Gishwati-Mukura National Park
Volcanoes National Park
Nyungwe Forest National Park
Akagera national park
Best places to visit on a Rwanda safari.
Rwanda is referred to as the land of hills due to her roaring hilly and mountainous landscape that provides an abundant vibrant view covered with the rain forest in the west and enormous fields and valleys. Rwanda is a significantly simply provided country in spite of being landlocked and a great hideaway that will make you wish to visit her more and more. Here are the top places to go on safari in Rwanda.
- Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes is one of only three destinations in the world where you can see Mountain Gorillas. Because of this, it has become one of the top safari destinations for tourists to visit in Rwanda. Situated in Northwestern Rwanda, this is a UNESCO world heritage site and home for 10 Gorilla groups and approximately 150 habituated gorillas. This is where Dian Fossey did most of her work to protect gorillas and keep them from being killed. The rain forest has a lot more to see than just the main draw. For example, you can see the African bush elephant, the golden monkey, and many other primates, mammals, and birds. The Virungas are a unique and special place that has a long past and beautiful scenery.
The Virungas is traversed by extinct volcanoes like Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Muhabura, Karisimbi and Bisoke. You can walk up these mountains if you want to, it will be worth it. A gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda now costs $1500 per person, and more than 90 permits are sold every day. This shows why this is such a sought-after event. Volcanoes National Park is an excellent safari spot to spend your vacation if you want to be surrounded by primates, forests, and nothing but nature.
- Lake Kivu.
Lake Kivu is in the Albertine rift valley, which is right on the border between Rwanda and DRC. Kivu is also the country’s largest lake. Some islands, like Napoleon Island and Amahoro Island, are scattered in the bright green water, which reflects so beautifully on the mountains in the background. On the way to the lake, the road winds through hills and mountains that have been farmed. Around the lake, there are three big towns, like Rubavu, which is right on the shores of Kivu. After a day of visiting the lake, you can come here and chill out in the evening. Karongi has eucalyptus trees all over it, and one of the best beach villas is there. Around Lake Kivu, there are a lot of things to do, like kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, riding, and taking in the town life.
- Akagera National Park.
This is Rwanda’s biggest national park, and it is right on the border with Tanzania. Most of the park is savannah, and there are some swampy areas near the River Kagera, which runs to Burundi.
After the genocide of 1994 and return of refugees to the country, this park was raided, cut down for human use and animals poached for human consumption and sale. Later in the 2000s, Akagera was brought back to its former glory. In 2017, 18 Eastern black rhinoceroses returned, and lions were brought back in 2015. These animals joined zebras, elephants, buffalo, leopards, spotted hyenas, bushbucks antelopes, hippos, and crocodiles on the riverbanks. You will also see baboons, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys, as well as more than 500 types of birds. You can do any of the following things while you’re in Akagera National Park; Sport Fishing, Boat rides/cruises on Lake Ihema,Game drives to see animals, Community visits, Bird watching
- Nyungwe Forest National Park.
A remarkable speculate of Rwanda, a misty rain forest that has been maintained and kept in its natural form. Chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and more than 300 types of birds live there. The main thing to do in this area is track chimpanzees. You can see them in their natural habitat in the Uwinka and Cyamdungo parts of the forest.
You can discover and hike the trails of the forest as well as enjoy the incredible one and only canopy walk in East Africa, a 91-meter long suspension bridge that hangs 50 meters above the rainforest. Taking this canopy walk is a thrilling safari experience with an amazing vantage point of the whole green foggy top of the forest.
- Kigali.
Declared the most gorgeous city in Africa by the United Nations, Kigali is undoubtedly the cleanest city in East Africa. You will have a deep understanding of the culture people, check out historical sites such as; The Handt House museum, Museum of National History, The Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, Statehouse Museum, The background of the Camp Kigali memorial and the first modern building on which the city was built is very interesting. Check out the Kimironko market, which is Kigali’s biggest and busiest, to get a feel for how people live day to day. You can also buy gifts at Nyamirambo women’s centre to bring a piece of Africa back home with you. The evening is just as colorful as the day. There are lots of places to hang out and relax, including five-star hotels.
- Genocide Memorial Sites.
Rwanda is a country filled with history and particularly for the 1994 genocide that led to close to a million people dying. You can learn about all of this history and be a part of this rich society at quite a few places. Some of the places are; all of the names of the people who died in the war are written on the walls of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Murambi Genocide Memorial site is a school where more than 2,700 people were killed and is now used as an exhibition site. Gisozi Memorial site is where both Hutu and Tutsi victims were buried in 2000. More than 300,000 people were buried at this site. There is a library, a picture gallery, a photo house, and a display house.
At the Nyamata memorial spot, which used to be a church in the Bugerera district, about 2500 people who had taken shelter in the church were killed. Gisenyi Memorial site, where 12,000 bodies are kept, Nyarubuye Memorial site, which used to be a school and where 20,000 people were killed, Bisesero Memorial site in Karongi district, where 30,000 people were killed and is now called the “Hill of Resistance” because the people of this area put up a strong front even though they didn’t have better weapons, and Nyanza Memorial site, where a school called ETO was built by the United Nations. Ntarama Memorial site in Bugesera which is only an hour’s drive away from Kigali town and previously a church where people seek solace in the times of war. 5000 people died in this church, it has since been preserved as a display and remembrance site.
- Musanze Caves.
In the Northern Province of Rwanda is Musanze district, where the famous Musanze caves are located. Musanze is also where most of Volcanoes National Park is, so it’s easy to visit both places in one trip. More than 32 caves are located on the foothills of the National Park, created over a million years ago in the volcanic eruptions that created the Virungas Volcanoes as we know them. The caves are 2 kilometres long and are full of lush green plants. Bats live in them. As you go up and down, the rock mouths of the caves are filled with flowers and plants, making for a beautiful view. The caves are long, and it could take you an hour or more to get to the other side, but the experience is so amazing that it’s well worth it.
- National Museum of Rwanda.
Established in 1987, the National Museum of Rwanda is located in Huye district in the Southern province of the country. People think it is one of the best museums in Eastern Africa. There are seven halls, and the things in them are grouped into historical, artistic, archaeological, and ethnographic artefacts.There are things that show the culture and history of the place from the beginning. With a knowledgeable guide, you can learn about different parts of Rwanda that say a lot about the country’s social, cultural, and political life.
