Wilderness Magashi Newsletter – August 2024

Large herds of elephants have started frequenting the Magashi Concession more than ever before, and our guests were spoiled with countless elephant sightings, some of extraordinarily big bulls with large tusks, others with tiny youngsters, playing and trumpeting out of pure joy as they splashed and played in the lakeshore waters. This is a great sign, and shows what really can be achieved due to tremendous conservation efforts – that indeed a change can be made.

Reaching the end of a long dry season – which in the tropics is not that long at all, to be honest – quite ironically means, that the lake levels are returning to normal, after the inundation and high water at the beginning of the dry season. The swamp and lake system of Akagera is basically a huge reservoir, soaking up and storing all the excess water from previous rainy seasons. By the time the last water arrives, we are usually already in the dry season but the lake and swamp water levels are still increasing. A couple of months later, by the end of the dry season, the water levels have then returned to their normal state. 

And when this time comes, we have a very special annual visitor: the African skimmer. These intra-African migratory birds move around by following the rise and fall of water levels all over sub-Saharan Africa, and they nest in colonies on big tropical lake and rivers. African skimmers are highly specialised feeders and have an extremely unique bill structure, with the top mandible shorter than the bottom one. This enables them to perform a technique known as `skimming’, where they fly in lines over calm waters, and dip their lower mandible in the water. When the mandible touches a fish, the skimmer snaps its mouth shut – and dinner is secured!

In August we also celebrated our Wilderness Heritage Day. This year at Magashi, our staff celebrated Eastern Rwandan traditions, showcasing the fullness of Rwandan culture. They proudly wore the traditional Inshabure cloth, a fabric known for its vibrant colors and designs symbolising the stylishness and pride of its wearer. The event also featured the practice of Kwitira, where milk is infused with a smoky flavour using a special species of grass, enhancing both taste and freshness of the milk. In addition, the staff engaged in traditional Kinyarwanda singing, a cultural expression that mixes rhythmic vocal patterns with poetic lyrics. It conveys stories of emotions and the wisdom of their families.