Sights around Musanze, Rwanda

The following shows some sights in and round the town of Musanze, previously known as Ruhengeri, in the north-west of Rwanda

The town on a reasonably quiet day

Pre-sunset over the Virungas with Mikeno covered by cloud and Bisoke to the right. A view from town.

The outflow from the hot water springs at the southern end of town. Adjacent to this is also a small local market where locally made cheap furniture, woven mats and livestock is sold - hardly visited by any any tourists.

Musanze cave; presently being prepared for official tourism toward the end of 2007. Mapping is in progress. Located about 2km from the centre of town on the way to Gisenyi.

Buhanga Forest on the outskirts of town with pathways laid in hand-shaped volcanic rock. A good site for birding walks and planning is underway for cultural tourism on the site as well i.e. dancing and sharing of folklore
Lake Ruhondo east of the town. This particular view is from the southern end of the lake. Development of tourism opportunities on and around the lake is also now in progress.

Moths in Musanze, Rwanda

Some pics here of moths photographed at dusk in Musanze, Rwanda. In the cases where I've furnished names, the names have been obtained from lepidopterists abroad based on the photos. These names should not be accepted as the final decision on species or family though and I welcome comments/advice regarding species and/or family names.

Amerila baueri (Arctiidae)

Maruca vitrata(Crambidae,Spilomelinae a.k.a Mung Bean Moth


Possibly Filodes sp. (Crambidae,Spilomelinae

Possibly Palpita sp.

Callopistria, possibly C. juventina a.k.a "The Latin" (Crambidae, Spilomelinae OR in Noctuidae

Flowers from Ikoro site, Rwanda

The following pics were taken of flowers and plants on the site where Ikoro Tented Camp is being developed. At this stage we still have no ID for many of them which I will add as I get the information.

A tiny flower hardly ever exceeding 1cm across growing close to the ground.



A lovely plant that grows quite high, in some cases reaching 4ft (insert on the site. The main pic is a close-up of one of the individual flowers.


This photo taken during May 2006. These flowers are only 3-5mm across (excl. the leaves). Growing almost in a shrub-like form and found mostly in the areas that haven't been disturbed for quite a length of time.

Butterflies of Ikoro

Near "reception" at Ikoro (as yet unidentified)
Found early in the morning in patch of sunshine seemingly catching a bit of warmth.
















N-East Corner of Site (a species of Amauris, Danainae sub-family)
Both these butterflies were found in more or less the same area at the Ikoro Tented Camp site (see link to Ikoro).

This is how we're compiling info on the Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) at the site at the moment i.e. through photos as we haven't done or planned any traps till we have enough reference resources and/or lepidopterists present.
N-East Corner of Site (a species of Tiramula, Danainae sub-family)

The Virungas' Different Faces

Gahinga and Muhabura

View of Gahinga and Muhabura over the south western end of Lake Ruhondo.

Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura (left to right)

View of three of the volcanoes from the road to Gisenyi.

Sabinyo with its head in the clouds

View of Sabinyo early in the morning from the Tourism (ORTPN) office at Kinigi.



Bisoke (foreground) and Mikeno

Early morning view of Bisoke and Mikeno (in the DR Congo) from the Tourism (ORTPN) office at Kinigi where tourists meet before setting off to track the mountain gorillas.

Rwandan Crafts

Collage of Traditional Rwandan Crafts


Pottery - traditionally a skill of BaTwa people is now widely practiced and a wide range of products is now sold on markets.
Basketwork - very intricate and any design and size can be done to order.
Drums & Calabash - some more examples of the traditional crafts


Rwandan art & crafts also include batiques, paintings, wood & stone sculptures and carvings. In addition to this a wide variety of household items and furniture are also made and sold by individuals with their own businesses and/or through co-operatives set up for the artisans.

Hunter & Scavenger

Lioness of Kicheche Pride, MMara, Kenya

Probably the best known hunter of them all. This photo was taken in February during a visit to the Maasai Mara in February and all the hunters were living very well indeed.



Spotted Hyanea, MMara, Kenya

We came across this hyaena near Leopard Gorge in the Maasai Mara during the same visit. It had several wounds and gashes which seemed to have been by fellow hyaenas as this particular one was being chased out of the den repeatedly.

Close-up & Personal

Cheetah Female, Namibia
This female cheetah is one of three youngsters that were rescued when their mother was shot by a farmer in Namibia for killing some of his livestock. She and her siblings are now safe at a sanctuary that rescues cheetahs. In Namibia cheetahs are still considered a pest especially by some farmers and the country also has the highest number of cheetahs in the wild.




Bull Elephant, Tembe Elephant Park
Tembe Elephant Park is situated in northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa on the southern border of Mozambique. Considered by many as one of the wildest parks in South Africa, one could drive the whole day and not see any humans.

Coming across this particular elephant with some clients I was guiding, turned out to be a bit more than just a photo opportunity. Not long after I took this photo, the elephant walked right up to the vehicle resulting in a very nervous 10 minutes with a very close and curious elephant. With everyone dead silent, he eventually lumbered off. He measured about 3.5m at the shoulders.

Rock Hyrax, Augrabies Falls
Augrabies Falls is situated in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, just south of the southern Namibian border. After rains in the mountains, these falls become a spectacular display of the forces of nature through water in the desert.

This pic is the result of a long stalk and wait process and eventually crawling on my stomach to get close. The hyrax can be everywhere in this rocky area but they specialise in sunning themselves on very inaccessible (to humans) rocks.

Introduction

Sunset Cruise on the Chobe River, Botswana

I've started this post to show some of the pictures from my travels through sub-Saharan Africa over the last few years. For each blog I'll designate a theme or place and add a bit of background to the pictures published thus providing snapshots of the places, people and animals that make living on this continent so different and enjoyable.

The photos consist of digital pics as well as scanned slide and print film pics.