Why Visit Rwanda?
Rwanda is among the naturally blessed nations in Africa that still inhabit the amazing mountain gorillas. If these endangered mountain kings are not sighted from Uganda and DR Congo, Rwanda is the alternative. Thanks to the works done by Dian Fossey to protect the lives of these creatures, they are available for tourists to glimpse.
Visitors get to appreciate the transformation that came along with the unity that spread as an aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. One gets to feel empathy and remember the lives of the innocent individuals who lost their lives.
Rwanda’s scenery is breathtaking. It is well known for being the “land of a thousand hills,” and the picturesque scenery that visitors get to gaze upon is heartwarming and leaves them with everlasting memories.
Rwanda is the cleanest country in Africa. Rwanda has a unique community activity called “Umuganda,” which happens every last Saturday of each month where countrymen and women take part in cleaning the streets.
Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa. Violent actions in the country are nearly nonexistent, allowing people to visit the country every day, every month.
The country offers some of the best hikes in Africa. Rwanda boasts being a country of a thousand hills, which explains the magnificent hikes that the country offers. Also, 5 of the 8 mountains that make up the Virunga ranges are found in the country, with Karisimbi offering the most challenging hike that takes two days to and from the summit.
Popular Activities in Rwanda:
Gorilla Trekking Safaris: Mountain gorillas are as popular in Rwanda as they are in Uganda and DR Congo. They are among the most highly endangered animals and are not found anywhere else in the world. Rwanda is blessed with 12 gorilla families that can be trekked by 8 individuals for each family daily.
Gorilla trekking adventures are only conducted from Volcanoes National Park and usually start with a briefing at 7:00 am. Different tracking routes offer different challenges and come along with different sights of various gorilla families.
Golden Monkey Trekking: Rwanda is one of the few countries with these beautiful primates called golden monkeys, as they are among the highly endangered species that are highly protected. The golden color of these creatures attracts visitors and makes them fall in love with them. Trekking golden monkeys is less tiring compared to mountain gorillas, as they do not move far into the interior of the forest. The activity starts at 7:30 am with a briefing.
Birding: There are over 640 bird species in the country, with about 30 endemic to Rwanda. Birds can be spotted in all four national parks of the country, but birders should consider visiting other habitats like water bodies, wetlands, swamps, marshlands, and agricultural plantations for exhaustive views of different bird species, like the shoebill, which can only be sighted in wetlands of Akagera National Park.
Cultural Tours: Despite the country’s unity efforts post-genocide, Rwanda’s culture remains diverse with many practices that entice the journey of different visitors. Activities include watching traditional performances from the Intore dance troupe, viewing art pieces from galleries like the Inema Art Center, among others.
Chimpanzee Trekking: One of the oldest Afro-montane forests in Africa, Nyungwe National Park, offers the best home for chimpanzees to swing high in the trees, rest, and enjoy the huge trees. With a briefing starting at 5:00 am, visitors get the blast of enjoying a day in the life of chimpanzees within an hour offered while trekking in either Cyamudongo or Uwinka.
There are over 500 chimpanzees in the park, and visitors are excited by the beauty and beyond while in the park due to other natural contributors that can be spotted during this activity.
Visiting Dian Fossey’s Tombs: The pioneer of gorilla research needs to be commemorated because without her findings, the knowledge available for trekking and habituating gorillas wouldn’t exist. The greatest primatologist spent 18 years studying and protecting the lives of mountain gorillas before unknown enemies killed her for the same cause.
Those who visit her grave get to pay respect for the foundation she laid for mountain gorilla conservation. At her research center Karisimbi, visitors get to understand and learn about interesting facts she discovered during her research.
Coffee and Tea Plantation Tours: Some of the finest African coffee beans and tea originate in Rwanda. Visitors enthusiastic about learning about these cash crops can organize plantation tours and learn more about them by engaging in activities like picking tea, washing, drying, and transforming it into a final product.
Hiking Virunga Volcanoes: There are five mountains of the Virunga Massif present in Rwanda, but not all are engaged for hiking. While in the country, one can visit Visoke, Gahinga, Muhavura, Sabyinyo, and Mount Karisimbi. Mount Bisoke offers the easiest hike, suitable even for less experienced tourists, while Karisimbi is one of the tallest mountains in Africa offering one of the toughest hikes that last for 2 days. During the journey to Karisimbi’s summit, visitors get to view other volcanoes and mountain gorillas if they are fortunate.
Popular Attractions to Visit in Rwanda:
Volcanoes National Park: This is one of the most visited sites in the country because undoubtedly, gorilla trekking is the leading activity that tempts tourists to arrange itineraries in the country. There are about 250 gorillas in the park, and 12 gorilla families are available for trekking. Within just 4-8 hours of venturing into the bush, tourists are blessed with the hour they spend marveling at the closeness the apes have among themselves in their groups.
Nyungwe Forest National Park: The pride that this forest gets for being the single largest enclave of montane forest remaining in the country. The thick canopies of mahogany hold a variety of spectacular primates like chimpanzees, big baboons, and grey-cheeked mangabeys, offering joy to tourists who watch them swing on tree branches and enjoy the environment.
Lake Kivu: While the country has a variety of lakes, Lake Kivu deserves special mention as the most sought-after water body in the country, covering more than 2700 square kilometers. Visitors can spot fishing villages while on their way, specks of wondrous tropical islands, industrial natural gas extraction on the lake, among other sights.
Gishwati Mukura National Park: The combination of two separate huge forests gave birth to a haven of interesting species of the wild and the birth of Gishwati-Mukura National Park that boasts having over 20 groups of chimpanzees that share their home with golden monkeys and other monkeys that can be traced in the freshly aerated forest like L’Hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, with over 232 bird species spotted in the park.
Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum: A few decades ago, the situation in Rwanda was terrifying due to the Rwanda genocide that claimed the lives of more than 800,000 in just 100 days. While the country has redeemed itself and has closely worked on uniting as a whole, the lives of the innocent individuals that perished in this massacre are remembered through photographs, artifacts, and open graves in this place. Visitors always visit this place to pay respect and ponder about the adversity Rwanda went through as a country.
King’s Palace Museum: This is just a replica of the king’s palace from the 15th century. Tourists get to have a look at how the king’s mansion back then was a paradise on earth and take a close look at other amazing components like the thatched roof, royal hut, Inyambo sacred cows, and their large horns.
Akagera National Park: A trip to Africa is best remembered with a game drive, and Akagera satisfies all these thirsts since it has all the giants, best known as the big five animals in its premises. The leopard, lion, buffaloes, rhino, and elephants all linger and roar from the same fields. Spotting some of them like the cats might be difficult, but visitors don’t face any challenge with watching grazers like zebras, giraffes, and other animals like hippos, crocodiles, elephants, among others, all spotted comfortably from the beautiful seat of the tour vehicle.
Ethnographic Museum: This museum is a gift from Belgium to Rwanda in 1989 and to date carries the best collections of ethnology and archeological artifacts. It is the largest and main museum in the country, and while on the premises, tourists are delighted to see items that were once used in hunting, pottery, weaving, among others.
Safety Guidelines:
- Traveling with a well-experienced guide who knows all corners of the country or a particular town is vital. They can advise tourists on which places to visit and which places are potential criminal hotspots.
- Taking photographs of government installations like army barracks, post offices, banks, etc., is highly discouraged by tourists, no matter how appealing the site is.
- Obtaining a yellow fever vaccination at least 10 days before traveling to the country can protect tourists against yellow fever, as the country falls into the yellow fever region of Africa. It is essential that tourists consider taking travel insurance that can include medical insurance, cancellation, emergency evacuation, among other covers.
- Rwanda’s borders are not entirely safe due to civil wars among its neighbors like the DRC; therefore, tourists shouldn’t approach the border by around 10km, especially without guides or security personnel.
- Visitors should keep valuable material out of sight, especially on co-driver seats while driving, exposed in hotel rooms. While driving, they should keep their windows and doors completely closed and raised.
- People who travel from February to May and September to December should take caution as this is the rainy season, and roads tend to slide and become muddy. They should either plan to travel during the dry season or reschedule their tours if it rains.
- It is recommended that visitors consume only safe packaged water and avoid consuming any half-cooked food to avoid contracting foodborne, waterborne, and other diseases.
Travel Tips When Visiting Rwanda:
- Passports and other travel documents are high requirements for any tourists wishing to enter the country, and they should all be valid under the necessary conditions before reaching the country’s airport.
- Some service providers are exceptionally helpful, and it is customary to tip drivers, guides, porters after they have provided service beyond the tourists’ expectations.
- Tourists coming to Rwanda should know that French is widely used by Rwandese, with English spoken by some individuals who communicate with tourists. Kinyarwanda is also key as it’s the native language used by both Rwandese and some people in Burundi.
- The food in Rwanda mainly consists of starchy foods like cassava, yams, porridge. Hotels and tourist hostels tend to incorporate other cuisines, especially those inspired by their former colonists, the Belgians.
- Rwandan immigrations accept the use of visas and Mastercard payments, but it is important for tourists to also have Rwandan francs as they might not access some Mastercard payment means while in some remote areas.
- Most hostels in Rwanda do not display their services to tourists, so it’s recommended that tourists make a booking for their first night and explore more hotels of their choice while touring the country.
- Tourists can choose to get a local SIM card or use their home networks, but internet connection on local SIM cards is often slow. Most hotels and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi that visitors can opt for.
When to Visit Rwanda?
The country’s undoubted beauty is best enjoyed by tourists during the dry months spanning from June to September and December to early February. This period offers the best hiking conditions, and movement within the parks is relatively easy as visitors don’t have to wait for rains to reduce or cease travel.
Getting a Rwandan Visa:
People applying for a Rwandan visa should have a passport valid for at least six months from the day of entry into the country.
Visitors can apply for visas through the respective embassies of Rwanda in their countries or submit an online application before leaving their country and then pick it up on arrival at the airport or land border.
Visitors who wish to extend their visas should make an application request to the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration before the initial visa expires.
Rwanda Entry Requirements:
- Passports for all people who wish to visit the country should be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into the country.
- All visitors intending to come to Rwanda should have valid visas, obtainable from the Rwandan embassy in their country or online.
- Commonwealth member states, African Union, and Francophonie members can obtain their 30-day tourist visas for free.
- Tourists should come to the county with necessary certificates like the yellow fever certificate and COVID-19 PCR certificate.
Suggested Packing List:
- Insect Repellents: The tropics are known for harboring a variety of insects and bugs like mosquitoes, especially in low-lying areas. Therefore, it’s essential for tourists to have bug lotions, spray their clothes, and carry insect repellents.
- Suitable Footwear: The choice of shoes depends on the activity and location. Activities like hiking and gorilla trekking are best with sturdy hiking boots, while nature walks and game drives can be enjoyed with sneakers or flip flops.
- Suitable Clothes: Pack both light and heavy clothes, short and long clothes, depending on the activity. Days are usually warm and nights cool, so visitors should carry sweaters and rain jackets for any unforeseen weather changes.
- Sun Protectors: Rwanda is located in the tropics, known for excessive sunshine. Visitors shouldn’t forget to pack sun hats, sunscreen, especially for long activities like gorilla trekking.
- Electronics: Gadgets like a good lens camera, smartphone are essential for tourists interested in capturing memories of their Rwanda safaris. Birders should bring binoculars for focusing on birds and other distant wildlife.
