Rwanda
Nyungwe Forest - Chimpansee habituatie deel 2 & Kibuye
Het was een korte nacht, met onze alarmen ingesteld voor een vroege start—we ontmoetten onze gids en de trackers om 5 uur 's ochtends bij de ingang van het park om onze hike naar de chimpanseenesten te beginnen. Na een intense zoektocht naar chimpansees, maakten we onze weg naar Kibuye aan het Kivumeer om te ontspannen na een paar dagen van trekking—voordat we ons in ons volgende avontuur storten: fietsen op een deel van het Congo-Nijlpad.
Chimpanzee habituation part 2
After about 40 minutes of hiking, one of the trackers led us deep into the jungle, toward a tree where two chimpanzees had built their nests the evening before. The rest of the team split up to check on other locations. When we reached the nesting site, the tracker whispered that the chimps were still asleep, so we kept quiet and waited. About 10 minutes later, we spotted one chimp waking up, followed by another carrying a baby on its back. But as soon as they noticed us, they quickly disappeared into the forest. Our tracker explained that these chimps are still in the process of being habituated and aren’t fully comfortable around humans yet—especially without a dominant male present, and when a baby is involved. Thanks to phone contact between the trackers, we were guided to another spot where a few chimpanzees had also woken up—this time near a lively group of colobus monkeys. The colobus were incredibly active, leaping from branch to branch high above us. Some silver monkeys also appeared, curiously observing us from the treetops. From there, we continued deeper into the forest, tracking signs of the chimps—listening for their calls, examining dropped fruit, and following footprints. The trail wasn’t always clear; in fact, most of the time we had to forge our way through the dense forest, with our tracker using a machete to cut a path. It definitely added an adventurous twist to the morning. After another hour of hiking, it became clear the chimpanzees had moved far deeper into the forest, making it unlikely we’d see them again. So we decided to turn back. Unfortunately I didn't have a great zoom lens for this activity and couldn't catch the chimpanzees on camera. Tip: bring a decent zoom lens for this kind of trip! Back at our lodging, we finally had breakfast, then packed up and hit the road. We dropped off our guide at a nearby bus station and continued our journey toward Kibuye, on the shores of Lake Kivu, for a well-deserved day of rest—before kicking off our next adventure: cycling part of the Congo Nile Trail.
Time to relax at Kibuye
After dropping off our guide, we continued with a two-hour drive to Rwiza Village in Kibuye—a peaceful and charming hotel with just five huts overlooking the tranquil waters of Lake Kivu. After five intense days of hiking, it was the perfect place to recharge. We spent the afternoon taking in the calm lake views from the terrace and watched local fishermen heading out around 4–5 p.m. for their overnight fishing trips. Completely worn out, we went to bed shortly after sunset. In the days ahead, we planned to cycle part of the Congo Nile Trail. We decided to begin in Gisenyi and ride south along the lake back to Kibuye. Organizing the logistics was a bit tricky because of our car, but we came up with a solid plan: leave the car at Rwiza Village, take a bus to Gisenyi the next day, pick up our bikes there, and then cycle our way back along the trail to reunite with the car in Kibuye. A bit of a shuffle—but it set us up for an incredible ride.
