Day 4 - Gisenyi and South to Kibuye (26/9)

The Rwandan countryside is gorgeously Africa-meets-Tuscany (look at those tumbling vistas and terracotta-tiled roofs)-meets-Switzerland (valleys and ravines and blue waters). Endless slopes on rounded hillsides, often with industrious women working the red soil, with patchworked green terraces, often resembling an amphitheatre or a layered petticoat.

Added to which, carefully segmented green-velvet tea plantations (and I can attest to the tastiness of Rwandan tea)

A silted red river runs thickly through the hills, and there are dips and ravines,

and waterfalls adorn the rocks

Presumably in anticipation of the approaching small rains, workers ballast the roads against landslides, expertly filling rocks into mesh cages to make lining walls

PS did I say "approaching small rains"? This was the view over Lake Kivu when we arrived at today's lovely hotel

but half an hour later the view had turned into this (we scarpered inside for our belated lunch)