Emma's Class Field Trip--Akagera National Park

Emma’s 5th grade class went on a field trip this past Thursday and Friday to Akagera National Park. Akagera is located in the eastern portion of Rwanda. It is home to an amazing variety of birds and some big game. Akagera suffered greatly during the genocide and the ensuing violence, so it hasn’t got the sheer volumes of wildlife that other parks in East Africa are noted for. It is also a victim of human encroachment as the population of Rwanda continues to rise and arable land becomes more and more scarce.

Reid volunteered to go along even though our little Toyota Rav 4 is not the most spacious vehicle around. It’s a good thing too since one of the parents backed out at the last minute. So, 13 kids and 4 chaperones crowded into 3 vehicles and made the three hour trek to Akagera with tents, sleeping bags and cooking gear shoved into every nook and cranny of each 4 X 4.

When the class arrived, it was pouring rain, but it subsided after a short while enabling everyone to make camp. Meanwhile back in Kigali, the moms were praying fervently hoping the kids weren’t being subjected to the torrential downpour complete with hail that was buffeting Kigali. Fortunately for the kids, they weren’t. Here, Annie, Gus and I spent an exciting evening running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room as we retrieved pot after pot to catch the leaks from the roof. By evening’s end we counted 10 pots positioned on or around the dining room table.
After a morning breakfast of Dutch pancakes provided by the father of one of the boys in the class who incidentally owns a completely outfitted LandRover Defender, the kids went on a game drive through the park. The kids spotted giraffes, zebra, wart hogs and some sort of gazelles. Emma indicated that while the quantity and variety of game couldn’t match our Namibia experience, it was really fun to go camping with the whole class as a field trip.

By the way, Reid returned really envious of Johan’s Rover and is even now making plans to get his hands on one and outfit it with all the accoutrements---awning, two roof-top tents, refrigerator, winch, spare fuel tanks, yada, yada, yada…..We haven’t heard the end of it since his return!

Pictured above are the kids on Johan’s Rover at the entrance to Akagera.