GITEGA September 5th (ABP) – Travelers frequenting the site of Karera Falls, in the Mwishanga zone, Musongati commune of Rutana province (east of the country) have expressed the wish for effective development of that site to make it more attractive and to meet the needs of tourists.
The travelers in question confided those comments to a check by ABP, during an excursion carried out together, to the said site, with members of the Gym Tonic sports club called Harubuzima from Gitega (center of the country), Saturday, September 2, 2023.
Travelers of several nationalities mixed with the Burundian diaspora and people from different corners met there to contemplate the wonders of the site. These are made up in particular of five splendid waterfalls, lush flora whose trees are intertwined.
Tourists appreciated that nature, while identifying challenges that they would like tourism sector stakeholders to address. Among these challenges, they cited the defect of the earth road allowing access to the said site, the lack of orientation posts, the pitiful state of the toilets, the dilapidated tracks leading from a waterfall to another, the lack of places to refresh oneself (bar and restaurant), accommodation for those who would like to stay there as well as the lack of shelter in the event of rain.
The tourist guide, Mr. Jean Bosco Ndikuriyo, extended that list of challenges with the need for emergency medical kits, when visitors are stung by insects, bitten by snakes or quite simply, in the event of a sprain or fracture following hikes in the site or even in the event of discomfort of a visitor. Mr. Ndikuriyo also raised the need to set up an armed security post to protect tourists and their property against possible attackers. The need for tap shoes is also felt by travelers wishing to swim in waterfalls as well as the commitment of tourist guides fluent in French and English and Kiswahili to better communicate with travelers, he said.
There is no doubt that meeting those challenges will generate more public revenue, said Mr. Ndikuriyo, arguing that despite those challenges, the site commends approximately during the dry season, nearly five hundred visitors per day at weekends, at a rate of five thousand francs per visitor.