Rwanda, the “Land of the Thousand Hills” is a small, landlocked and extremely beautiful country in East Africa, bordering Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Also known as the “Switzerland of Africa”, it surprises most visitors with its excellent infrastructure and cleanliness.
The main tourist attraction is the mountain gorillas, which can be found in the Virunga Mountain Range in the North-West of the country. Tracking these impressive primates is a once in a lifetime experience.
But also the other areas in Rwanda, like Lake Kivu and the Nyungwe Forest, are well worth a visit. Because it is a small country, everything can easily be reached by car. We do not recommend self drive, but driver/guides are readily available.
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Virunga Mountain Range
Northward, to the border of Uganda, lies a chain of five volcanoes, the Virunga Mountain Range, home to over half of the 650 surviving Mountain Gorillas in the region, and also home to the Golden Monkeys. We promise that tracking a family of these habituated primates is an adventure you will never forget! There is only a very limited number of tracking permits available for each day, and we recommend that you book those way in advance, to avoid disappointment.
Nyungwe Forest
South west in the country and close to the border to Burundi lies the Nyungwe Forest, the last and largest track of montane rainforest in the region, over a 1000 square kilometres of unrivalled biodiversity. In the forest you will not only find colonies of the astonishing Colobus Monkeys and 12 other species of primates, but over 100 species of orchids and about 300 species of birds. Whether you are a botanist, a bird-lover or just a general nature enthusiast, there are a host of hiking trails to suit you.
Lake Kivu
Travelling from the north to the south you will come past the majestic Lake Kivu, a veritable inland sea, which forms part of the East African Great Lakes. On its shores lie the towns of Cyangugu, Kibuye and Gisenyi, ideal rest and recreation transit points between the primate tracking destinations of Nyungwe Forest National park and the Volcanoes National Park.
Rwanda’s infrastructure is outstanding, the roads are good and it is a real pleasure to travel by road. We don’t recommend self drive; rather go with an experienced guide, who will also share his passion and knowledge of the country with you.
A journey through Rwanda can easily be combined with a safari in Tanzania and / or Kenya. There are daily flights between Rwanda’s capital Kigali and Kilimanjaro in Northern Tanzania, as well as Nairobi in Kenya.
Kigali
The capital Kigali is one of the neatest African capitals: well organised, with very good hotels and restaurants.