Facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination
There are many facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination, the country of thousand hills as it is known. Located in the heart of Africa, Rwanda is a landlocked country with a surface of 26,338 square kilometers. Rwanda is also named the Switzerland of Africa due to numerous hills and valleys that makes its topographic good for viewing and relaxing. Rwanda is bordering Tanzania in the east, Uganda in the north, Burundi in the south as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo in Its western part.
If you are planning to visit Rwanda in the near future, let’s give you hints on facts about Rwanda as a tourism destination.
Rwanda has four National Parks that tourists visit and each has its uniqueness. Akagera National Park is the only savanna park in Rwanda known to host a number of animals and various bird species. The park accommodates the Big Five animals (elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, and buffalo) that are found roaming throughout the park’s wetlands, woodlands, and savannah, all set against a natural river border with Tanzania and dotted with a dozen lakes.
Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda covering 160 km² of rainforest. It is named after a chain of dormant volcanoes in which five of the eight volcanoes namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo are located in Rwanda. The Volcanoes National Park is home of the endangered gorillas that are said to be sharing 95 % of their DNA with humans. Among the facts About Rwanda as a tourist destination the unique opportunity to see gorillas in their natural habitat is unforgettable, some even say life changing.
Nyungwe National Park situated in the southern part of the Country on the border with Burundi, it is one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. The park feeds the two largest world’s rivers namely the Congo and Nile Rivers. Nyungwe National park accommodates around 1,068 recorded plant species, 322 bird species, 75 known mammal species and 13 different primate species. Tourists visiting the park are mainly in search of chimpanzees, waterfalls as well as the Canopy walk which is a 90 meters suspended bridge on top of the forest. The fourth National Park being Gishwati Mukura National Park made of two separate forests; Gishwati and Mukura. Gishwati is home to 2o chimpanzees and golden Monkeys. Around 400 bird species have been recorded in both Mukura and Gishwati forests.
Apart from National Parks, the facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination include museums and art galleries. These includes:
The King’s Palace museum in Nyanza which is a reconstruction of the traditional royal residence, the King’s Palace and at the back at the back live a few long-horned Inyambo cattle, descended from the king’s herd, whose keepers carefully tend and sing to them, keeping alive a unique tradition.
The ethnographic Museum in Huyewas gifted by the Belgian Government to display historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artefacts accompanied by visual aids, giving visitors a rich insight into Rwandan culture.
The Rwanda Art Museum, Formerly the Presidential Palace Museum, displays contemporary artworks from Rwanda as well as foreigners.
Richard Kandt House Museum. It is named after the first colonial governor of Rwanda, on behalf of Germany, until the early 1900s. His old house in Kigali is now a museum examining life in Rwanda before, during and after the colonial period. The Museum also has a zoo in which you can see crocodiles and snakes.
Among the Facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination we can’t leave its history. Rwanda is known to have had a genocide against Tutsi in which one million people were killed in only one hundred days. This marks the dark history of the Country. When visiting Rwanda, you will have a chance to visit the Kigali Genocide memorial and get to know what happened as well as the path to today’s Rwanda’s development.
Kigali city is ranked the cleanest and safe city in Africa, which makes it among the Facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination. A city tour around the city will help you to connect with different sites and suburbs in Kigali. You will also be able to attend local markets to buy souvenirs to take home.
this just to list a few of the Facts about Rwanda as a tourist destination, if you are planning to visit Rwanda you will be amazed with how the Country and its people offer the best of hospitality to tourists. You will be able to see with your own eyes how the country has emerged from a thousand problems and come up with a thousand solutions to make it a small paradise for visitors. To have a well-organized tour in Rwanda, reach out to Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris to make your visit a memorable one.
