19 Dec 2021
Darius and his team at Usalama Tours looked after everything for my day trip on this wonderful hike. From collecting me (very early!) from my hotel in Kigali to organising lunch for my trip and bringing me back safely to Kigali that evening. Due to very few tourist in Rwanda at the time because of Covid travel restrictions, I was the only person undertaking the hike that day! But still, they were able to organise the tour at very short notice.
The drive from the park-ranger meeting point was over very bumpy terrain to the base of Mount Bisoke, through banana plantations and lush green Rwandan countryside. After leaving the jeeps, we began our trek through the local villages and farmland. This eventually gave way to dense rainforest jungle and narrow muddy tracks. The hike itself was very challenging, with an ascent of about 1000m, taking me about 3.5 hours to reach the top. Completing it in May meant the ground was very wet and muddy under foot. All along the way, I was very well looked after by the guides and rangers.
Overall a very enjoyable experience. It did take a couple of days and lots of washing to finally clean my hiking boots!
Thanks to Darius and all the Usalama Tours for such a memorable experience!