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 think about their next adventure here in Rwanda.
Rwanda is a patchwork quilt of many different landscapes and uncounted hills thus its globally known name “Land of a Thousand Hills”. Landlocked, but beautiful and diverse with fascinating cultures, unique history, Bio-Diversity, people, thrilling National Parks, and 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. Rwanda Eco offers exotic combinations of so many natural wonders that we will truly spoil you!
The Tourist Attractions in Rwanda vary from intriguing wildlife, stunning scenery, and colorful inhabitants, to Hiking Volcanoes in Volcanoes National Park, or understanding the Dark Tourism associated with some of the national parks. Experience calm and developing cities, such as Kigali – the Cleanest City in Africa, or beaches on its largest watershed Lake Kivu, and many more Rwanda tourist attractions that you should not miss!
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 Rwanda tourist attractions cannot be missed.
Volcanoes National Park
With just a 2 hour drive from Kigali is Volcanoes National Park Located in northwestern Rwanda bordering Virunga National Park in DR. Congo and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Volcanoes National 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 rare Golden monkeys, and numerous bird species.
The park has a historic connection to the American primatologist Diane Fossey whose graveyard is in between Mount Karisimbi & Mount Bisoke. This is the site of the original Karisoke Research Center where she would do her Gorilla studies.
Without a doubt, the number one thing you can enjoy in Volcanoes National Park is Gorilla Trekking as there are twelve habituated Mountain Gorilla Groups that tourists encounter. Apart from visiting the Gorillas, there are Volcano Hikes, the 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 Tour and many other thrilling activities of your interests.
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the most popular Tourist Attractions in Rwanda and the biggest watershed in Rwanda. Different resort towns with treasured beaches, such as Gisenyi and Kibuye surround Lake Kivu. 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 on the sand or swimming in the water, visiting different islands on the lake in a Boat or Canoe, or undertaking water sports 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 Forest National Park
Hidden in its remoteness in southwestern Rwanda at the border of Burundi to the south and Lake Kivu & DR. Congo to the west, Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the best preserved and oldest mountain rainforests. It’s a vast area of mountain rainforest that 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 extraordinary Canopy Walkway not found in any other of the national parks in Rwanda.
Find various Tea plantations located outside the park gates that surround thus adding to its spectacular arrays of biodiversity. Hanging out in Nyungwe Forest National Park while undertaking the many activities offered there will not only give you incredible joy but will leave you with total satisfaction for adventure, nature, and 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 a ten-minute 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 of the fallen victims hung on walls, colonial documents, identification records, maps, foreign serials, and propaganda publications.
Visit the Museum for educational, personal, or research purposes to learn detailed information about this horrific incident through events and historical implications of the Genocide in East Africa.
Akagera National Park
Located in Eastern Rwanda hugging the border with Tanzania (another country well worth a visit), is a hidden game park characterized by woodland, swamps, low mountains, and savannah. Home to the Big 5 Animals in Rwanda such as Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Buffalo, and Eastern Black Rhinoceros. Akagera National Park also offers visitors the opportunity for Wildlife viewing second to none.
Game drives in Akagera National Park are known for the opportunity for wildlife spotting such as the common Antelope species, Zebras, Giraffes, Hippos, some primates, different bird species, and many more across varied terrains far in its wilderness.
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. The museum is strategically located in Nyanza Town along the road to Nyungwe National Park, just a two-hour 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 the kings of Rwanda.
The star attraction showcased at the Museum is the Inyambo (sacred cows) and their staggeringly large curved horns. There is a replica of a King’s Palace from the 15th century with a thatched roof, royal hut, fresh milk hut, and 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 features portraits of the different reigning kings and queens. The interior design is particularly striking, blending Rwandan patterns with European-style furniture (some of which were 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. The King’s Palace Museum is one of the top Tourist Attractions in Rwanda.
Ethnographic Museum
The Ethnographic Museum formerly known as the National Museum of Rwanda is located in Butare (Huye Town) and was built with the help of the Belgian Government in 1989. 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 which houses one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections.
The Ethnographic Museum 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 en-route visit to this museum as you’re 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. The city offers a lot of markets to visit, Art Galleries, Museums, and Memorial centers. At night, meander to fascinating places to keep you out of your hotel room before or after your national park safari. Explore this exciting yet calm city as you take time to indulge in the vibrant cultures, cuisines, and fascinating sceneries that Rwanda’s Capital City has to offer.
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. Undertake bargaining power tactics to win a favored price for all your shopping items at Kimironko Market, the largest marketplace with anything you may need around every corner.
There are many art craft shops if you are interested in artifacts such as Inema Arts Center, and Rwanda Art Museum at the former Presidential Palace to get creative scenes of local arts made by the local artists. Get to see the remains of debris from the presidential aircraft that crashed in 1994 at the former Presidential palace.
Even though Kigali is a small city it has a lot to offer including its beautiful green sceneries that you can access on a simple, one-hour hike to Mount Kigali. Get the whole of Kigali’s scenic views from the top and on 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 to know how Rwanda has been able to overcome its dark past. Visit Camp Kigali Memorial where 10 Belgian soldiers were killed, Kandt House Museum, or 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 were used for the coronation rituals of Rwandan Kings. Buhanga Eco Park features unique attractions with the history of the kings in Rwanda.
There are many important sites found outside the national park such as the Small Ditch surrounded by lava stone and flowery thicket, where the king’s helpers (Abiru) would pick herbs for the king to shower as part of the Coronation. A Dark Cave surrounded by huge boulders is where the king was wheeled in a Royal traditional Carriage straight from his palace with no stopovers till he took a bath with the herbs and spring-water mixture.
See a Conference Podium Comprised of hard, well-cut lava rocks and chairs on the edge where the king would be carried after bathing to receive kingship instruments, blessings, and protection from the gods. 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.
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 amazing trails made entirely from cut lava stones, tall majestic trees, numerous plant species, beautiful & colorful butterflies plus various bird species singing with sweet melodies in the air.
Twin Lakes
Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo are the Twin Lakes in Rwanda located within the Musanze district at the base of Mount Muhabura, a walk away from the Volcanoes National Park. The lakes lay at a surface area of 2800 hectares and were formed as a result of a Volcanic Eruption with its glacier layers blocking River Nyabarongo that was flowing towards Northern Rwanda.
The two lakes offer tourists a beautiful view of the landscape, Wetland habitat, 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 on 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. This is 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 include partaking in traditional lifestyles, and activities, viewing artifacts, and the unique traditional ways of living of Rwandan local people. Your visit will not only be a showcase but also enjoy moments with lots of traditional songs and dance performances that you can also engage in for satisfaction and fun.
Congo Nile Trail
For cycling and hiking lovers, the Congo Nile Trail is a long 227-kilometer hiking trail around Lake Kivu that pushes you to beautiful sceneries of landscapes, rolling hills, and tea, and coffee plantations. Indulge in deep encounters with the local communities, take in stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes as well as lakeside towns, and have an opportunity to forget about usual life and just explore.
Nyamata and Ntarama Memorial Sites
Located in the Bugesera region, approximately 35km from Kigali City or about an hour’s drive south of Kigali, are two memorial sites among Rwanda’s six National Genocide Memorial Sites. These sites were former churches and are believed to have been the very first places where the horrific incidences of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide started.
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 the 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’s past dark experience.
Coffee & Tea Plantations
Rwanda all over the globe is as well known for its best quality Tea and finest Coffee. The country’s Tea is recognized as its number one export and its Coffee has won international competitions. There are numerous Tea and Coffee Plantations all over the country, especially in the North and Western provinces.
At 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 Tourist Attractions in Rwanda 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 out 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.
