Kinigi, Rwanda

We were in Kinigi from Friday to Monday at the base of the volcanos, it's at a really high altitude and I felt breathless and tired most of the time I was there. Kinigi is a tiny village and tourist destination for all who trek the gorillas, monkeys and other wildlife on the volcanos. Most stay in Ruhengeri, a much larger town about 16 kilometres down a really bumpy road, and travel to Kinigi only for the time they are trekking. There are two lodges in Kinigi, a fairly pricey international lodge and the Kinigi Guesthouse, run by an NGO that supports women and children survivors of the genocide.



We stayed in the NGO-run lodge for two nights. The guesthouse was really friendly and comfortable, easily the nicest place we have stayed at during our travels. Both nights I was in Kinigi I went out for a walk around the village, something that seemed to be almost a celebrity event for the children! No sooner had I left the gates of the lodge than I was surrounded by a young football team who asked me loads of questions about where I was from, what I was doing, and on the second night why I was staying! There were men in uniform with guns all over the village, the children explained that we were really close to the Congolese border where lots of 'bad guys' were (the exiled Hutu militants) and the RDF soldiers would protect our security. It was an eerie reminder of how recently the genocide occurred, and how few of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.



I ended up spending both evenings watching the children play and taking loads of pictures of them. They were very enthusiastic players and insisted I email them all the pictures I'd taken. As much as I enjoyed seeing the gorillas face to face, the best part of the trip to Kinigi was talking to the children.