Did you know Rwanda is one of the most thrilling adventure countries in the world? We know that all the adventurers, explorers and travelers reading this will be interested to know the extremely amazing Tourist Attractions in Rwanda that can trigger their minds to thinking about their next adventure here in Rwanda. Rwanda is a patchwork quilt of many different landscapes and uncounted hills thus its global known name “Land of a Thousand Hills”,land locked but beautiful and diverse with fascinating Cultures,unique history, Bio-Diversity, people, action – packed thrilling National Parks and superb attracting adventure sights that have been around since ancient times or the country’s founding, Discover various Tourist Attractions in Rwanda as the country is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in East Africa and Africa at large offering exotic combinations of so many natural wonders that will truly spoil you for choice!
The Tourist Attractions in Rwanda vary from intriguing Wildlif e, stunning scenery, colorful inhabitants, Hiking Volcanoes, Dark Tourism because of its past dark history, its calm and developing cities including Kigali the Cleanest City in Africa, beaches on its largest watershed Lake Kivu and many more that will help you decide which domestic destinations you should not miss out to visit. From the remarkable National parks to iconic Memorials/Museums representing peace and harmony from the country’s dark experience these now popular and highly marketed tourist attractions cannot be missed.
Volcanoes National Park
With just a 2 hour drive on road from Kigali is Volcanoes National Park Located in northwestern Rwanda bordering Virunga National park in DR. Congo and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, this park is part of the Virunga Mountain Range and home to the World’s Endangered Mountain Gorillas, 5 of the 8 beautiful Virunga Volcanoes, the rareGolden monkeys, numerous Bird species, and having a historic connection to the American primatologist Diane Fossey who grave yard is in between Mount Karisimbi & Mount Bisoke at her originally established Karisoke Research Center where she could do her Gorilla studies from. Without any doubt the number one thing you can enjoy in this National Park is Gorilla Trekking as there are twelve habituated Mountain Gorilla Groups that tourists encounter with. Apart from visiting the Gorillas, there are Volcano Hikes, Diane Fossey Tomb Hike, Bird Watching, Golden Monkey Trekking and other after trekking activities such as Cave Exploration specifically the Musanze Caves, Cultural encounters around the park like visiting the Ibyi’wacu Cultural Village, visiting Lake Kivu for a Boat Ride/Canoe Ride, Musanze City Tourand many other thrilling activities of your interests.
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the largest lakes in Africa and the biggest watershed in Rwanda surrounded by different resort towns with treasured beaches specifically Gisenyi and Kibuye. These resort towns have plentiful guesthouses/hotels, restaurants, and waterside sandy spacious grounds for visitors who wish to have a little rest and relaxation. Whether your pleasure is found in sunbathing in the sand or getting wet and wild swimming in the water, visiting different islands on the lake in a Boat or Canoe, undertaking water sport activities like Kayaking - Lake Kivu is a perfect place in Rwanda to unwind.
Hiking some of the steep hills as you interact with the local community, Picnicking, Coffee & Tea Plantation Tours and Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail are just a few of the other activities available when paying a visit to Rwanda’s Lake Kivu.
Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the major Tourist Attractions in Rwanda. Hidden in its remoteness in southwestern Rwanda at the border of Burundi to the south and Lake Kivu & DR. Congo to the west, Nyungwe National Park is one of the largely preserved and oldest fairly untouched mountain rainforest, It’s vast area of mountain rainforest is home to many primate species of Chimpanzees, Owl-Faced and Colobus Monkeys,hundreds of Bird species, some mammals, numerous hiking trails for nature lovers, beautiful Waterfalls and an extra ordinary Canopy Walk way not found in any of the national parks in Rwanda plus various Tea plantations located outside the park gates that surround thus adding to its spectacular arrays of bio – diversity. Hanging out from this National Park while undertaking among the many activities offered there will not only give you incredible joy and fun but will leave you with total satisfaction for adventure and nature plus your mind filled with great memories.
Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds
A place of remembrance and learning! This Genocide Memorial site is located in Kigali city the capital of Rwanda in Gisozi just ten minutes’ drive from the center of the town, Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds commemorates and acts as the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi. The museum features exhibitions with archives of video testimonies from Genocide survivors and rescuers, perpetrator testimonies from court proceedings, footage from annual remembrance ceremonies (Kwibuka), archival photographs for the fallen victims hanged on walls, colonial documents, identification records, maps, foreign serials and propaganda publications and you can visit the Museum for educative, personal and research purposes to know detailed information about this horrific incident through events and historical implications of the Genocide.
Akagera National Park
Located in Eastern Rwanda hugging the border with Tanzania (another country well worth a visit), is Akagera National Park, a hidden game park characterized by woodland, swamps, low mountains and savannah that is the only home to the Big 5 Animals in Rwanda namely Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Buffalo and Eastern Black Rhinoceros. Akagera National Park also offers visitors Wildlife viewing opportunities second to none through Game Drives in its varied terrains far in its wilderness spotting numerous Wildlife such as the common Antelope species, Zebras, Giraffes, Hippos, some primates, different bird species and many more. Wildlife enthusiasts may enjoy the vast expanses of native plants and native animals during guided walks & drives, self-guided drives, or opt for a thrilling viewing experience by a boat cruise along Lake Ihema where you can watch as many Hippos and Crocodiles.
King’s Palace Museum
A visit to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda wouldn’t be complete without visiting one of the country’s museums the King’s palace Museum as the museum is strategically located in Nyanza Town along the road to Nyungwe National Park just two hours’ drive from Kigali city. Aside from discovering memorial sites in Kigali and outside the city areas, a visit to this museum is an interesting Tourist Attraction in Rwanda that will give you an insight into the deep culture and colonial & traditional rulership of kings of Rwanda starting from showcases such as the star attraction at the Museum which is the Inyambo (sacred cows) and their staggeringly large curved horns, the replica of a King’s Palace from the 15th century with a thatched roof, royal hut, and fresh milk hut, locally made beer hut traditionally run by an unmarried virgin girl and boy respectively, the colonial-style home that was once the royal residence of King Mutara III Rudahigwa in the mid-20th century featuring portraits of the different reigning kings and queens plus the interior design which is particularly striking, blending Rwandan patterns with European-style furniture (some of which was actually owned by the king). Your visit will be spiced up with traditional performances of traditional singers lulling the Inyambo Cows into a mellow state through poems - a ritual that’s unique to the country of Rwanda alone.
Ethnographic Museum
The Ethnographic Museum formerly known as the National Museum of Rwanda is located in Butare (Huye Town) was built with help of the Belgian Government in 1989 and it is a good source of information on the cultural history of the country and the region. The museum is one of the eight museums that make up the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda that houses one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections. It has seven galleries that display historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artifacts accompanied by visual aids, giving visitors a rich insight into the culture of Rwandans. Your enroute visit to this museum as your heading to or from Nyungwe National Park will be a wonderful spice to your safari.
Kigali City
Kigali City is well known as the Cleanest City in Africa and has thus quickly transformed into a vibrant and exciting city with a mix of both tradition and modernity offering a lot of markets to visit, Art Galleries, Museums and Memorial centers, night meander fascinating places to keep you out of your hotel room boredom before or after your safari. Explore this exciting but yet calm city as you take off some few days around to indulge into the vibrant cultures, cuisines and fascinating sceneries that Rwanda’s Capital City has to offer. A tour aroung Kigali City is a great way to explore Tourist Attractions in Rwanda.
Check out tailor made fabrics from swirling patterned textiles and experience the energetic atmosphere as you interact with local vendors about how they go about their daily business as well undertake the bargaining power tactics used to win your favorite price for all your shopping items at Kimironko Market the largest market place with anything you may need around its every corner**.** There are many art craft shops if you are interested in artifacts such as Inema Arts Center, Rwanda Art Museum at the former Presidential Palace to get creative scenes of local arts made by the local artists and as well get to see the remains of debris from the presidential aircraft that crashed in 1994 at the former Presidential palace. Despite the fact that Kigali is a small city it has a lot to offer including its beautiful green sceneries that you can be able to get from a simple one hour hike to Mount Kigali at its top in order to get the whole of Kigali scenic views and also from your hike meander around Nyamirambo or visit Nyamirambo Women’s Center for an insight into the traditional view of Rwandans with unique tastes and preferences. Check out some of the museums such as the Campaign against Genocide Museum, know how Rwanda has been able to overcome its dark past, Camp Kigali Memorial where 10 Belgian soldiers were killed from, Kandt House Museum and the most common Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds. Also When you’re ready to refuel, savor an authentic Rwandan cup of Coffee, Rwanda has various majestic and beautiful hotels i.e Radisson Blue hotel and many more.
Buhanga Eco Park
Just a short drive from Volcanoes National Park, is a hidden treasure packed with a great deal of biological and cultural significance. The park consists of ancient sacred sites that was used for coronation rituals of Rwandan Kings. Buhanga Eco Park features unique attractions with history about the king’s in Rwanda such as the Small Ditch surrounded by lava stone and flowery thicket, where king’s helpers (Abiru) would pick herbs for the king to shower as part of Coronation, a Dark Cave surrounded by huge boulders where the king was wheeled in a Royal traditional Carriage straight from his palace with no stopovers till he takes a bath with the herbs and spring-water mixture, a Conference Podium Comprised of hard, well cut lava rocks and chairs on the edge where the king would be carried to after bathing to receive kingship instruments, blessings and protection from gods. Also as you walk through you will be able to see a Small Spring containing dark water, this is where the King’s bathwater was collected as well as get to see and hear the myth about the Three in One Tree and Curse Tree with exciting histories about them.Your visit to this park will be spiced up by the amazingtrails made entirely from cut lava stones, tall majestic trees, numerous plants species, beautiful & colorful butterflies plus various bird species singing with sweet melodies in the air.
Twin Lakes
Lake Burera andLake Ruhondo are theTwin Lakes in Rwanda located within Musanze district at the base of the Mount Muhabura a walk away from the Volcanoes National Park that lay at a surface area of 2800 hectares and were formed as a result of a Volcanic Eruption with its glaciers layers blocking River Nyabarongo that was flowing towards Northern Rwanda. The two lakes offer tourists a beautiful view of landscape, Wetland habitat, and Water birds, Virunga Volcanoes, local communities and magnificent attractions in the neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can enjoy a Boat Ride on the fresh waters of Rwanda Twin Lakes or a Canoe Ride rewarding you with a breath of fresh air spectacular views of the green vegetation and some little birds of the water shores with no worries of dangerous water animals like crocodiles as the waters are free thus assurance for your safety.
Ibyi’wacu Cultural Village
The Ibyi’wacu Cultural village is one of the great Tourist Attractions in Rwanda located around Volcanoes National Park in Nyabigoma, Kinigi, Musanze district, offering a pure Rwandan cultural tour by ex-poachers who are now conservationists for Wildlife in this park, A visit to this Cultural Village which is now called Gorilla Guardians Village gives you a rare opportunity to interact with the local people in their Environment to share a taste of Rwandan culture, beliefs and traditions, heritage experiences including traditional lifestyles, activities, artifacts and the unique traditional ways of living of Rwandan local people. Your visit will not only be a showcase but enjoyable moments with lots of traditional songs and dance performances that you can as well engage in for full satisfaction and fun.
Congo Nile Trail
For cycling and hiking lovers, the Congo Nile Trail is a long 227 kilometers hiking trail around Lake Kivu that lushes you to beautiful sceneries of landscapes, rolling hills, tea and coffee plantations, getting to indulge into the deep encounters with the local communities, having the stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes as well as lakeside towns and an opportunity to forget about usual life and just explore as much as your own self limits.
Nyamata and Ntarama Memorial Sites
Located in Bugesera region approximately 35km from Kigali City about an hour’s drive south of Kigali are these two memorial sites among Rwanda’s six National Genocide Memorial Sites which were former churches and are believed to have been the very first places where the horrific incidences of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide started from. Mass graves are situated behind this former church at Nyamata Parish, containing 45,308 genocide victims. The number of victims includes those who were killed inside the church, as well as others who were exhumed from surrounding areas, also at Ntarama Memorial Site, human remains, clothing, and artifacts belonging to over 5,000 people who lost their lives and were killed at the church remain on display at all times.
For those interested in dark tourism here is your place to get a deeper insight about Rwanda past dark experience.
Coffee & Tea Plantations
Rwanda all over the globe is as well known by its best quality Tea and finest Coffee making the country’s Tea recognized as its number one export and its Coffee a winning international competitions as well thus it has numerous Tea and Coffee Plantations all over the country parts especially in the North and Western provinces and in the ends of Nyungwe National Park various Tea plantations surround the park on large acres of rolling slopes. Tourists undertake these plantation tours after or before their park activities which usually makes their safaris a real adventure in Rwanda. The list can be endless when it comes to adventure and exploration in Rwanda as the country is diverse and rich in attractions thus you can reach to us at Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris for more information and more interesting discoveries can make your travel to Rwanda a real natural wonder.