, this is what life is about. Yes, do try yoghurt in Rwanda. I really loved it; all kinds of brands I tried.

Now to what you need for the hike.

1. Carry enough water and snacks for the stops and to share with others- the sharing part is because I just think food tastes better when shared, right?
2. Wear shoes with good treads (hiking boot highly recommended)- I only had my sport shoes and ended up thrifting for hiking boots in Musanze town for about 28000 RWF
3. Rain jackets are recommended however I didn’t use the one I carried as it was August and it didn’t rain
4. Carry warm clothes as it gets cold as you go up. Again, I didn’t need too many heavy clothes as I hiked in August
5. I got some gaiters from the RDB office. You can hire some for 5dollars for the day. I took them because I had tights. However we did pass a point in the train with lots of ants and I was thankful to have the gaiters on.
6. Gloves are recommended a lot for the volcano hikes in general. I got mine for 2000RWF in Musanze town. I didn’t end up using them but I would still carry them just incase.

Bonus hike:

I didn’t get to do this hike due to lack of time. It’s the Kabuye hike and costs about 3000RWF per person. It starts off in Gakenke district about an hour from Musanze so I’d recommend starting a little early. It’s an easy walk around the village hike perfect for beginners.

Rwanda 2026 was a blast for me to say the least. It started off with reuniting with friends I hadn’t seen in years, quality girl time with my best friend, time in nature, some treats I hadn’t anticipated being as good as they ended up being, and some very much needed down time. I also got to attend Diamond’s concert and dance the night away with my best friend.

Now if you don’t go to visit Rwanda then I will.