The source of the Nile is in Rwanda, in Nyungwe forest!

The longest river on our planet, the Nile, takes its source in Lake Victoria (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya), which is fed by a series of other rivers coming out of the other great African lakes. The journey to the origin of the World’s longest river has fascinated explorers for centuries. But could McGrigor, McLeay and MacIntyre succeed where Livingstone and Stanley failed?

The "Ascend the Nile" expedition , (one Englishman and two New-Zealanders) reached the source of another indirect tributary of the Kagera River, the Rukarara river, in the heart of Nyungwe Forest, in Rwanda, which would therefore be the real source of the Nile, thus increasing its (already impressive ) length of 661 km by another 107 km! McLeay, Wellingtonian Garth Macintyre and Briton Neil McGrigor claim to have found a new source of Nile after travelling more than 6700 km tracing the Nile from The Mediterranean.

 These explorers think they will have to prove that the Nile River source is from Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda

These explorers thought they would have to prove that the Nile is far, far long and much winding, than previously thought, and they would redrawn the map of Africa by collaborating with the Royal Geographical Society. These explorers traveled for 70 days in two phases: in November 2005, on Day 53, they were ambushed by Ugandan rebels who killed their driver and friend, Steve Willis, and left the rest of the party with serious injuries. Each of the explorers went home to recuperate; McGrigor to Hampshire, McLeay to Kampala (Uganda) and Maclntyre to Wellington and they resumed the expedition on March 3.

After winning the gorilla war, Rwanda eyes Source of the Nile. If there is anything that Levison Wood’s River Nile expedition has achieved so far, it is reigniting the debate about the true source of the Nile. Levison, a British adventurer, attempted to become the first man to walk the length of the Nile River from its source to Mediterranean Sea. He wanted to outdo the Ascend the Nile team, which accomplished the feat by using cars and boats in 2005 and 2006 by claiming to have found a true source of the Nile in Rwanda. One of its furthest tributaries is the Ruvyironza River, in, which flows into the Kagera River. The Kagera river runs for 690km, (partly through Rwanda), before reaching Lake Victoria. The true length of the Nile from Nyungwe to Alexandria is 6718km (4170 miles).

The source of Nile in Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda

The source of Nile is important feature in economy of some East African country’s economy not only in tourist sport, but by fetching these country billions of shillings annually, so by knowing the source of the Nile it will at least lead to bragging rights on who owns some of the most important tourist features in the region. 

The source of Nile has held mysteries for thousands of years, the Egyptians sent whole the armies to discover its source, but it was not until 1858 when Scottish explorer, John Hanning Speke, settled this debate after encountering a magnificent lake in the heart of East Africa where Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania meet, naming it Victoria, he proclaimed it to be the fabled source of the Nile at the point he named Rippon falls in Jinja town.

However, new age explorers say Speke was wrong, they claim Rwanda’s River Akagera is the largest feeder river to Lake Victoria. According to the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) website, the major supplier of Akagera River water is Ruvyironza River in Burundi. It therefore becomes intriguing that it is Rwanda, instead of Burundi, that is considered to have the true source of the Nile.

Strange giant lobelia can grow up to 6 feet tall, with a towering spike flower that demands attention!

Nyungwe forest, in the South-East of Rwanda, covers 1000 km² and is the biggest block of untouched Montane forest left in central and eastern Africa: it is also one of the oldest, as it dates back to before the last ice age. Its rich flora, with 200 different types of trees and numerous flower varieties, like the strange giant lobelia and many species of orchids make it well worth a visit. But the main attraction of Nyungwe is undoubtedly 13 species of primates, for instance chimpanzees, L'Hoest Monkeys and big groups of Angola Colobus. 

The Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis) : The Nyungwe Forest has a wide of diversity of animal species, making it a priority for conservation in Africa  

Nyungwe forest is also a birdwatcher's paradise with 300 bird species, some of which are exclusive to the montane forests of the Albertine rift. The Great Blue Turaco is certainly the most spectacular one! A network of marked paths to several waterfalls and through breathtaking scenery makes Nyungwe a really fascinating area for tropical forest walking. 

Nyungwe is only a few hours ‘drive from Kigali and about 30km from Cyangugu, on Lake Kivu.

Two New Zealand and a British explorers with the help of a GPS and Google map, were able to ascertain the distance between the Mediterranean Sea to the upper reaches the Rukara River deep in the Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda claiming to have discovered the real source of the world's largest river.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily of the scientific studies