Once again, I have escaped to the green hills of Rulindo. Although this is a sightseeing tour, I am squeezing in a couple of meetings. After all, there is a thin line between business and leisure.
On my way to Rulindo, I dropped by Inganji Café to grab some refreshments and interact with a fellow adventure rider. The biker I met there is a girl. She was spinning her spokes to Karongi through the Kivu Belt highway. If you think that’s a long ride, I have news for you. Last year, she rode her bike from Nairobi to Kigali.
My next post will disclose details of my encounter with the aforementioned adventurer. Meanwhile, allow me to write something about my current location.
Rulindo is positioning itself as a sojourning place of choice for tourists traveling to the Volcanoes, Gishwati - Mukura and Nyungwe national parks, not to mention Lake Kivu and the twin sisters of Burera and Ruhondo.
Rulindo is strategically located. Investing in this Northern Province district pays dividends. The ever busy Nyirangarama Village is popular with travelers traversing the Kigali - Musanze highway. It is also common to see motorists stopping by Rusiga Highland Resort for breakfast or lunch. In addition, the establishment of Ikirenga Cultural Center has given us a good reason to incorporate Rulindo stopovers into our itineraries.
Tremendous progress has been made in agribusiness. SORWATHE Ltd owns 284 hectares of tea fields, while ASSOPTHE has 930 hectares. The latter is a Kinihira-based association that brings together more than 3,500 farmers. In Burega Sector, CAFERWA processes coffee grown by more than 2,000 farmers.
Apart from the two iconic cash crops, local farmers produce stevia, flowers and a wide range of spices. Being close to Kigali makes it easy for them to reach the bigger domestic and international markets.
In the mining sector, cassiterite, wolfram and other minerals are extracted in Masoro, Murambi, Shyorongi and Rusiga areas. Plans are underway to visit selected mining concessions and learn more. When that happens, you will be the first to know.
