Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda (Kinyarwanda: Repubulika y’u Rwanda; French: République du Rwanda), is a sovereign state in central and east Africa. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of Rwanda is at high elevation, with a geography dominated by mountains in the west, savanna in the east, and numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons every year.
Rwanda is a small country located in Central Africa but officially part of the East African Community. Commonly known as the “The Land of Thousand Hills” Rwanda is an upcoming destination on the African continent. The country is popular for hosting a third of the total remaining population of the mountain gorillas in the world. Becoming a famous destination for mountain gorilla trekking, Rwanda is one of the 3 African countries that inhabit the critically endangered mountain gorillas (apes featured in the movie – “Gorillas in the Mist”) in Volcanoes National Park. It is only in this park together with Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, and the Virunga National Park in congo, where travelers can see the endangered mountain gorillas and there is no such specie in captivity.
Top Things to See in Rwanda
- The Endangered Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park
- The Golden Monkeys in Volcanoes National Park
- Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest
- Genocide Memorial Sites & Museums – Learn about the 1959 and 1994 Rwanda Genocides
Top Places to Visit
- Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda – Visit the mountain gorillas in the park
- Nyungwe Forest National Park
- Kigali Genocide Memorial site
- Iby’wachu Village
- Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site
Tourism in Rwanda
Rwanda is one of the top tourism gems in Africa as a millions of traveler flock to Kigali international airport to experience Rwanda’s natural beauties, culture and its cool climate. Rwanda is an eco tourism destination that preserves it natural wonderful features and culture for people from different walks of the world to experience it and appreciate it. Much of its safaris involve visiting wildlife parks to experience the different biodiversity in their natural settings and this makes the country the ideal place to visit for nature lovers and we bring the most popular Rwanda safaris a traveler would enjoy while in the country.
Rwanda has gorilla trekking safari which involves visiting volcanoes national park in Musanze district in the northeast of Rwanda to meet the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Mountain gorillas are endangered species of animals which are on the verge of getting extinct in the forthcoming years and luckily enough Rwanda is one of those few countries in the world where a traveler can see the mountain gorillas in the wild. These species of gorillas do not exist in any zoo around the world, they are only found in the wild and Rwanda is this eco country one has the opportunity to encounter these magnificent animals. Trying to detail gorilla trekking safari, it involves walking through the dense montane hilly forests of Rwandan volcanoes national park under the guidance of a gorilla patron. This tour activity is very challenging as trekkers hike for some kilometers to track the gorillas and it normally takes gorilla trekkers 2-6 hours to find the gorillas. on meeting the mountain gorillas, the trekkers hangout with them for one hour looking at them play, forage and also display their social intelligent characters while communicating and more so the trekkers take pictures of the gorillas. It is an exhilarating experience and many visitors have been left buzzing after meeting the gorillas in their wild.
There are also primate safaris up for grabs in Rwanda. These comprise of watching the common primates other than the gorillas in the wild. Rwanda has 13 different species of primates namely the chimpanzees, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus and grey cheeked mangabey to mention but the few. These primates are found in Nyungwe national park in the southwest of Rwanda adjoin the Burundi border. It is very interesting to watch these playful primates in particular the chimpanzees that are also intelligent animals with a 98.8% mankind DNA similarity. These are the most intelligent animals in the wild as they have the ability to use tools like stones and tree branches to gather food, build their nest and also protection. The primate safaris come close to gorilla safaris in terms of exciting tourists.
Rwanda also has wildlife safaris for travelers to take up. These involve encountering the common big mammals in the wild that is the zebras, giraffes, buffalos, antelopes, lions and wild pigs to mention but a few. These are found in Akagera national park located in the southwest of Rwanda. Many tourists embark on a game drive in search of these amazing animals in Akagera and have a good time. So never hesitate to come to Rwanda to see the big African mammals in the wild.
Also several travelers take up cultural safaris and these are commonly supplementary tours to the above mentioned to safaris in Rwanda. For instance a traveler many opt to go for a gorilla safari tour with an addition of experiencing the culture. Rwanda has very many historical and cultural attractions for its visitors like Iby’iwacu cultural village, genocide memorial, the market place, parliament, Nyamata worship place and the presidential palace these place give the historical and cultural insight of Rwanda before modernization.
The popular safaris in Rwanda are very exciting as they make a traveler discover, explore, enjoy and learn new natural features he/she never knew that still exist in this world of urbanization. Fortunately enough, these safaris can be taken up at ago as a traveler can visit the different places with different attractions on one safari trip.
