Blending Hiking and Motorcycle Rides on the Congo Nile Trail
The Congo Nile Trail is one of the most beautiful walking routes you may ever have the chance to hike. But not everyone has the time it takes to traverse all of it. Our team has devised a solution for this: hiking and biking combined. Now you can actually do two to three stages in a single day!
For example, you could start from Gisenyi and reach Cyimbili by motorbike (about 18km/11mi), then walk Stage 2 from Cyimbili to Kinunu (15km/9mi). If you want, you can also do the following two stages on a motorbike — depending on how much time you have!
This approach saves money too! Two examples:
- Accommodation savings: since you can multiple stages in a day, you reduce the number of nights you need to spend on the Trail.
- Cheaper transport: a motorbike from Gisenyi to Cyimbili or Nkora costs around USD 15, while a boat on the same route would be USD 50-80.
You can further combine the motorcycle with the bus. For instance, from Kibuye to Bumba Base Camp the bus fare is about USD 1, and from Bumba to Musasa by motorbike only about USD 2.
When you decide for travelling on a motorcycle, you are getting a taste of the local lifestyle as well. Passenger motos are the most popular means of affordable transport in Rwanda, connecting remote places to the highways. Will you give them a try?
text and photos by Enock Musabyimana
