Lions and Elephants and Zebras, oh my! - Akagera and Gahini

Exceptional. Unbelievable. Mind-blowingly AWESOME (as in “Awe, God is so amazing”).

male waterbuck, the very first animal we saw

Those are some of the words we would use to describe our recent trip to Gahini and Akagera National Park in the Eastern Provience.

We arrived at the Seeds of Peace guest house in Gahini on Wednesday late afternoon. Situated on the shore of Lake Muhazi, this guest house is very aptly named. We were very glad to be away from the busyness (and the stares) of Byumba town, while the girls thought having their “own hotel room” was pretty cool (it was a two bedroom “bungalow”). The respite was welcome and much needed!

The view from our porch to the lake

But we were not in Gahini to just get away, we were there to make visiting Akagera National Park a much easier day trip (it’s a 4 hour drive from Byumba and its recommended you arrive not long after sunrise for the best animal viewing, i.e. 6:30-ish)!

As it was, our visit to Akagera began with a 5:30AM meet up time with our driver/guide. Little did we know, the early morning call was going to be SO worth the lost sleep, especially considering my previous experience at the park.

You see, when we traveled with a team to Rwanda in 2013, we also spent a day at Akagera. 

2013 team (minus half of J) at our lunch stop in Akagera...
something about this picture makes me smile every time

That particular trip included a 4AM start time, approximately one million biting flies, stifling heat that did not allow for keeping the windows shut (and the flies out), a team member getting very car sick (oh Jac, how bad I felt for you), a grumpagus for a guide, and an old bus with a large crack in the wheel well (folks, one could see straight out to the red earth below), which meant the back of the bus was constantly engulfed in a cloud of red dust. Here is how I felt at the end of that day:

Notice my blood shot eyes and dirt streaks
(if you look closely every pore has dirt...and
no, my neck was not tan. That. Is. Dirt) - hi Jen!

For me, that first visit to Akagera, despite seeing some wild animals, was truly miserable, so, needless to say, I wasn’t anxious to go back next time I was in country. However, in July, my sweet friend took the 2015 team again and had a wonderful experience. So, okay, for the sake of the children, I could be persuaded to try again, as long as a vehicle with fully intact wheel wells was promised.

impala

Promise kept. Plus, the flies were not too bad, the heat was bearable, and our guide was wonderful. Oh, and we saw SO. MANY. Animals. God’s amazing handiwork was truly on display. We saw waterbucks, baboons, vervet monkeys, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, warthogs, impalas, topis, water buffalo, eland, and a monitor lizard. 

so apparently, being a hippo is hard work...

go on, find a friends large rump and just rest your head a while
(notice little junior in the center of them all!)

look closely...its a croc!

monitor lizard

this group of giraffe were all standing very defensively...
we soon realized it was thanks to some unwelcome guests

Look at the vast array of colors and patterns. God, the artist!

Not sure where antler #2 went but I bet he has a good story

these eland looked like a cross between a bovine and an impala

topi are very shy...and kind of purple looking in the right light

the water buffalo were shy, too, and curious

"Hey, Marty, where's Melman?"

so, white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

But, the two animals that put the topping on the cake for us were a bull elephant and lions, 3 of them, two male, one female.

He was playing in the mud

Lions were only reintroduced to the park in 2015, 7 of them. And we saw 3. Umm, yeah. Exceptional, indeed!  

"Alex" the lion and his 2 friends...aka unwelcome guests!

That waterbuck seemed unfazed by the presence of
a flesh eating predator. Apparently, he has much faith in those
spikes on his head!

here kitty, kitty, kitty

We also saw many, many birds, including The Rev Dr’s very favorite, the Lilac Breasted Roller.

Lilac Breasted Roller

Seriously, seeing this bird in flight, streaks of brilliant turquoise-blue gliding by, is a real treat - God’s creative character on display in magnificent form.

Crested Eagle

Gray Crowned Crane...again!

Egret and some duck friends

Double Toothed Barbet (just off our porch in Gahini)

Yep, an altogether fabulous trip through the park (thanks, Schmidts, for the sweet Christmas gift!).

sharing the road has become a bit of a theme for us

same lunch spot as our previous trip (and same
safari outfit for my friend, hehehe)

safari lunch of champions

Our only hiccup for the day was a flat tire on the way back home. Thankfully we were out of the park (read: not near lions or animals that charge or maul) when the tire decided to calmly release its air. 

Our driver was prepared with a nice spare, and after a quick switch (that garnered a small-ish audience) we were back on the road and to the guest house in time for dinner and an early bedtime. Ahh, what a satisfying day.

The next morning, before returning to our Byumba home but after a rather long, strong rain storm, we strolled up the hill for a tour of the Gahini hospital, the first hospital in Rwanda.

the canopied road up to Gahini, a lovely walk

original hospital building

Gahini was the birthplace/center of the East African Revival! Given he is ordained under the Anglican church of Rwanda, as a missionary pastor, The Rev Dr was almost giddy as we strolled through this very peaceful town.  

first church...notice the school in the background

We peeked into the very first Rwandan Anglican church (a rather small prayer hut really), which just happened to be situated right next to a school. When I innocently waved at the students staring at us through the window, I caused quite a commotion (aka totally disrupted the class…oops), so we didn’t hang around long!

apparently the road to Gahini is tiring...she's sort of a hippo!

We arrived back in Byumba Friday evening refreshed and ready to embark upon the last 1/3 of our time in Rwanda. Its hard to believe, but we leave in less than 3 weeks now.

Please pray for us, especially my sweet friend, as we wrap up our time and work here, that we would finish well and get last minute tasks accomplished.

Coram Deo – The Mrs Dr

p.s. Our friend, Flat Stanley, also joined us on our trip to Akagera...he misses you, Auni!