Rwanda

The significant activities while on a Rwanda wildlife tour are: 

• 1. Visiting the capital, Kigali, in our 1-day Kigali city tour package
• 2. Mountain gorilla trekking at the Volcanoes National Park
• 3. Chimpanzee and golden monkey tracking
• 4. Game driving at the Apitakagera National Park
• 5. Biking along The Congo Nile Trail
• 6. Bird watching in Rwanda – Nyungwe forest and Lake Kivu
• 7. Cultural and community visits to places like the Iby’iwacu cultural village for traditional dances
• 8. Visiting the genocide memorial centers like Gisozi, Murambi, Nyamata, Bisesero, and Ntarama
• 9. Hiking Mount Karisimbi and Bisoke.
• 10. Visiting the grave of Dian Fossey and her former Karisoke Research Centre
• 11. Sport fishing in Rwanda

Rwanda tour – Major attractions

Volcano National Park

Volcano National Park is located within the Virunga mountain range. It is a home to approximately 400 mountain gorillas, including 10 habituated gorilla families. Its dense forest and hilly terrain make gorilla tracking demanding and enthralling. Since Dian Fossey established her Volcano National Park research base, Rwanda has become a global leader in gorilla conservation and scientific study. Fossey’s impact draws the tourists to visit her research base and grave. While the gorilla visit is the key activity of the park, tourists can encounter forest elephants, golden monkeys, forest hogs, buffalo, a variety of bird species, and butterflies during their tour. In addition, the park features multiple volcanoes for hiking, including Bisoke, Sabyinyo, and Karisimbi. For tourists, merging a gorilla visit and hiking can be exhausting, yet rewarding. 

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe Forest National Park, a highlight of the Rwanda wildlife tour, is a vast tropical forest with over 1000 plant species. While the volcano has many gorillas and hiking opportunities, Nyungwe best reflects diverse animals. When touring around, tourists likely meet chimpanzees and view over 240 species of birds, baboons, golden monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and various primates. This diversity of living species in Nyungwe marks its fame as a home and paradise for life. The Nyungwe canopy walk remains an enthusiastic experience for birdwatchers and tourists. 

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park, known for its scenic beauty and ecological richness, is located in the eastern part of the country and is a short drive from Kigali. It is covered by 1000 square kilometers of savannah similar to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Delightfully, the Akagera River and Lake Shakani draw an impressive collection of mammals. More interesting, visitors can enjoy spot drives to locate hyenas, jackals, antelopes, giraffes, baboons, zebras, buffalos, leopards, and elephants, among others. With the introduction of lions and black rhinos, Akagera provides a complete package of Africa’s Big Five. As Akagera is a life-sustaining site, during a 3-day wildlife safari, bird watchers spot over 500 species of birds and shoebill storks.

Rwanda Wildlife tour – Other important places while on

Gishwati Forest

The Gishwati Forest, now a part of the recently established Gishwati-Mukura National Park, stands out among Rwanda’s most visited tourist sites, spanning over 250,000 acres of land. The forest showcases the incredible and appealing view of Lake Kivu, and particularly for bird lovers, Gishwati is a home for 400 species. Despite the destruction of the Gishwati forest due to massive deforestation by ranches and refugee settlements after 1994, the active restoration effort will transform it into a home for numerous living organisms.  

Genocide Memorial Centers

To truly understand the resilient journey from darkness to light, it is highly recommended to visit the Genocide Memorial Centres to honor the hundred thousand Tutsi and moderate Hutus who lost their lives in 1994. Most of those sites are found in Kigali. The massive graves, photographs, film footage, and other exhibitions provide a brief dark history that Rwanda has passed through. Therefore, visiting these memorial sites is a token of demonstrating respect and commemorating the lost lives of the victims. More importantly, Nyamata Church is a place worth visiting. It has a pace where 50,000 victims of the Genocide are buried; in fact, the church still features the victims’ clothes, bones, and blood stains on the benches. Additionally, the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Site holds the graves of over 250000 genocide victims. Visiting genocide memorial centres is a way to remember, unite, and renew. 

The Congo-Nile Trail

The Congo Nile Trail, a cycling route around Lake Kivu, is one of the most enthralling adventures ever. With the support of the Rwanda Development Board, which has invested effort in tourism, it has contributed to developing the Congo Nile Trail, providing travelers with different tourist opportunities. For instance, hiking along the Congo Nile Trails features the beauty of nature, green vegetation, hills, and the clear waters of Lake Kivu. All of these make Rwanda an exciting and marvellous destination for people of different nationalities to enjoy the various amenities Rwanda offers. 

Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu lies on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, spanning 2,600 km2 and resting at 1450m2 above sea level; hence, making it the largest lake in Rwanda. This majestic lake of hidden powers is renowned for rare natural phenomena at its depth: It is one of the three lakes in the world that erupts carbon dioxide and methane, earning its nickname “exploding lake”. Despite its exploding potential, there have not been records of accidents, ensuring that it is safe for travellers who wish to enjoy the breeze and refreshing winds of Lake Kivu. Moreover, while exploring Lake Kivu, visitors should expect scenic beauty of beaches, green vegetation, islands, fishing villages, and ports like Rubavu. More importantly, visiting this lake includes free services, including hiking, watching birds, walking, chimpanzee tracking, and boating. In every way, Lake Kivu is an exceptional place to discover, learn, and savor the natural wonders of Rwanda.

Mount Karisimbi

Mount Karisimbi is the highest peak in Rwanda and part of the Virunga Range of mountains, located in the northern part of Rwanda at Musanze. Hiking Mount Karisimbi is one of the most exciting leisure activities that offers rewards. For instance, visitors whose endurance is high endurance to climb for six hours to the highest mountain peak are rewarded with a magnificent view of the volcanoes national park and opportunities to spot birds of different species. Additionally, many travelers combine hiking Mount Karisimbi with tracking mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. While combining these two adventures creates a truly unforgettable Rwanda safari experience, it is a challenging endeavor that demands good physical fitness, especially for those aiming to complete both activities within a few days.

Mount Bisoke

Mount Bisoke is an active volcano located on the border between Rwanda and the DR Congo. It is an impressive volcano that provides a unique experience for travellers due to its crater lake, which is found at its peak. What’s more, it has hiking activities, which reward visitors with an opportunity to view the beauty of nature and a stunning view of Volcano National Park.