Top 10 Things to do in Rwanda
When it comes to travel and adventure, every tourist always has a bucket list of destination and exploration interests thus for tourists who choose Rwanda as one of their destination adventure places have an opportunity to choose from the Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda reason despite its small size Rwanda is strategically located in East Africa in the heart of Africa just beneath the equator with consistent humid temperatures thus has incredible treasure trove of biodiversity, mountains and thousands of hills dominate the center, West and North of the country while the East consists of Savannah, plains and swamps which offer varieties of beautiful attractions and fascinating activities that can be included on your Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda during your adventure safari. There are also various National Parks well protected and gazetted in Rwanda rich with diverse number of different amazing attractions and tremendous activities for the tourists ranging from the popular Gorilla Trekking, Golden Monkey Trekking, Chimpanzee Trekking, Birding, Wildlife Viewing(the Big 5 Mammals) among others that you shouldn’t miss on your adventure safari in Rwanda. Listed below are the Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda that will make your Rwanda safari one of its kind in a whole life time with unforgettable memories.
Encounter with Mountain Gorillas in Their Jungle.
The 400 Mountain Gorillas with 12 habituated Mountain Gorilla families open for tourists visitation that inhabit the forested jungles of Volcanoes National Park located in Northwestern Rwanda in the Virunga massives of the Virunga Volcanoes are part of the world’s Endangered great apes and are Rwanda’s main draw of tourists and the first priority on the Top 1O Things To Do in Rwanda that will give you the most magical,unique and life changing adventure experience as you visit these huge human like giant creatures in their natural habitat alive with the calls of numerous and colorful birds and the chattering of the rare Golden Monkeys. Gorilla Trekking typically starts from the park headquarters where you are briefed about the Gorilla Tracking rules and each trekker is allocated to one of the twelve habituated Mountain Gorilla groups in a number of eight (8) visitors that are allowed to trek a particular group per day thus later into the dense jungle vegetation up steep and often muddy slopes for tracking and this usually take one to eight hours sometimes more in search and another hour to spend observing these apes. (Gorilla Permit costs $1500 per person per trek). Gorilla Trekking should be your number one your number one on your Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda!!
Visit Genocide Memorial Sites
It is sad that Rwanda’s history includes the darkest past experience of the horrific 1994 Rwanda Genocide just a few decades ago that was organized by unworthy political leaders of that time and it involved the most brutal killing spree in the human history with over 250,000 victims over the course of approximately 100 days. However the country has come a long way putting in so much effort to overcome and heal from the devastating massacre, but the impact of this relatively recent history has left its mark on the lives of everyday people and generations to come and thus 8 main memorial sites have been built all over the country including the Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds that was built to commemorate and act as a final resting place for the over 250,000 victims of the Genocide, also contains testimonials and remains of these victims for remembrance and it also attributes to educate people on the atrocities to ensure that this never happens again by embracing peace and reconciliation through deeply being committed to eradicate ethnic, regional and any other forms of division and we have seen this work successful peace in the country . This museum consists of testimonials inform of halls of photographs of victims, artifacts and information that help tourists to learn about this horrific event.
Observe Chimpanzees in the Wild!
In Nyungwe National Park one of Africa’s largely preserved conservation area lieing deep in southwestern Rwanda within the Albertine Rift area inhabits a big population of approximately 500 Chimpanzees which most tourists have been attracted to on a daily basis filling up at the park headquarters in order to track these stubborn and mobile apes always constantly dashing around at high speeds through the flora, playing freely and wild as they jump from different tree branches to the others, hooting and clanging in their natural habitat thus always leaving tourists with excitement from an exhilarating experience upon encounter with them. Observing the Chimpanzees is most active in the mornings with expert trackers guiding you on a deep forest trail as you learn about these fascinating creatures and the enchanting forest they call home and this requires an early rise for maximum viewing opportunity.
However this National Park also contains a spectacular array of biodiversity which is astonishing compared to other African Game Parks with 1068 plant species, 13 primate species including the chimps, 85 mammal species, over 300 bird species 29 species of them being endemic to the Albertine Rift and 248 species of orchids that will all spice up your Chimpanzee trekking Tour hence giving you total satisfaction.
Game Drive for the Big 5 in Akagera N.P
Following years of recovery after the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Akagera National Park which is located in northeastern Rwanda along the country’s border with Tanzania is now a safe haven again and among Rwanda’s Top Tourist Destinations for Wildlife viewing most exclusively the Big 5 Mammals which are Elephants, Buffaloes, Eastern Black Rhinoceros, Leopards and the Lions plus other incredibly diverse Wildlife including a variety of bird species. Spending days in Akagera National Park on Game Viewing Drives through its large surface Savannah plains and quite wilderness leaves one with a unique feeling of being virtually on adventure home away from home __ a feeling difficult to come by in other popular safari parks in East Africa and Africa entirely.
Hike a Volcano!
The stunning Virunga Volcanic Mountains are the chain of 8 Volcanoes in East Africa shared by 3 countries Rwanda, Uganda and DRC and 5 out of these 8 Volcanoes are closely protected under Rwanda’s Parc National De Volcans (Volcanoes National Park). By just a short two hour drive from Kigali Rwanda’s capital is the home for the five majestic dormant Volcanoes in Volcanoes National Park covered in thick rainforests and bamboo where also the world’s Endangered Mountain Gorillas call home. From the past tourist experiences there are possibilities of hiking through these dramatic landscapes by climbing Mount Bisoke’s beautiful Crater Lake in just one day or undertake two days hike to the summit of Mount Karisimbi Rwanda’s highest peak mountain that will thrilling moments.
Diane Fossey Tomb Hike
Dian Fossey whose story is told in the movie ‘Gorillas in the Mist’was an American scientist, who came to Rwanda to study the Gorillas, She started a war against poaching to save these majestic Gorilla creatures from extinction but was eventually brutally murdered in her cabin, an event which shocked the world. Her grave is at Karisoke Research Base between many Gorillas graves a research center she established in Volcanoes National Park in the shuddle between Mount Bisoke and Karisimbi standing at an altitude of around 3000 meters above sea level. The hike to Diane Fossey’s grave yard is highly recommended among your Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda and this takes around 4 – 5 hours as you hike through the beautiful stretches of forest flora in the park.
Relax at Lake Kivu!
Lake Kivu is one of Africa’s great lakes and Rwanda’s largest water body lieing in the west of the country surrounded by magnificent mountains and has deep emerald green waters covering a surface area of 2700 km2. It is however surrounded by different waterfront towns namely Rubavu mostly known as Gisenyi a resort beach located in the northern shores of the lake which provides tourists with a great way of unwinding after the trekking and hiking adventures in Volcanoes National Park just one hour away drive. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing day strolling down the palm-tree fringed lakeside promenade, enjoy the sunshine on the sandy beach on the lakeshore, or take an energetic swim in the lakes cool waters or participate in any other water sport activities like Kayaking. This town is made of rolling hills, magnificent landscapes covered by Tea, Banana and Coffee plantations plus it also marks the beginning of the Congo Nile Trail with a great network of roads offering cyclists/ trekkers a glimpse into the Rwandan rural life rarely experienced by most tourists.
Rwandan Culture at Butare Museum
Rwandan culture is usually most viewed and learnt from two aspects __ the King’s leadership in Rwanda which mostly dominated and reigned for many years even in the colonial times and the rural traditional lifestyle of Rwandan people. Travelling to southern province of the country is Nyanza town in which you find the King’s Palace Museum that shows off the leadership of kings and their lifestyle in Rwanda including portraits of all kingship lineage and remains of the king’s palace building where the last ever enthroned king used to stay. However after a continued journey of 2 hours is butare town which is still considered the intellectual and cultural pulse of Rwanda with the most prominent national Ethnographic Museum which houses the finest ethnographic collection in East Africa, Seven galleries display historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artefacts accompanied by visual aids, giving visitors a rich insight into the Rwandan culture.
A Tea or Coffee Plantation Tour
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 reason the country being strategically located beneath the equator at high altitudes and mountainous with rich volcanic soils receiving consistent temperatures daily provides perfectly fertile soils to grow both its tea and Coffee especially in the north and western provinces. Several tea and Coffee experiences are carried out by tourists initially from the plantations as they explore growing and production processes from picking/harvesting, washing, selection and drying the leaves up until drinking your own Tea and Coffee. These magical tours are community based projects, so 100% of the profit from these tours goes towards the local population and thus can be included on your Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda.
Kigali City Tour!
Lastly another item not to miss on your bucket list of your Top 10 Things to Do in Rwanda is the Kigali city tour. Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda and is recognized 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, hikes at Mount Kigali that provide the best ever scenic views for the whole capital on a bright sunny morning and all this will make your whole Rwanda Safari a dream come true with unforgettable memories to carry back home.
