Visiting the Mwishanga Waterfalls, passing by our family friends in Rutana and Source du Nil in Rutovu – Burundi

As I grew older, I promised myself that every time I would go to Burundi, I would visit various places that I had never visited when I lived there, and so the Mwishanga waterfalls were on the list of places to visit during our 2022 holidays.

Growing up, I heard about the Mwishanga Waterfalls as if there were no others in the country. When I finally went to see them, I understood why they were a bit special compared to the others. There are 5 of them and they are fed by 3 different rivers. They are also very close to each other. On the way, I didn’t stop taking pictures of the landscape or the passers-by. The landscape was green enough that you feel fresh just by looking at it. The street was colored by people coming from the church, the market or just visiting as it was Sunday.

I was still excited and distracted until we reached the intersection where we had to go to Mwishanga. We had to be careful to not take the wrong direction because there was no signpost. Luckily it was a Sunday, a day to go to church and also a market day. Finding someone to ask for directions was not a problem, as neither Michele, Maureen nor Kevin knew the place. After stopping more than 10 times and asking the passers-by for directions, we finally arrived at the market of Mwishanga where you can see the sign to Waterfalls.  As it is a tourist site, there is a barrier a few km before the waterfalls where every visitor has to pay the entrance fee. As we drove further, we could see the excitement on the girls’ faces. Jessica’s eyes were wide open and her head kept spinning, hoping to be the first to see the waterfalls. As for William and Nelson, like in all the trips we’ve already made here, they continued to enjoy the fact that they were traveling without their car seat.

Little by little, we began to hear the sound of falling waters. We couldn’t hide our enthusiasm because it was the first time for all of us, including Kevin. I kept teasing him by telling him that he would have to pay us because we took him to see the Mwishanga Falls. Suddenly, while still in the car, right in front of us was the first waterfall in all its splendor. A team of 4 tourist guides was there waiting for us. I do not remember how we got to choose with whom to go but I am glad that we ended up with Egide. He always had a smile on his face and you could read his enthusiasm when telling us all the details about the waterfalls and the area. However, to start the small tour, he had to be patient because the photo session had already begun for us.

Among all these 5 waterfalls, the most spectacular one is Karera Falls, which you can see from above on a recently built bridge. The girls kept going back and forth on the bridge while William and Nelson were quiet on my and Maureen’s back. At one point, Nelson got tired of being carried on the back and wanted to try the bridge, which was done thanks to Egide as I was busy taking pictures.

After almost an hour and a half, we were ready to return to Rutana to find a hotel. We did not have to worry because Kevin had assured us that he knew the center of Rutana well and therefore where to spend the night. If this was not the case, we had backup assistance anyway. Stefan who was following our trip closely had recommended us the Pastoral center managed by the sisters of the Catholic church of Rutana because during his bike tour more than 10 years ago, he had spent the night there. The place was very simple, just perfect for sheltering at night while waiting for the sunrise and the next day’s adventure…

The night in Rutana was rainy, fortunately, the rain stopped in the morning. We had ordered breakfast before we went to bed, so we didn’t have to wait for it.  Jessica and Vanessa enjoyed their favorite black tea while Nelson finished the scrambled eggs that had been prepared for both William and him. By 9 am we were ready to hit the road.

In my hometown, visits between neighbors and acquaintances are very spontaneous and natural. Therefore, there are many reasons to drop by your neighbor’s house without announcing anything different: 1) To have heard that your neighbor has fallen ill and to stop by and wish him well, 2) Knowing that your neighbor is back from his trip a few days or months ago to drop by and ask him what’s new or 3) Just being bored at home and going to your neighbor’s house to have someone to spend time with and the list can continue…

Well, that spirit of country visiting has never left me. Ever since I was little, I knew that the Nduruma family lived in the Rutana center. Nduruma’s wife, Mama Arlette as we call her, was the godmother of my sister Michele at her baptism. I would be lying if I said I remembered their faces, or even when I had last seen them. And yet, I had the feeling that I knew them very well because my mother spoke to us about them often.

Leaving the Rutana Pastoral Centre where we had spent the night, we went to visit Nduruma. All we knew was that they lived at the Rutana center. On the way we called Mama to give us the phone number of Mama Arlette, but there was no answer. Surprisingly, we had the confidence that everyone in Rutana knew Ndurumu. In my mind, he was like the guardian of Rutana, the one who saw the center being born, and growing up and the one who stays to grow old there even if all the others left. Indeed, the first random person we asked knew him and helped us by pointing us in the right direction.

It was a public holiday to celebrate the 1st of May which fell on a Sunday. Ndurumu was at home with one of his sons but Mama Arlette had gone to church. Michele was so much further ahead that I didn’t see if he recognized her on the spot or if she had to introduce herself. I admit that it was like the very first time I saw him: smiling, he invited us to take a seat on the terrace. I’m not sure if the children understood why there was so much emotion in this visit, but one thing is for sure, they felt good. Jessica and William were enjoying the oranges that had been given to her while Nelson was walking back and forth from the yard to the terrace. In the meantime, Mama Arlette was on her way from church, she had already received the photos of her visitors by phone. I didn’t remember her either: tall, beautiful and smiling, we hugged as if we had known each other forever.

There is a saying in Burundi that the woman is the pillar of the family. When Maman Arlette arrived, the atmosphere changed completely. After chatting a little bit, we ended up in her beautiful and rich garden at the back of the courtyard discovering for the first time the “jacquier” tree which I had never seen nor heard of. As we were in a hurry to leave, we quickly took a look at the avocados, oranges, maracuja, lemons and guavas. By the time we said goodbye, we were surprised by the agility of Mama Arlette because the bags were full of fruit to take with us!

Back in Bujumbura, we were not going to miss visiting the famous source of the Nile which was on our way. However, when we left Ndurumu’s house, we couldn’t go ahead with the car because the Rutana community was on its way to the 1st of May celebration. We could identify the different groups by their uniforms or signs. Nothing has changed, we did the same thing when I was a schoolgirl. Each school with its own uniform, a few teachers on the side for supervision and sometimes a small group that will be performing at the stadium, whether it was a choreography or a sketch. Although we were a bit rushed, we enjoyed watching the crowd, which in turn enjoyed watching the “muzungu” (white) children which were Jessica, Vanessa, William and Nelson.

Source of the Nile is considered a tourist site. On arrival, we were met by Herman, the guide who told us with enthusiasm how the Rutovu Nile Spring is the most authentic of all the springs. It was discovered in 1938 by the German explorer Dr. Burkhart-Waldecker. It is known as the southernmost and highest spring of the Nile: 2050 meters. Not far from the spring, Dr. Waldescker erected a small pyramid on Mount Gikizi, alluding to the pyramids of Egypt where the Nile has significantly influenced the way of life of the civilizations that have settled on its banks throughout history.  Once on top of Gikizi, the view is breathtaking. This did not help us to concentrate on listening to our guide who continued to tell us stories about the Nile.

After a nice photo shoot next to the pyramid, we were at the end of our visit except that we were not going to pass by my grandmother’s house without stopping. Although I knew that apart from the 2 or 3 workers who were guarding the house there would be no one else there, I wanted to stop by. My feelings were mixed because I was not close enough to her. However, I had fond memories of her in the rare time that I visited her. She was the head of the house, working in the fields, looking after the cows in the evening when they came from the hill and cooking. The food she prepared for us tasted amazing, we loved eating at her house.

As we approached the house, we could see the two graves in the yard from a distance. Those of my grandmother and my grandfather. The place was very quiet and peaceful, the greenery of the grass and the fields set off the white color of the graves. Surprisingly, I was happy that I could pass by and see their final resting place as we say in our country.

Meanwhile, I could hear voices coming from the inner courtyard of the house. To my surprise, it was Bakana, my uncle who lives a few miles away and who had come with his wife to do some work in the fields. Thin, slim and smiling, he told us that he couldn’t stop thinking about us because he had heard that we were in Burundi. He told us that he would have liked to see us, but he didn’t know how. He was so excited to see Jessica, Vanessa, William and Nelson. They had fun running around the huge green yard. An old sportsman that he was, Bakana didn’t hesitate to give the girls a challenge saying that he was testing their athleticism. The girls loved their long jump proving to him that they were up to the task and that they were the best.

The surprise meeting seemed to be the only thing missing to end our trip on a high note. Everything was perfect, from the uncertainty of not finding Ndurumu in Rutana, to the excitement of visiting the “Source of the Nile” to the coincidence of finding my uncle at my grandmother’s house.