TOOK A ONE DAY BREAK in the beautiful Akagera National Park.
Rusizi Tented Camp was officially opened on March 26 this year, and is a huge leap for Rwandan tourism in the area. Couldn’t recommend it more highly: dinner by firelight on a deck at the edge of Lake Ihema with monkeys, birds and hippos shrieking, grunting and puffing all around.
Accommodation is a series of permanent tents dotted through the bush, and joined by boardwalks on the edge of the lake, each with their own ensuite, solar powered hot water and lamps. Zip up the mozzie nets and leave the tent-flaps up for a night in the ‘jungle’. My dreams were dotted with hippos and baboons!
Early morning view of Lake Ihema from our tent
Boardwalks between the campsites
Breakfast and coffee by the lake at sunrise, then off for a tour of the park (about 6 hours). Charles, our guide for the day, made sure we got the chance to film the wildlife: baboons, monkey, hippo, warthogs, zebra, antelopes of various kinds, water buffalo and giraffes.
Wonderful, re-charging day, then a two and a half hour drive back to Kigali for ten days or so of people-centred filming in other parts of Rwanda.
Sunrise breakfast at Lake Ihema
Filming the sunrise over Lake Ihema
