Rwanda

Why Visit?

Rwanda is a land locked country and is known as "the land of a thousand hills". Rwanda is known for its spectacular scenery, warm and friendly people and incredible wildlife and biodiversity throughout its 4 national parks. In fact, 90% of Rwanda is comprised of national parks! Rwanda's magnificent road system makes it really easy to explore all the country has to offer. Many people opt to drive over flying due to the epic landscapes and vistas.

Most people visit Rwanda for the gorilla tracking and sightings - and that is a fantastic reason to visit, but they also have a Big 5 park so it is super easy to combine a safari and gorilla track on the same trip!

Rwanda is rich in history and it is well worth spending a day or two exploring the capital city of Kigali, and visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The Rwanden people are very open about their history and feel it important to share.

And lastly, Rwanda is known as "high end" gorilla destination of Africa.

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is famous for gorilla trekking and is one of only 3 other habitats in the world where you have the opportunity to be in their midst. Less than a 1000 gorillas are left in the world today and Rwanda is home to 25-30% of them, so roughly 300. There are 12 gorilla families across the park and all 12 have been habituated, so they are very comfortable having people visit - but that number is limited to 96 people a day.

Along with the endangered gorillas, you will find endangered golden monkeys, buffalo, black fronted duiker, hyenas and bushbucks. There are also a small number of elephants, but they are rarely seen.. The park is also home to 178 species of birds with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies that are endemic to the Virunga and Rwenzore mountians.

Volcanoes National Park is a very mountainous region and is home to 5 of the 8 mountains that make up the Virunga mountain range. The driest months to visit are June and July, but being a rainforest, it can rain anytime. Volcanoes National Park acted as the base for American zoologist, Dian Fossey and her work on gorilla conservation still lives on today

Akagera National Park - BIG 5

Akagera is the largest park in Rwanda. It is an old park but new in the fact that the government has reintroduced black rhinos and lions after they were poached out 30 years ago making it a Big 5 park again. Along with the Big 5, you will find hyenas, zebras, giraffes and several species of antelopes. Akagera is also a bird lovers paradise boasting an impressive 520 species including the rare Shoebill Stork. Akagera is also home to several primate species, the olive baboon, vervet monkey and the nocturnal bush baby. Lake Ihema's shallow waters make it a hospitable place for crocodiles and hippos and these are best seen during boat rides.

Akagera is simply beautiful! Surrounded by the hills that make Rwanda famous, the landscape is mostly low lying savannah with rolling plains and a general rugged terrain. Akagera is a fantastic savannah Big 5 park but does not yet have the animal density of other famous safari locations, so for first timers, the Serengeti or the Masai Mara may be better choices.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

This is a very different park from what you may be imagining! It is the largest protected mountain forest in Africa and is home to over a 1000 species of wildlife making it very important due to the biodiversity. This forest is all about walking and hiking so a decent level of fitness and mobility is required.

There are 13 different species of primates (no gorillas) and over 300 species of birds including the large Blue Turaco, the Rwenzori Turaco and the Gravers Warbler. What really makes this park unique are the canopy walkways situated 50 meters high in the tree canopies. These heights can be dizzying for some, but it is such a great experience. You will encounter monkeys moving around in the tree tops, birds flying above and below you and lets not forget the beautiful view of the Nyungwe Forest! Along with the canopy walks, there are 13 hiking trails totally 130 km of ground trail time. Not only will this park stun you with the wildlife and birds, the plant and flower life and butterflies are sure to stun too!

The best time to visit is in the dry season which runs June to September and then from mid December to mid February. Plan on spending 2-4 nights here in combination with Volcanoes National Park!

Rwanda General Booking Details

- Yellow fever vaccination required for everyone 1 year and older if you have also visited Kenya and Uganda
- Minimum trekking age for both gorillas and chimpanzees is 15
- It recommended that you do 2 gorilla and 2 chimpanzee treks per person
- Trekking permits are less expensive in Uganda than Rwanda
- Rwanda Gorilla trekking permit is $1500 USD per person
- Rwanda Chimpanzee trekking permits are $100 USD
- Need Visa to Enter Rwanda. If you are visiting Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, you can get an East Africa Visa. Available online
- Uganda is a year round destination but the best time to visit is June to September and December to February