Ndaba Rock and Waterfalls

Also popular as Urutare rwa Ndaba, the Ndaba rocks form part of Rwanda’s remarkable cultural and historical sites and if you are a cultural enthusiast, they should be a must to explore.

This rock lies within Karongi district along Kigali or Kibuye and Gitarama route about 12 kilometers’ drive and 28 kilometers’ drive to Kibuye city center. This is about 2 hours’ drive from Kigali Airport.

 

This mystical historical site is one of the most explored tourist attractions not only for its beautiful outlook but for its legendary stories that are attached to it that are worth sharing while you are on safari in Rwanda.

The stories that surround this amazing historical and cultural site are more exciting and motivating than even its physical outlook. The legend has it that a man known as Ndaba stayed in this place which today is a modern location of the waterfalls. He went to harvest honey and hunt for bushmeat in the jungles together with his friends. While in the forest, there existed a specific rock with a huge amount of honey that attracted most people from in and around the forest.

As he (Ndaba) was walking with hopes that this was his fortunate day, he spotted a cracked rock which had big honeycombs, and yet this was something rare for him to see such a huge amount of honeycombs dripping. Since they were in a group, he called on his colleagues to come and see what this rock had and drew close to it even to investigate it deeply and only to find out that it was honeycombed.

At the time he reached the bottom part of the rock, he began filling his stomach with honey using all his hands. To his surprise, even the bees never worried him. His colleagues then reached when the greedy Ndaba had already reached the rock’s base area and they also tried lowering their pots such that he could fill them with honey and also with a view that Ndaba and his pot could fall down.

He forgot his colleagues and ate more than what he could put in the pot as it was agreed amongst themselves. The time came when it turned darker and his friend began impatiently and started calling for Ndaba to hurry up. But unfortunately, the greedy Ndaba never paid any attention. When he was done filling his stomach, he attempted climbing down but the walls of the rock were wet and very slippery and given that he was satisfied beyond, he failed climbing back.

A fact that he ate alone without his friends, they didn’t also show up to rescue him. At the end of it all, he fell down and passed on at the bottom of the rock which today is called Ndaba rock. This however tells us not to be very greedy. This rock also comprises of beautiful waterfalls that equally worth exploring while on safari.

This rock can be reached within two hours’ drive off from Kigali capital and can be visited while you are on your way to Karongi district a fact that it is situated along the way.