Safety Tips in Rwanda

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Rwanda is a Malarial Zone! If you visit - PLEASE PREPARE! Malaria can sometimes be fatal and at best may make you regret that you survived. Medicines must be taken days to weeks BEFORE you come here. There are 4 different species of Malaria and humans can get them all from the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Illness and death from malaria are largely preventable - if you plan ahead.

While you are here you need to use a repellent spray early in the morning and any periods of darkness, especially at night.

If you have a net - use it. That is why it is in your room.

Do not take chances!


I would suggest you buy repellent with 100% DEET. Please click here for more information:

DEET

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KIVU KILLS. Just remember that before you decide to go off and swim or boat in some secluded place while visiting the lake. The shores of Lake Kivu are beautiful with white sand beaches in Gisenyi, rolling green hills nearby and even dramatic mountains overlooking it from the DRC side. On a clear day or hour it’s beautiful. Don’t let that beautiful view fool you. While Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes in size, it is one of only 3 EXPLODING LAKES in the world. The other 2 have caused carnage in Cameroon by exploding and gassing hundreds of people. The overall death toll on Lake Kivu is a lot less, but just make sure it’s not you.

The problem is that Kivu sits on top of huge pockets of Methane gas and Carbon Dioxide. Both are lethal. The geological term for this is ‘Mazuku’ meaning ‘Evil Wind’ in Swahili. Invisible Carbon Dioxide released in large amounts stays near the ground and kills every living thing there. Tie that in with the visible volcanic activity of Mt. Nyiragongo and lava pouring into the lake (in 2002) and you can understand why the lake has killed everything that lives in it. Twice. This was thousands of years ago, but larger pockets of escaping gas in some parts of the lake can suffocate an unsuspecting swimmer or boater. Stay in clearly marked areas or only swim where locals do.

It’s not all bad. The visible structure in the lake (pictured) collects the Methane which is used in the production of electricity supplying Rwanda. Its currently being expanded to provide export revenue by supplying electricity to neighbouring countries. The Primus Brewery right on the lake has used the Methane for years to supply turbines used in making their fabulous beer!

If you are a fisherman, forget Lake Kivu though. The high gas content in the water keeps the fish very small. All the ones I saw in the fish market were either small or absolutely tiny.

No matter where you go you always need to be on alert, but I have to say that Rwanda is the safest and most honest place I've ever gone. I managed to drop my wallet in a cafe in Kigali which included most of my money, passport, credit card and drivers license. We went in for breakfast and went off to visit some sites outside of Kigali. I had some money in my pocket so never noticed until the late afternoon that my wallet was missing. My heart practically fell out of my body I was so scared! Anywhere else in the world, including my home city of New York, that wallet would've been picked apart and gone. Well, I retraced my steps from the bank, to Nakumatt grocery store and finally to the cafe. When I walked in a waiter I had a few days before spotted me and with a big smile said "Hi, Hope, are you missing something?". I could have cried on the spot. They found my wallet and contacted security in the shopping center where the cafe is located. The security guards came up, they wrote down every detail of my wallets contents and then locked it away in a safe in the security office. Even though they knew my face matched the identifications they made me go over every detail. What is the bank name on the credit card? What currencies and amounts did you have in your wallet? Describe your identifications. Whew, it was such a relief and I was so thankful that I lost it there instead of somewhere else in the world! If ever in Kigali please purchase something at the Bourbon Cafe in the MTN Center!

If you are in Rwanda and planning to go to Uganda and have bought an MTN sim card in Rwanda note that although the MTN network works in both countries you cannot charge your Rwandan sim card with Ugandan MTN time. So you must buy enough time in Rwanda to last you all days in Uganda or else buy a new sim card in Uganda. Same applies for Uganda. It is better of course to buy a sim card in each country as signal and quality of communication is much better.

I spent a month in Rwanda teaching at the Sonrise School for Orphans in Ruhengeri (now Musanze) and also went up to remote Shyria in the mountains and to lake Kivu. What I learnt most was to negotiate the price of motorcycles and bikes when you need ride. These boys are making a living and will try to up the price. However, although the price seems little to you it does encourage others to take advantage and you could be mobbed, The other tip is not to give money openly in the street but discreetly, Many people want to help you and they are all so friendly and helpful. If someone has been very helpful, like negotiating the price of food in the market and helping you carry it home then tip them, 200 to 500 rf is enough. If you give money out inthe street you have hundreds of street children bothering you and asking you for money. I gave 100rf (10p UK) out to women with babies or the disabled as I felt they could not work. Everyone is poor in Rwanda, you just have to be careful how you help them. Your heart goes out to them and you feel as though you want to give everything you have away. It pulls at your heart.

The mere mention of Rwanda justifiably brings to mind images of the horrendous genocide of 1994, let's be honest. The reality in 2007 is though, Rwanda is a much safer country than most African nations. Crime still occurs, but I found Rwandans are amongst the friendliest people in Africa during the month I spent there reporting. The genocide is still a touchy issue though and if you don't need to bring the topic up - don't. Many people lost family and will not want to talk about it. Approach this beatiful mountainous land with the same caution as anywhere in Africa, but realistically, in comparison to places like neighbouring Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda is noticeably much safer and enjoyable.

The security situation is not an issue. Despite the recent history there is a sense of calm and renewal. Safe to walk anywhere at anytime…take the usual precautions as you may quicker twist your ankle dodging the terrain than encounter anything else more worrying.

News
Its always good to check the UK Home Office travel advisory as well as the US CIA travel pages before going to any country. Their info is always fairly general. More up to date are the local news papers the website allafrica.com provides good local reading of current events and a feel for the actual political climate..

It was a strangely calm yet eerie sight to look out of the window as we came in to land. It was dusk, getting into darkness, there was a mist settling upon the hills and it seemed unusually dark. I was probably just over-reacting. I still had the frightful television images of the genocide in my head, as i tried to piece together an impression of what lay in store for us...
In true Vt traveller style, i pulled out my camera as soon as we set foot upon the tarmac, only to have it immediately snatched from my hand by a security guard. I begged and pleaded for the next few minutes, and after a fair bit of effort, it was returned. You are not allowed to take pictures there. Perhaps its an over sensitive nerve, but the genocide in 1994 was sparked off when the plane carrying the then president was shot down at the airport. Not far from where i was standing...