By: HATANGIMANA Ange Eric
Sometimes people lament about the effects of stress, whereas one of the solutions to the condition is leisure and relaxation, and relaxing doesn’t imply immobility just in any given place, marked by noise, real relaxation is experiencing a new location from the place you are familiar with, thus exposing yourself to a another place, with a soothing atmosphere as well as the activities you have been formally engaged in, hence experiencing freshness and humidity from another place.
In Rwanda one of such places is Nyungwe National Park, a natural forest endowed with Rwanda’s natural resources.
Among the visitors of Nyungwe on the grounds of tourism, most of them go there for a canopy walk, where they walk over the aerial bridge, as you are thoroughly watching the forest, hills, and the lakes surrounding the forest while you are up in the air. It’s a nice experience, however, there is another type of tourism which is seldomly talked about by the visitors of Nyungwe Park, these include the fresh air mixed with a soothing breeze coming from a fall from a stream by the name of NDAMBARARE!
Ndambarare is a waterfall which is located in Gisakura, in Bushekeri Sector, Vugangoma Village, in Gisakura Cell Nyamasheke District.
I have trekke to that place, because I visited the location towards the end of January 2023 with a group of people, however, I do vividly remember a Kenyan man who was among our group by the names of Kiundu Waweru, when we were passing through the path which was surrounded by fresh grass and tantalisingly attractive vegetation, on a slippery pathway with an awful joy which was being expressed by the members of our group, with queer sound emanating from the forest, as we were conversing in Swahili language.
Actually I won’t forget one of the guides of tourists, who showed us a fantastic herb in the Rwandan cultural context, which is called “Mvuridahita” Ntabwo nzibagirwa umwe mu batembereza ba mukerarugendo, yatweretse icyatsi gitangaje mu muco w’Abanyarwanda, kitwa “Mvuridahita” which literally means rain which doesn’t stop, according to the ancient Rwandans’ mindset, the herb was beneficial to women, as regards having a stable and secure home during their marriage.
More information pertaining to Ndambarare Waterfall
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If you are ready for Ndambarare Waterfall tour, we have started! As per the fee for visiting the site foreigners would pay US$ 50, apparently now they pay US$ 140, as far as Rwandans are concerned, they used to pay pay 5000Frw, currently thy pay 15,000Frw.
It’s not a a lot of money for a person who wants to prove his/her endurance, together with a wonderful experience of the freshness of Nyungwe cool and attractive weather.
The path towards Ndambarare isn’t so uphill, because most of the time is spent walking on a rather flat path. However, its advisable to visit the place wearing boots and a walking stick, you can equip yourself with such requirements, or else hire them at the Park’s Reception which is located at a place called Mujabagiro at the entrance of of the forest at Rusizi-Nyamagabe road.
It’s a three 3 hour walk, to and from, which is equivalent to 9.6km.
Kiundu Waweru, a Kenyan citizen told UMUSEKE Media that he had experienced a wonderful and fascinating journey while trekking to Ndambarare Waterfall.
He said, “ It’s an ordinary and breathtaking adventure to be here, very far from the forest. This place has a rare and nice waterfall. Reaching here automatically alters the air, because it makes you feel like a child again in your inner self.”
Kiundu wondered as to why the water fall was discovered in the last two years, thereby rendering him to ask why it had spent all that lengthy period to locate the water fall.
He said, “ Its very precious for us to be among the first people to visit this place, and its in this context that I request the people in Rwanda, the East African region as well as the entire world to cherish and love this place.”
He argues all the people to visit the place, in case they are in position, to experience the freshness of the air which isn’t polluted, in Nyungwe.
He had this to say, “ I come from Nairobi Kenya, I have seen a waterfall, however, I can say that I hadn’t experienced such a thing in any other p[lace anywhere be it in my country or else where, i’m totally mesmerized to be here, hence calling on every body to protect the environment.”
At Ndambarare WaterFall, the beauty isn’t proportional to the duration when it was discovered, because the guides came to know of its existence in the last two (2)years.
Protais Niyigaba, the Park Manager said that Ndambarare was discovered by the people who were looking for wild animals. Normally Nyungwe Park was known for Kamiranzove water Fall.
The difference between Kamiranzovu Water Fall and Ndanbarare is the fact that the appearance of the water within the two waterfalls differ. Ndamarare WaterFall has clear water, whereas Kamiranzovu Water Fall’s water is coloured.
Kamiranzovu is twice Ndambarare, and the distance to Kamiranzovu is longer and ascending .
The water from Ndambarare flows to Bugarama valley, through Rubyiro River thus pouring in River Congo.
Nyungwe Park’s status improves every time and receives a variety of tourists who come to visit the scenery.
Niyigaba Protais who is the Manager who pointed out that most visitors come during June, mostly foreigners who come for holidays, and during February, March and April the number of tourists decrease.
Canopy walk the aerial walk over the bridge which is made of big strings with big metallic pillars, as well as watching primates popularly known as Chimpanzee tracking is one of the touristic adventures characterizing Nyungwe, however, the Park’s management innovated to include other types of tourism which assists the visitors more.
Nyungwe Park comprises a natural forest which must be conserved, because it belongs to types of forests which are located In hilly areas, which receive rain perpetually, thereby providing fresh air which is good for humans rated at 20% for the total atmospheric air.
One of Nyungwe Park’s guards told us that, “ Extinction of Nyungwe would give rise to excessive heat hence accellating desertification globally.”
He said, “ Most of the water used in Rwanda comes from this forest, which means that its extinction Rwanda would become a desert.”
Nyungwe is one of the oldest forests in Africa, its therefore a world heritage because its supplies water to important Rivers in Africa namely River Congo and the River Nile. Eight million people in Rwanda use water which comes from Nyungwe. It has an area of 1,019km2, and it’s a habitat of more than 1,068, including over 322 bird species and over 75 mammal species and over 13 promates species.
UMUSEKE.RW