"Gisenyi" a Prefegitura ya Gisenyi Travel Page by nsbm

gisenyi is located on the northern shore of lake kivu and walking distance from the frontier with DRC! The main town is uphill from the lake but your best bet is to stay on the lake shore road from where you can see the border and walk to the port. its great to spend a few days just kicking back and relaxing and maybe your only opprtunity to travel to Goma in the DRC.

The Imbabazi Orpahange run by American Rosemund Carr ws my main reason for coming to Gisenyi. Located just a few metres uphill from the lake shore some 150 children are seen to by the 95year old New Yorker who has lived here for the last 50years. Her initial homestead was located at .......which became dangerous after the Genocide forcing her to relocate with her kids. Today things have changed and in November she should be headed back to her flower farm with all her trustees. She knows each one by name and what they are doing. they stay with her till 16 and then move on to either teach at the school or even higher education. While there i spent a beautiful 4hours testing eyes and looking at the soccer team practice in their new unifrom donated along with 25footballs by Rosemunds friends who were passing thru. The whole set up is voluntary and with Mrs Carr's affable personality and good connections seems to be well outfitted. She has the vitality of a woman half her age and was a close colleague of dian Fossey. When in gisenyi just walk on up to the Orphanage and you would be welcomed...please do it makes the children's year.

The town of Goma devastated by lava flows is rebuilding at a fast pace. Just 500m from my hotel ist was a pleasnt stroll to the frontier. i did't venture across as you need a mulitiple entry visa to return to rwanda. Another reason was the current civil war in the DRC. UN soldiers take leave to Rwanda and it is quite like a movie seeing the troops inUN trucks offloading and crossing the security points, Good to get the arenaline going. In fact Goma from the shore looks pretty upmarket compared to the rwandan side...but rwanda rules!