Rwanda to introduce cable car to Karisimbi Volcano

Rwanda is planning to install a cable car system to facilitate hikes to Karisimbi Volcano, the highest mountain in the country and the fifth in Africa at 4,507 meters above sea level.

The ambitious cable car plan seeks to improve access and boost tourism in Musanze district, Northern Province, known for its volcanic mountain and endangered mountain gorillas.

"A hike to Karisimbi's summit is not an ordinary one. Someone needs relatively good health and stamina to hike through the slippery slopes to reach the summit which is white capped," Belize Kaliza, chief tourism officer at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), told reporters Thursday.

She noted that the government is in contract negotiations with an Italian firm to build the cable car system.

The Karisimbi cable car project, second on the continent after that in Cape Town, South Africa, will offer unique features such as crater surfing via zip lines, according to RDB.

The cable car project is expected to cost 38 million U.S. dollars.

Rwanda's tourism sector is one of the leading foreign exchange earners for the country.

RDB statistics indicate that in 2014 the country's tourism industry registered revenue receipts worth 304.9 million dollars. The country hosted a total of about 1.22 million visitors in the same year. Endit