Rwanda as a Tourist Destination
Rwanda is a small country situated in the eastern part of the African continent. It is very small in both size and population but has got so much history and tourism value to add to the entire world.
Since the end of the 1994 civil war, Rwanda has been a stable and peaceful country. It is one of the safest countries in Africa to visit. The people of Rwanda have gotten onto their feet from the previous predicament and now have built such a great country. Its security and economy are blossoming to the peak.
The economy is majorly driven by the tourism sector as it is the major forex earner in the country and also employs a large number of nationals. Rwanda’s tourism majorly depends on its natural flora and fauna that professes itself within the rolling hills.
The natural biodiversity pulls a mammoth of tourists to the country as this is witnessed by the thousands and thousands of visitors registered at the gates of its national parks throughout the year.
Rwanda has four national parks where the flora and fauna are conserved and managed for the tourists to have a proper experience and encounter.
The most interesting and special attribute of the four national parks they offer different experiences from one another. For example, Volcanoes national park the most popular park provides a gorilla trekking experience, Nyungwe forest national park- chimpanzee trekking, Akagera national park- the big game viewing experience, and Gishwati-Mukura small primates trekking.
This makes a tourist have a variety of different moments and experiences in one country destination which is very rare to find elsewhere in the world.
Apart from the national parks, there are other places to visit on a Rwanda safari for example Kigali city for a cultural and historical tour, which is the capital city of Rwanda, and Lake Kivu for relaxation and picnics, the main freshwater lake in Rwanda
Places to Visit on a Self Drive Rwanda Tour
Volcanoes National Park
This was the first national park to be established in Rwanda. It was gazetted within the Virunga conservation area in 1925. Volcanoes national park is found in the northeast of the country within the great Virunga Massif.
Volcanoes national park is a popular mountain gorilla gem both in Rwanda and worldwide. In context, it is one of the very few places where tourists can watch and interact with gorillas in their natural setting in an activity known as a gorilla tracking expedition.
At Volcanoes National Park, is where the legendary Dian Fossey did most of her conservation work to save the mountain gorillas from getting extinct in the 1960-1908s.
While on the gorilla trekking safari in volcanoes national park, the traveler should not hesitate to make a stopover at her tombs and Karisoke research center to indulge in stories of how she did her work to save these beautiful interesting ape species.
There are also other wildlife species in Volcanoes national park that are normally encountered on a nature walk. Some of these include African elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, several cats, and a variety of bird species.
The golden monkeys are worth mentioning alone as these are the second sought-after animal species in this iconic national park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park
This park lies within one of the oldest tropical rainforests in Africa, the Nyungwe forest. The trees and vegetation cover is very tall and thick making it a great place for primates to stay.
It has 13 different species of primates and this is known as the city of primates in Rwanda. It is the best place in Rwanda to meet and interact with man’s closest relatives the chimpanzees.
The other primates found in Nyungwe national park are vervet monkeys, pottos, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus, and mangabeys, and so forth. Since it has very tall trees, the park has a canopy walk experience.
This is one of its kind in East Africa. The trail is 50 meters off the ground, tourists trek on the rope-knotted trail having an aerial view of the park. It is such a daredevil experience!
Akagera National Park
Akagera is way too different from the rest of the national parks in Rwanda. It is savannah covered natural habitat with lots of water bodies settling in some of its areas.
It is a park for game viewing. It has the big five animals and other big mammals like giraffes, zebras, elands, and warthogs. It is a leisurely park and for those who are interested in nature but in a less challenging way, Akagera national park is the place to be.
The Akagera national park lies in the great lakes region and it has different lakes to its name for example Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani, and Kagera river. With the water bodies lying on its surface area, it is a great place for water tourism activities for instance; boat rides and sport fishing.
The boat ride at Akagera national park is mostly done on Lake Ihema. It is normally a 2-hour experience where tourists encounter different marine animals like hippos, waterbucks, crocodiles, and a plethora of bird species.
Gishwati-Mukura National Park
This is a combination of two tropical rainforests. It is the newest national park in Rwanda. Its protection or baptism into a national park was in 2013.
It offers an alternative to primate trekking when a traveler misses out on Nyungwe forest national park or would want to try out some other new place. It has primate species like chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, De Brazza, mangabeys, and many more. It has some interesting bird species of which some are localized to the region.
Gishwati-Mukura national park is someplace to visit on a Rwanda safari and it never disappoints.
Though the national parks are the star attractions of the self drive Rwanda tour, there are also other places not to miss out on while on a trip and these are as below;
Genocide Memorial Sites
Years ago, there were tribal wars among the natives of Rwanda. These happened in two phases, that is in the 1960s and 1994. Lots of people were killed in the due course, and carnages happened everywhere in the country but there are those places where massive killings of people occurred.
In order to stop or prevent future tribal wars from happening, these places were turned into historical places for the future generation to see and know what can occur when they try to discriminate and segregate themselves.
The genocide memorial sites consist of different remains of the wars like pictures and videos, mass graves, and killing tools used. People visit these devastating sites to pay homage to the lost lives and their families.
Some of these places include the Kigali genocide memorial center, Nyamata powerful church, Murambi genocide site, Nyanza genocide center, and Ntarama to mention but a few.
The Congo Nile trail
This is a newly developed tourism product in Rwanda. It is a cycling trail. It covers a ground of 227 km and is one of the longest and best biking trail experiences in the whole of east Africa.
It is very scenic and adventurous. The Congo Nile trail is on the margins of Lake Kivu as it starts from the southern shore around Gisenyi and retires in the Rusizi district the northern hemisphere of the lake.
The cyclists pass through the rolling hills of Rwanda covered with greenery as they feel the bliss of Lake Kivu. It is such an adventurous cycling experience!
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the most important water bodies in Rwanda both in economics and tourism terms. It is located in the west of the country at the borders of Congo.
Economically, Lake Kivu acts as a harbor for goods traded between Rwanda and Congo. It is also a border point for travelers between Rwanda and Congo. There are also fishing villages around the lake hence being a source of employment for the local people.
In the context of tourism, Lake Kivu has so much to offer to tourists. It has eye-catching and scenic beaches great for reveling and sunbathing.
Boat ride experiences are also offered by various sailing companies. Tourists normally use Lake Kivu as a resting place after a long tour around the various national parks of Rwanda.
The Volcanoes at Virunga Massif
The Virunga region is shared by Rwanda, Uganda, and Dr Congo and this high-altitude landform is a collection of different volcanic mountains shared by the three countries.
While in Rwanda, there are five volcanoes to hike on the Virunga massif which are mount Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo. On a Rwanda safari tour, a traveler can hike one of the five since they are less or more the same.
These volcanoes are very adventurous and have lots of flora and fauna to encounter and also volcanic features like the crater lakes at the summit of them. A one-day hiking expedition is enough to ascend and descend any of the volcanoes.
For the tourist destinations to visit in Uganda on your self-drive adventure Uganda through Rwanda, you can read our page: Self Drive Uganda – Places to Visit and Activities to Do
Cross Border Car rental from Uganda to Rwanda