Canopy Walk in the Nyungwe Forest

So, when last we parted, Marty and I were enjoying the lovely Nyungwe Forest Lodge.  We rose early for breakfast (continental for Marty - full English for me - hey, we're going hiking!) in order to be on the road by 7:30 to get to the Visitor’s Center for the 8 am walk.  Alas, the road was too rutted, and we were too distracted by the views, to make that time.  But we managed to sign up for the 9 o’clock walk and hand over, what at that time we felt, an exorbitant fee to walk in the jungle for two hours.  As it turned out, it would have been a bargain at twice the price. The guide led our group of 12 (Marty and I were by far the oldest of the bunch) down the side of mountain, on a path that serpentined back and forth, down, down, ever down, and back and forth—it seemed like we would never stop descending.  The views over the valley and canopy beneath us, in a word: spectacular (see below, though again none of these shots capture the beauty).

Suddenly above, we saw two columbos monkeys.  Then there—out in the canopy below—two blue monkeys, an adult and a baby, high in the trees but below us.  (Unlike the guy on the road, these monkeys were too fast for my camera skills.)  We finally came to point where we could see the canopy walk.  A metal catwalk, about 10 inches wide, suspended by metal wires in a V shape, with rope handholds, it ran several hundred meters long (see below) in three separate stages: two short and one long walk in between. 

When you walked on it—very, very slowly to minimize sway, and at least a meter apart to distribute weight—we were about twenty-five meters above the canopy of Acacia, Ficus, and Fern Trees that made you swear you were in Jurassic Park.  It was about 100 meters to the ground, which you couldn’t see for the lush foliage.  But it was clear, we were way up there.  Ok, this is definitely not for the don’t-go-near-the edge-crowd, and in fact a couple of folks in our group took one look at the walkway and declined to participate.  But Marty and I found it exhilarating and honestly, I think it was one of the most memorable places we have ever had the privilege to see and experience.  Again, I shot some amazing video, which I'll upload when we're back in the US.  Until then, here are a few shots from the canopy.

After we finished the canopy walk, we made our way down to the valley.  Flowers scented the air, and then we were in a forest of ferns, towering over our heads.  The feeling of lost in Eden was palpable.  Eventually we had to begin the trail back up, and let me say a few months on the Stairmaster might have helped.  It seemed as if the climb would never end and I kept thinking: “I will take up aerobics; I will take up aerobics…”  Below are a few shots I took when I needed a breather.

And finally, here I am as the intrepid hiker.  This was after only half the trek to the canopy!  Trust me, you do *not* want to see what I looked like when we returned to the visitor center.

Next up: Dining With New Friends or We Visit The Market

PS: A big thanks to Marty for allowing me to *borrow* heavily from his email describing our trip.  You are such a good writer!