Stories of the Land 2017

Nyungwe National Park was established in 2005 and is located in the southwestern part of the country. The park is over 1,000 square kilometers and ranges from 1,600-2,950 meters above sea level. It is home to 1,068 species of plants, 275 species of birds, and 14 primates. In addition to Nyungwe's rich biodiversity, the springs--located between the hills--provide the country with 70% of its water. Our guides Christophe and Chrysologue led us to the canopy walk where some of us conquered our fear of heights to witness the beauty of the forest. In the afternoon we tracked colobus monkeys. Our guide Rugamba J. M. V. explained that the colobus monkeys live in packs and are omnivores. We were lucky enough to see a mother and her baby up close. Several photos later, we hiked through the forest and came upon a clearing beside a tea plantation. The view was breathtaking and what made it even better was the rainbow that appeared after a short rain shower. After a physically tiring da...

From Griff! Today the early  morning sun  woke the group up at six in the morning. After an amazing night spent with the locals, filled with dancing, singing, and laughter. That night we exchanged songs with the locals, that included a screaming rendition of the "Little Einsteins" theme song, Location by Khalid, and Let me Love you by Mario. For dinner we ate casava bread, white rice, potatoes, and red beans. Once we were all filled up, we split up into three separate groups to experience sleep in a rural Rwandan house.  We were greeted warmly, and our hosts were full of excitement as we walked up. They provided each group with adequate sleeping mats and blankets. In the morning, while eating breakfast, our guide Jean-Pierre provided a run down of Rwandan hip hop and rap. Once we had finished breakfasts, my group took a short walk to meet up with another group.  After an hour and a half or so of driving by beautiful trees and rolling hills, w...