Rwanda is often referred to as ‘’le pays de mille collines’’ in French Land of a thousand hills thus the landscape of Rwanda is reminiscent of tropical Switzerland. It has a chain of mountains of rugged beauty that runs on a north south axis and form part of the Congo Nile divide from the volcanoes of the Virunga ( Birunga) mountains in the north west where Karisimbi reaches 4507 meters and the elevation drops to 1220 meters in the swampy Kagera (Akagera) river valley in the east.

Rwanda is a land locked country in the great rift valley of central Africa where the African great region and south east Africa converge. It is located a few degrees south of the Equator. The republic of Rwanda is bordered by countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.it has an area size of 26338 square kilometers with a population of over 12.6 million. The principal language is Kinyarwanda spoken by most Rwandese, English and French serve as additional official languages.

There are 3 ethnic groups namely the Hutu about 85%, Tutsi about 14% and Twa about 1%.

Christianity is the major religion being about 93.8%, Islam about 2.2%.

The country’s capital is Kigali and the president of Rwanda is H.E Paul Kagame.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN RWANDA

Volcanoes national park

This park is famous for gorilla trekking and it is a home to a growing number of critically endangered mountain gorrillas. Experts estimate that there are about 600 gorillas in the park in various families that have been habituated to humans. The trekking experience normally last 4-8 hours where most of the time is spent hiking through the mystical bamboo forests, wild meadous and swampy areas. This activity is done in company of guides from the national park who know where habituated gorilla families are.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda to a greater extent is considered a safe activity as armed guides use clicking sound to communicate with gorillas, keep guests safe from dangers making a memorable experience.

Porters/ helpers are available at the base of trails in volcanoes national park that are worth hiring for the day to help you carry your bags and avoid slipping down the muddy paths.

For those that can be interested in learning more about mountain gorillas after the trekking adventure, Dian fossey gorilla fund international Karisoke research center in the nearby town of Musanze is the place to visit as well.

Nyungwe forest national park

It contains a variety of 1068 plant species, 322 species of birds and 75 types of mammals. This park is famous for tracking chimpanzees which have been habituated to humans by park rangers. This park is also home to the only canopy walk in east Africa roughly a 90 minute hike from the Uwinka visitor center. You will walk across a 91 meter long suspension bridge dangling more than 50 meters above the verdant rain forest, getting a dizzying view of the treetops and mountains in distance.

Akagera national park

It is managed by the African parks organization, Akagera and its biodiversity makes it one of the central Africa’s largest protected wet land which boosts and now a home for animals like zebras, hippos, nile crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, antelopes and many birds.

Lake Kivu

It is Rwanda’s largest lake where after outdoor adventures; there is no better place to visit for relaxation in Rwanda other than Lake Kivu. It is surrounded by Mist Mountains, has a lively water front, sandy bitch and stunning resorts.

Kigali genocide memorial

This was built in memory of a horrific genocide that left more than 800,000 people dead in just 100 days. This country has come a long way from the devastating massacre and all Rwandans will live to remember this genocide and even generations to come. Tourist can learn about this horrific event at this memorial. The haunting museum dives into the timeline that led to 1994 genocide. It wraps around the poignant sculptures, features of stained glass windows that cast a hopeful glow on the space. The museum has a children’s room dedicated to youngest victims of the genocide that were killed.