Rwanda, a small landlocked country with so many beautiful hills has various / several tourist attractions to any one travelling to Africa for may be tourism, visiting, exploring, studying and research purposes and for many more other reasons. Among Rwanda’s beauty, you will be able to enjoy her endangered mountain gorillas, wildlife (chimpanzees, golden and colubus monkeys, etc), birding, relaxing and chilling out places, cultural visits to the indigenous local tribes of Rwanda,( where you can see how different African cultures do survive in their world), as well as the Historical sites and information that is especially good for the explorers, i.e. The 1994Genocide between the Hutu and Tutsi tribal groups of Rwanda. In its tourism services, Rwanda can offer / provideyou with volcanoes mountain climbing, hiking and biking, wildlife adventure for the wild ( chimpanzees,mountain and lowland gorillas’ trekking, colubus and golden monkeys tour,
Genocide memorial centre, Kigali
In 1994 nearly 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100 days of planned genocide. This excellent museum is laid out in three sections. The first contextualises the Rwandan genocide, detailing the events leading up to it and the international response. The second section brings it into the wider context of genocide in other countries and the third is a heartbreaking tribute to the children that died.
Gisenyi
Gisenyi is a bustling market town on the edge of Lake Kivu and not far from the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo (worth a wander to if you have a spare half hour to see the bustle of truckers and coaches sorting out visas to cross into or from Goma). There are hot springs just out of town and also the major brewery that brews the local Primus beer and has a licence to brew Guinness. You can visit on weekdays by prior arrangement.
Golden monkey trek, Volcanoes National Park
These elusive cheeky creatures hang out quite low down in the park, so are a good warm up for the gorillas. At $100 a permit they are also considerably cheaper. You will get a guide to accompany you and tell you facts about their habitat and habits.
Chimpanzee and Colobus monkey trek
Nyungwe forest national park is one of the largest remaining high-altitude rainforests in Africa and is home to the world’s largest troop of colobus monkeys, which have a distinctive black and white colouring. A trek to spot them could have you surrounded by literally hundreds of them.
You will be warned that you might not see the chimps first time around, although the trackers are pretty good and know which trees they feed on. You are most likely to catch them perched in a ficus tree and might spot Mona monkeys too.
Dian Fossey’s grave, Volcanoes National Park
The American researcher Dian Fossey set up a research centre high in the Virunga volcanic mountains midway between Karisimbi and Bisoke, naming it the Karisoke Research centre. Now all that remains are some foundation stones and signs detailing what was there. She is buried there next to her beloved mountain gorilla digit. A guide leads the strenuous three-hour trek. You will need a good six hours to do the round trip, allowing time to explore.
Genocide memorial centre, Kigali
In 1994 nearly 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100 days of planned genocide. This excellent museum is laid out in three sections. The first contextualises the Rwandan genocide, detailing the events leading up to it and the international response. The second section brings it into the wider context of genocide in other countries and the third is a heartbreaking tribute to the children that died.
Gisenyi
Gisenyi is a bustling market town on the edge of Lake Kivu and not far from the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo (worth a wander to if you have a spare half hour to see the bustle of truckers and coaches sorting out visas to cross into or from Goma). There are hot springs just out of town and also the major brewery that brews the local Primus beer and has a licence to brew Guinness. You can visit on weekdays by prior arrangement https://libido-portugal.com/.
Gorilla trek
Embark on a gorilla trek at the Parc National des Volcans. This is Rwanda’s biggest tourist attraction, and at $500 for one hour with the gorillas it is also a substantial earner. You need to book your permit in advance as there are only 62 issued each day. The Office Rwanda is du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN) bureau and some private companies in Kigali can organise guided tours or gorilla tracking for small parties. On the day you will be assigned a group depending on your fitness – some groups stay higher up the forest than others.
Military units currently guard the park and ensure the safety of visitors, particularly from poachers. This park is one of the last sanctuaries of the mountain gorilla and it is here that the well-known Diane Fossey spent 18 years studying them prior to her murder in 1985.
Kigali
Visit the Nyamirambo district in Kigali. This was where the first Muslims settled in Kigali after they had been picked up as porters on the coast of Kenya and Tanzania and decided to remain. It is one of the most characterful areas to walk around. Shops selling pretty much everything, much of it second hand, are painted in bright colours, making it a good place to take photographs of street life.
Virunga Volcanoes
Climb the Virunga Volcanoes between Ruhengeri and Gisenyi. Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the most commonly climbed volcano from Gisenyi. The Parc National des Volcans region is composed of volcanic mountains, of which two, Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo, across the frontier in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are still active. These are best trekked rather than climbed, and are still for the intrepid.
The 2015 Must do best of Rwanda
