Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda
Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda is a hidden treasure of forests and natural ecosystem full of myth, located just a few kilometers from Volcanoes National Park in Musanze district which is known for most adventure activities in Rwanda. The park covers a small forest zone that sits on about 31 hectares of land area, it is considered a sacred place because of its biological and cultural significance.
Back in the day during the monarchy system of Kings Leadership in Rwanda, Buhanga Eco Park was home to the first King Gahinga who is believed to be the first reigning king and founder of the kingdom in the country, after his reign followed other kings and during the reign of King Yuhi V Musinga it is believed that his leadership has deep roots in Nyanza which is now established as the High place for the royal Kingdom.
However Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda still remained an important place where all kings including those whose residences are in Nyanza were enthroned from the first King Gahinga’s royal court and thus the park consists of many sacred sites that were so vital for rituals performed in the royal coronation ceremonies of Kings.
Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda is an interesting adventure site to visit for great and mystical moments of nature walks, hiking experiences, bird watching and mostly having a chance to visit and see the sacred places and get a deeper insight about the cultural and mysterious traditions of Rwandan kings in the pre-colonial century.
Upon your visit to Buhanga Eco Park, with an experienced park guide, you will start off your nature walk through rugged trails that are forged with cut lava stones strolling through crawling plants, sprawling trees and shrubs, breathing to the smell of decaying leaves as you listen to the soft rhythms of singing birds and crickets, and you will be able to encounter a small ditch surrounded by flowery thickets and small lava stones. This is where the king’s assistants known as “Abiru” would pick herbs that would be added to spring water to make a ritual bath for the king on his coronation day.
You will be able to also visit the dark cave which is surrounded by huge boulders and this is where the king would be wheeled in, in a royal carriage straight from the palace for a fortune-giving ritual bath. You will also see the conference podium which was made out of hard cut lava rocks with stairs on the edge, and here is where the King after his ritual bath, would be carried to in order to receive the weapons of power, blessings and protection from the gods and then be declared as the newly crowned king (Umwami) of Rwanda.
As you walk through this sacred small forest, you will also be guided to a mysterious and popular three-in- one tree that has lived for 3000 years. The three tree species are intertwined to form one symbolic tree which used to reflect the unity of three ethnic groups that were in Rwanda. There are also many other varieties of different tree species in Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda, with Latin and Greek names and other specific tree species have Rwandan names such as Igihondohondo, Umusando and Ibiganiro. Another flourishing and giant tree specie that can be found here, is the Umuvumu tree which is said to have joined its branches again and came back to life after a group of men had cut it down for firewood and the men ended up dead.
Despite the Park’s small size, a visit to this Buhanga Eco Park in Rwanda is rewarding and worthwhile. You will be able to sight a number of numerous bird species, beautiful flowers, different tree species and being just near Volcanoes National Park, you can combine this adventure with Gorilla Trekking Safaris, Golden Monkey Trekking or Volcanoes hiking activities and later a visit to Lake Kivu or the Twin lakes for the most remarkable Rwanda discovery.
