climbing Mt. Bisoke, Rwanda

In my experience there are few places with less horizontal ground than Rwanda, which truly earns its nickname of “Le Pays de Milles Collines” (the land of a thousand hills). The third-highest of those approximately thousand hills, at 3,711 meters (12,175 feet), is known alternatively as Mt. Visoke or Mt. Bisoke, and is the subject of this trip report. …

My experience in Rwanda was that a guide was always required. For everything. Car safaris, gorilla trekking, even short 2 mile hikes to see some waterfalls in the rainforest. While this goes very much against the independent, take-care-of-yourself-in-the woods attitude of myself and, I would imagine, the majority of the users of this site, there’s really not a lot you can do about it. Embrace it – even if a guide is completely unnecessary, they will certainly have more knowledge about the local plants, animals, and people than you can possibly hope to retain. So ask lots of questions, tip well, and enjoy. …