Vibrant Holiday Safaris takes you through the main tourist attractions in Rwanda. Rwanda is one of the smallest landlocked countries in East Africa with an area coverage of about 26,338sqkm sharing the border with Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania.
Rwanda is blessed with beautiful rolling hills, volcanoes, mountain gorillas, and beautiful people with a very sad history with the genocide in 1994 after the genocide, the current government under President Kagame embarked on the journey of healing the people by teaching them how to reconcile and bringing people back together in order to make the country one.
Rwanda has become an exemplary country to other African countries in how to organize the people, reduce corruption, and set better systems for people to use the few resources.
The best and greatest achievement is seen in the Tourism industry where Rwanda has been able to advertise the country’s tourism sector with the Arsenal Football Club which has greatly improved the Tourism industry.
Rwanda’s government has developed roads, and hotels to promote tourism by making them of a high standard when the tourists come to the national parks which are managed by the Rwanda Development Board. Rwanda has a lot of developments and tourist attractions that the tourists desire to participate in as below.
GORILLA TREKKING IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
There are three countries where you can find mountain gorillas which are Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda herself.
Volcanoes national park is located in the volcanic mountains and is home to the remaining gorillas in the world making the park the most visited with over 1,000 international tourists each year to view the mountain gorillas along with other activities. Volcanoes national park has about 10 habituated gorilla groups and only 8 people are allowed to trek the gorillas on a daily basis so when you would want to do gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you have to purchase your permit in advance.
The gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes national park starts with a briefing at 7 am from the park offices in Kinigi and that is where you will be taken to the trail where you will track one of the gorilla families and the permit for trekking the human-like animals costs USD $1500 per person.
CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK
Nyungwe forest national park is the second visited national park in Rwanda harboring 13 species of primates in the south Western part of Rwanda the primates include Chimpanzees, golden monkeys, and the Angola Colobus.
Nyungwe forest national park has 15 trails that you can choose from during a nature walk but those not interested in nature walks can go for Chimpanzee trekking or the canopy walk which is the greatest activity in East Africa. When carrying out the different activities, you will have the chance to do bird watching of about 310 bird species,13 primate species,120 butterflies,120 plant species 32 amphibian species, and 38 reptiles.
The canopy walk was introduced in Nyungwe forest in 2010 in Rwanda which is 50 meters high with a view of the forest and the creatures that are there since the tourist move from one height to another.
GOLDEN MONKEY TREKKING
Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda is among the most memorable top tourism activities during your Rwanda Safari. These golden monkeys are mostly in the Virunga ranges of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The golden monkeys are endangered since they are highly protected although they are prey to the eagles and humans are also their greatest threat. The tourists love golden monkeys of their playful moments and trekking always starts with a briefing at 7:30 am at the headquarters when you are heading to the golden trekking trails the trekking is less tiring since they don’t move very far from the forest and the permits cost $100 in Rwanda.
VISITING THE TOMB OF DIAN FOSSEY
Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups after receiving funding from National Geographic from 1966 until her murder in 1985. She studied many things about mountain gorillas and how to habituate them but before her doing the findings, we wouldn’t know how to do all that. Dian Fossy did her research and finding in order to protect the primates from poaching both in Congo and Rwanda. She was murdered by her haters at her camp at Mount Karisimbi where she was found dead in her room in 1985.
The activity of visiting tomb of Dian Fossey can be visited after doing Gorilla trekking which is at the slopes of two volcanoes that is Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke getting to the tomb needs one to be physically fit since it needs hiking which costs USD$80 per person. During the hike, you can get a chance of viewing the gorillas without an extra cost, and after visiting her tomb and the former Karisoke Center where you can also visit the new Karisoke Research Center found in the town of Musanze.
BIRDWATCHING EXPERIENCE
Rwanda is blessed with over 640 species of which 30 are endemic to the country. Bird watching can be done in all three national parks of Akagera National park, Nyungwe National park and Volcanoes National park, Lake Kivu, and other birding spots with suburbs in Kigali and the various smaller waterbodies, wetlands/swamps, marshlands, and agricultural plantations. During the bird-watching activity, you have to look out for the endemic to the Albertine Rift and the Virunga ranges and you can have a chance of viewing the shoebill stork in the wetlands and marshes of Akagera.
WILDLIFE SAFARIS IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK
Rwanda is also an excellent place for savannah wildlife safaris with game drives and standard wildlife safaris and these can be done at the Akagera which is the only savannah park covering an area of 1,085 sqkm which was established in1934 but the park lost a significant number of wildlife due to the 1994 genocide where many people escaped for safety in the neighboring countries. After the genocide, the citizens who came back had to encroach on the parks which lead to top the poaching of animals.
But when the African Parks Network started managing the park with the government, there was an increase in wildlife species, and some were re-introduced in the park.
Akagera national park is composed of swamps, savannah plains, woodlands, lakes, rivers, and terraced hills and it is home to the big five animals lions, Rhinos, Elephants, Buffaloes, and Leopards hence the tourists have the chance to experience wildlife safaris in Rwanda while including other activities like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, cultural encounters, and mountain climbing.
Akagera is home to Olive baboons, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, hyenas, leopards, and hippos among others. Akagera is excellent for birding, nature walks, and Sport fishing in Lake Shakani and there is an afternoon boat cruise along Lake Ihema which has rewarded tourists with beautiful scenery, aquatic birds, crocodiles, hippos, and antelopes drinking by the shores of the lake.
VISIT COFFEE AND TEA PLANTATIONS
Rwanda is a well-known country for exporting tea and coffee in Africa Rwanda’s tea is the leading export and the quality of the coffee has won the country many awards. The fertile volcanic soils, high altitude, and good weather in the country which has aided coffee and tea farming in Rwanda. Coffee and Tea plantation tours are organized for tourists who are interested in learning about the growth and procession of the two cash crops on how they are picked, selected, washed, dried, and turn them into final products ready for consumption. The tour will always end with a tasting of locally made coffee.
MUSANZE CAVES
The Musanze caves are a popular attraction for those interested in geology and these caves are found in the Musanze district outside the Volcanoes national park. The caves were opened to tourism in 2013 after the rehabilitation which involved building the staircases and the paved trails these caves are about 2 kilometers long and were formed from the lava flow which happened 60 million years ago during the East African Rift Valley formation. The caves have 32 entrances with the main entrance about 10 kilometers wide. The bat-filled caves were once the hiding place for the Batwa people during the Bantu invasion.
HIKING MOUNT KARISIMBI
Mount Karisimbi is the tallest mountain in Africa which is over 4,500 meters high and found in Volcanoes National Park. Mount Karisimbi is one of the 8 volcanoes within the wider Virunga ranges of mountains in Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Hiking Mount Karisimbi takes two days though hiking is a bit challenging, you will be rewarded with the beautiful view of the Virunga ranges, the lava-spewing Nyiragongo volcano, and the national parks in Uganda and Congo. Hiking to the mountain is always combined with the two best activities of gorilla and golden monkey trekking in the Volcanoes national park.
CLIMBING MOUNT BISOKE
Mount Bisoke is one of the easier volcanoes to climb rising at the range of 3,711 meters high and it takes only one to hike to the summits and hike back with the great opportunity of viewing the giant crater, Virunga volcanoes, and the Volcanoes National park and during the hike you might be lucky to encounter the gorilla and the golden monkeys on the trees at the slopes of the mountain.
THE CONGO TRAIL
The Congo trail is one of the added tourist destinations by the government of Rwanda and the 140 miles can be traversed by a motorcycle, bike or one can even move through the trail on foot it is one of the best biking trails in East Africa with the rewards of viewing the rolling hills, tea plantations, rural villages, lake Kivu and the Nyungwe National Park.
During the trail biking, you will also see how the locals go ahead with their daily activities tourists can also spend nights at the place since there are accommodation facilities that range from campsites to hotels, and tourists can have their tents set up near the churches or schools. A bike can be hired or tourists can come on their own for the wonderful activity.
THE RELAXATION ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE KIVU
Lake Kivu is the largest lake in Rwanda and the 6th largest in Africa with over 2,700sqkm that spreads a long way to the Democratic Republic of Congo where tourists can carry out different activities like bird watching, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, water skiing, windsurfing, paddle boarding with the beautiful shorelines, resorts, and Islands where the tourists can relax after their activities.
The best part of the lake is that there are no hippos and crocodiles in the water so most of the water sports can be done there.
LAKE BURERA AND RUHONDO
These twin lakes are found in the volcanoes National park where tourists can visit the lakes either in the afternoon /evening hours after the activities are done in the park since the lush landscape is home to beautiful birds with activities of a nature walk, birding, canoeing, camping and also visiting the local people who will narrate for all the necessary information concerning the fishing activity.
IBYWACU CULTURAL VILLAGE
This is always the best cultural tour in the Gorilla Guardians village which showcases the great Kinyarwanda culture which has provided employment to the ex-poachers. The locals do take the visitors around the cultural center while providing them with the best history of the center before performing the best cultural dances, preparing the kinyarwanda local food, and hunting skills of the Batwa during the tour you will have the chance of acting like the cultural leader of the clan by dressing up in the traditional attire.
Vibrant Holiday Safaris is certified to offer the best safari experience in the best destinations.