I left Kigali late and spent a night at Silent Hill Hotel in Kayonza. After breakfast, I resumed my exhilarating ride to Akagera Rhino Lodge through Kabarondo and Rwinkwavu. The journey to the said hill was as intriguing as the destination, but that’s a story for another day.
The late adventure ride and my experiences at Silent Hill Hotel should have been written before what transpired when I made it to the hill, also known as Qatar. My final destination acquired a second name because the word on the street is that the king of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, owns land in the area.
Upon arrival, I checked into Akagera Rhino Lodge and grabbed something to eat. After a short siesta, I hit the trail that had been on my bucket list for a long time. It spans a distance of seven kilometers outside the southern fence of the Akagera National Park. Most tour operators refer to the activity created by this off-the-beaten path as the Walk the Fence Line Tour.
On this memorable day, I teamed up with one foreign tourist and rambled from "Qatar" to the entrance of the national park. One of these days, I will publish a story about this unforgettable trek. Spoiler alert: A scary encounter with wild animals is involved. Apparently, some animals are capable of jumping over the electrified fence and roam outside the park.
When we made it to Kiyonza Gate, we hitched a ride to Akagera Transit Lodge to quench our thirsts. Then we boarded taxi motos back to Rhino Lodge through Nyankora. At Rhino, we had dinner on the terrace overlooking Lake Ihema. The view from this outdoor dining area is breathtaking.