RWANDA: 8 MUST-DO ACTIVITIES

Peter van Kets and I first came up with the route for the ‘Beyond the Rift Valley’ expedition early in 2018, thinking a pretty ambitious foray into the heart of the Mother continent, and a chance at last to get to see Rwanda’s gorillas up close and personal.

That was the starting point of the endless logistics that followed, culminating in a 16 000km adventure of note, in which we fitted in more out-there activities than would seem possible in the time frame. Fortunately, our travel equipment was up to scratch: we had Dunlop on board as a main sponsor, which meant that we had fitted hardy three-ply Grand Trek AT3 G tyres to our brace of never-say-die Isuzu X-Rider double cabs.

The truth is, we had no real idea what awaited us north of Lusaka when we departed late in September. And, of course, the road trip via those Zambian and Tanzanian dust bowls – especially along the edge of Lake Tanganyika – proved to be about as wild and sketchy as Africa can get. Numerous tricky moments with logging trucks, sundry angry policemen, errant ankole-watusi cattle and a few epic dust storms made getting to Rwanda in one piece a full-on adventure.

But, once you get to cross the Ruvuma River into Rwanda, everything changes. This tiny land-locked nation operates unlike any other African country, and technologically and logistically it is way ahead of anywhere else on the continent. Here are a few of our most memorable snapshot moments, covering ‘Eight Incredible Experiences’ you really should have in Rwanda.