Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda, Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda’s stunning scenery and warm, friendly people offer unique experiences in one of the most remarkable countries in the world. It is blessed with extraordinary biodiversity, with incredible wildlife living throughout its volcanoes, montane rainforest and sweeping plains.

Travellers come from everywhere to catch a glimpse of the magnificent gorillas, yet there is so much more to see and experience. For most people, Rwanda is infamous for its tragic social collapse of the 1994 genocide. But while this tragic epoch is a big part of the country’s modern history, Rwanda has evolved into a united, proud and optimistic nation. Visiting Rwanda will leave you with an overwhelming sense of admiration for its people’s hope and determination, and the remarkable way the country has unified.

Today, Rwanda has one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. It has more women in government than any other country in the world, and is one of the cleanest, friendliest and safest places you can visit in Africa. Rwanda boasts a well-organised tourism infrastructure with good roads and high-end accommodation, as well as advanced conservation initiatives

If you are thinking about visiting Rwanda for the first time, you’ve come to the right place. Based on our first-hand knowledge of travelling in Rwanda and tailor-making trips for thousands of travellers to the country since 1998, we’ve compiled this handy Rwanda travel guide.

Where is Rwanda?

The Republic of Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa’s Great Rift Valley, where Africa’s Great Lakes region intersects with Southeast Africa. Bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda’s geography is dominated by mountains, savanna and numerous lakes. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda’s quilt-like topography and highly elevated position have given it the nickname, ‘land of a thousand hills’

Why Go to Rwanda

The country’s greatest tourist attraction – and arguably the most compelling wildlife encounter on Earth – is Gorilla Tracking in montane rainforests. These close encounters with small families of the world’s last surviving mountain gorillas leave lasting impressions on every visitor to Volcanoes National Park There are only about 900 mountain gorillas left on Earth and trekking into their native forests is the only way to see these critically endangered animals, as they cannot survive in captivity.

Rwanda delivers Africa’s most accessible gorilla trekking experiences – Volcanoes National Park lies only 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Kigali International Airport. If you are visiting Rwanda and have limited time, then this where to see Gorilla in Africa. You can simply land in Kigali, be driven to your lodge, trek the next day and leave for the airport the following morning, making it possible to wrap up your gorilla trekking trip in five days or less.  Volcanoes is a well-protected and monitored reserve chock-full of monkeys (including the rare golden monkey) and forest birds. When visiting Rwanda, a percentage of your travel spend goes to community projects around the park, reinforcing the positive impact of gorilla trekking in Volcanoes and making conservation of these great apes meaningful to rural communities in a very practical way.

Chimp and primate treks in Rwanda

Although gorilla trekking is one of the biggest Rwanda tourist attractions, there are plenty of other primate trekking experiences to enjoy when visiting Rwanda. Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to thirteen different primate species (about a quarter of all Africa’s primates), including chimpanzees and Rwenzori colobus monkeys.

Located in the southwest corner of Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest National Park is an expansive and untouched tropical rainforest with a tall, thick canopy. Spreading over 1,000 square kilometres (385 square miles), Nyungwe Forest harbours the biggest area of remaining montane forest in East or Central Africa. It’s home to about 310 bird species, over 75 different species of mammals, and hundreds of butterflies and orchids. Nyungwe’s misty hills echo with the calls of chimpanzees and birdsong, a place of spectacular biodiversity and the quintessential tropical rainforest.

Wildlife Safari in Rwanda

The country may not always be an obvious choice for a ‘classic’ safari but if you are visiting Rwanda for gorilla trekking, then augmenting your trip with a Safari in Akagera National Park is well worth considering. With its savannah plains, lakes, papyrus swamps, rolling hills and gaping valleys, Akagera is scenically one of the prettiest parks in Africa.

Akagera is home to the biggest protected wetlands in Central Africa and about 8,000 animals. In 2015, lions were released in Akagera National Park, followed by Eastern black rhinos two years later. These successful reintroduction programmes made Akagera a celebrated Big 5 safari destination for the first time in almost 20 years. Today, Akagera managed in partnership with African Parks, a non-governmental conservation organisation, which has made a very positive impact on life in this beautiful safari park.

Kigali City.

Rwanda is a frontrunner in creating a single-use plastic-free Africa. A shining star on the continent, the country instituted a national ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2008. Rwanda also introduced a universal service called Umuganda, a community clean-up project on the last Saturday morning of each month when citizens get together to help keep the streets clean, tend to gardens and assist their neighbours.

When visiting Rwanda, you’ll most likely need to spend a night or two in its modern and spotlessly clean capital, Kigali. It’s a beautiful city that sprawls across countless hills, ridges and valleys, with a vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene. There are also numerous shopping malls in the city centre, featuring some chic boutiques and quaint coffee shops. And if you’re looking for something more authentic during your Vacation In Rwanda , then head to one of Kigali’s many lively and genial markets.

The city’s State House Museum and the Natural History Museum are both worth a visit if you are staying in Kigali. But perhaps one of the best-known Rwanda landmarks is the soul-stirring Kigali Genocide Memorial. This insightful monument presents the history preceding the genocide in the country, helps to give context to the origins of the genocide, and recognises just how far Rwanda has moved on in the intervening years.