Rwanda, Land of A Thousand Hills

Gerry and I decided to spend a week exploring Rwanda to gain experience in a different East African country. We were eager to learn what progress had been made since the 1994 genocide and how President Kagame’s peculiar form of go-it-alone development was working. We also wanted to see the famous gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Although the 1994 genocide was a severe setback to the country’s fragile economy, it has made rapid progress and its economy has rebounded to levels way beyond pre-1994 levels. It has become a destination for international tourism. The following photos are mainly from the countryside of the land of a thousand hills.

Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa with an area slightly less than that of Maryland and with twice the population of over 12 million.  The population density is similar to that of the Netherlands making it one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. The high average elevation of over 5000 feet and its very hilly landscape led to it being called “Land of A Thousand Hills”. The mild climate with abundant rainfall allow crop production year-round.  Agriculture accounts for 33% of GDP and is mostly subsistence. Tea and coffee are the major cash crops grown for export.  The most productive subsistence crops are plantains, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize and beans.

The countryside lives up to the name “Land of a Thousand Hills.”

The land is volcanic origin and very rich as witnessed by fields in valley bottoms and marching all the way to the tops of the mountains.

Fields are small and most of the work is done with hand tools. Spreading manure and cultivating it into the soil.

Waddle and daub houses are the norm.

In the mild climate the cowshed does not need walls.

Every small piece of land is in production.

Volcanoes on the Democratic Republic of Congo border.

Construction dependent on manual labor of men and women hauling bricks and cement to the second floor of this new building.

For about $7 men will transport just about anything that can be carried on a bicycle. This delivery service takes an entire day for a round trip.

Sugar cane.

Home-brew beer and potatoes.

Potatoes.

Sometimes riding works, the load is over 200 pounds per bike.

Beer for a wedding.

I suspect the roads are in such good shape compared to Tanzanian roads because they were build after the 1994 genocide that destroyed much infrastructure.

All the bird photographs were taken in about 20 minutes from a patio near a birdbath.

Volcanoes that straddle the borders of Rwanda (foreground), Uganda (right, north) and Democratic Republic of Congo (background, west). A sharp horizontal line on the nearest volcano marks the Volcanoes National Park boundary with agricultural fields.