Residents of Nyamasheke district have attributed their failure to visit and enjoy the magnificence of their country to the prohibitive charges levied by the government, despite their close proximity to the Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Nyungwe National Park borders Nyamagabe district in Southern province, Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts in Western province, with various wildlife of flora and fauna including unique bird species that are not found elsewhere and plant species that are endemic to tropical mountain environments.
Nile River has its source in Nyungwe Forest National Park with a canopy walkway suspended in the air which is often visited by international tourists. Residents living in the park proximities say they have never seen such beauty of the park and receive no insights of what treasures there are, saying the high entry fees are such prohibitive.
“I have never visited the park but I always want to go there in. We would visit such natural beauties only if prices are cut down, “said Murenzi Jean Damascene,one of the residents near the Nyungwe ForestNational Park.
“No one has ever approached us to inform us about the cost of visiting the park,” said another resident, Mpakaniye Fabien.
The leader of Nyungwe Forest National park, Rugerinyange Louis says that most of visitors of the park are foreigners adding that the number of Rwandans visiting the park is increasing since they started mobilizing citizens.
Rugerinyange added that a mobilization is going to be intensified among the citizens living near the park.
During a tour conducted by senatorial commission on economic development
held on Wednesday April 20th, 2016, visiting touristic sites ,they expressed worry that Rwandans have not yet embraced the culture of visiting natural beauty of their own country and encouraged Rwandans to visit touristic sites and urged hotels owners to reduce accommodation prices.
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