Musanze is blessed with a wide range of tourist attractions. Volcanoes national park, which is home to the famous mountain gorillas, is located there. Apart from gorilla trekking, the park offers a variety of other exciting activities. However, you don't need to enter the park to discover every thing Musanze has in store. There is so much more outside the protected area.
For starters, Musanze is a hiking paradise. There are eight volcanoes in the Virunga Massif, where Volcanoes National Park is found. Five of them straddle Rwanda's northwestern border. Their slopes are home to the mountain gorillas, from which a substantial amount of dollars is milked.
When I made it to the crest of the volcano known as Bisoke, I was awestruck by its crater lake. A week later, I saw the same crater from a different position. This happened when I was climbing the neighboring Karisimbi. From Karisimbi's vantage point, it looked like a slightly tilted bowl about to pour its content on one side of the elevation. I also had a clear view of Mount Mikeno soaring to the clouds on the Congolese side of the massif. Mikeno has a sharp, pinnacle-shaped summit and a relatively lower subsidiary peak.
I climbed Bisoke and Karisimbi during the summer of 2018. It took me about 24 hours to complete the latter's roundtrip. On that unforgettable day, my cousin and I left Kigali early in the morning, and made it to Kinigi by 7:30 A.M. After showing our previously bought permits, we were cleared. From the park's headquarters, we drove to Kwa Mukecuru parking lot, at the foot of the volcanoes.
We entered the park through Ubushakashatsi Trail and ascended close to 3,000 meters above sea level. Then we took our first break. This is the junction that separates Karisimbi-bound hikers from their Bisoke counterparts. A short distance after the junction, we bypassed the tomb of Dian Fossey. Karisimbi hikers can also book a stopover at the Karisoke site, the final resting place of the legendary primatologist.
It took us about three hours to reach the campsite set up at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. Usually, hikers spend a night at the camp and make the final push to the summit in the morning of the following day. Upon arrival, I thought it was too early to call it a day. Fellow hikers agreed with me. Our guides didn't have any objections. Later on, I learned the hard way that this wasn't a good idea.
It is advisable to spend some time at the camp acclimating to the limited supply of oxygen before proceeding to the summit. Rapid exposure to low density air can cause a high altitude sickness that drains energy like an illicit brew-induced hangover. We ignored advice from experts and, stubbornly, refused to follow the script. Our goal was to reach the summit as soon as possible.
We left our camping gear at the camp and slogged along a very challenging stretch known as Mubakomando. Here, we had to grab branches of trees and pull ourselves higher and higher. Beyond Mubakomando area, we battled a strenuous 60° gradient on slippery volcanic rocks. This stage has seen many mountaineers throwing in the towel. When the going gets that tough, some climbers start doubting themselves and questioning their decisions. Later on at the campsite, I heard stories of previously determined tourists who concluded that climbing mountains is not for them. Porters shared their experiences carrying defeated hikers back to the camp on stretchers.
As we approached the summit, we used ropes to maintain balance and heave ourselves upwards. The ropes are tied to pieces of wooden stands. Without the said ropes, every step forward would be followed by two steps backwards.
The best view comes after the hardest climb. This popular saying motivates numerous mountaineers the world over. Unfortunately, Karisimbi didn't reward me with the view I expected. When I stood on top of the tallest mountain in the Virunga Massif, I was completed swallowed by a dense cloud. I couldn't see beyond ten meters or so.
We made it to the summit late in the evening. Shortly thereafter, we descended back to the campsite in darkness. There is a good reason itinerary planners pace hikers in such a way that they reach the summit in the early hours of the second day. We should have listened to them. They know better.
Getting to the summit is optional, but climbing down is mandatory. Descending presented its own set of challenges. Each step downhill obliges the leading knee to absorb the entire body weight, magnified by gravity.
I lacked experience in climbing mountains. As a result, I made one rookie mistake after another throughout my Karisimbi expedition. Instead of using proper hiking boots, I thought my old sneakers would serve me just fine. Initially, the Nike Air Force 1s I was wearing felt comfortable but proved to be inappropriate when the ground became slippery. On the summit, the temperature level flirted with zero, and my ill-advised choice of clothing didn't help. While returning to the camp, in total darkness, I was the only one who didn't have a flashlight. When we made it to the camp, the bonfire was lit and dinner was served. Things looked perfect until I found out that my tent didn't have a sleeping bag. Yes, I had brought a tent without a sleeping bag.
I was the least equipped tourist in the group. Maybe the least equipped Karisimbi hiker ever. When we left the summit, it was cold enough to turn water into ice. It wasn't that bad at the camp, but I was still freezing. I sat by the fire with other campers until late. Since it is illegal to cut trees in the park, we used firewood brought to the camp by porters from Kinigi.