KIGALI CITY
The City of Kigali has been the capital city of Rwanda since the 14th Century. It is geographically located in the heart of Rwanda. Over the last two decades, the City of Kigali has rapidly grown into a modern city and has not only become Rwanda’s most important business center but also its main port of entry.
Historically, Kigali was founded by King Cyirima I Rugwe (1345–1378) as the capital of Rwanda. In 1907, during the German colonization, Dr. Richard Kandt, the first colonial Resident of Rwanda, also chose Kigali as the Capital of Rwanda. In 1962 when Rwanda got its independence and in 1994 after the end of the Genocide against Tutsi, Kigali remained the capital city of Rwanda with three administrative districts: Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge.
Kigali city is one of the safest, cleanest and friendliest of African capitals. It is blessed with a moderate high altitude climate that befits its tropical location, and is conveniently located within three hours’ drive of the main national parks (i.e. Volcanoes, Akagera, and Nyungwe and Gishwati Mukura national parks). The Rwandan capital offers the perfect vantage point to explore the rest of the Land of a Thousand Hills.
Landmarks and activities to visit include:
- Kimironko local market
- Kigali industrial zone
- Museums for the history of the country
- Kigali city center
- Mount Kigali
- Nyamirambo women center
- Kigali Convention Center
- Kigali Genocide Memorial
- Campaign Against Genocide Museum
AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK.
Akagera National Park is located in eastern Rwanda, hugging the border with Tanzania. It’s characterized by woodland, swamps, low mountains and savannah. The varied terrain shelters wildlife including Big Five on safari drives (Lion, Leopard, Buffaloes, Elephants and Rhinos), bushbucks, roan antelope, Topis, Cape eland, water-buck, duikers, impalas, olive baboons, Vervet monkeys, and the nocturnal bush babies, and more than 430 bird species. In the southern part of the park, vast Lake Ihema is home to hippopotamus and crocodiles which can best be viewed during boat rides. Akagera national park is the largest protected wetland in Africa. It was named after the Akagera River which flows along its eastern boundary.
The park used to cover over 2,500 sq. km but in 1997; it was reduced in size by close to 50%. A lot of the land was reallocated to refugees returning to Rwanda after the civil strife of the genocide. Before 1997, many refugees returning to Rwanda had settled in the area and the conservation area was harmed by poaching and cultivation.
In 2009, Rwanda Development Board and Africa Parks signed a joint management agreement in which the Akagera management company (AMC) was established to help both bodies manage the park. AMC is therefore responsible for the day-to-day management of the park.
Activities to do includes
- Wildlife game driving (day and night)
- Bird-watching tours
- Boat riding
- Fishing experience
- Camping
- Historical and cultural tours
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Volcanoes National Park is located in northwestern Rwanda, at approximately 2 hours driving from Kigali International Airport. It covers 160 km² of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo.
Volcanoes National Park was established in 1925 making it Africa’s oldest national park. During this time the park was established as a small protected area covering summits of Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, and surrounding regions with the aim of protecting mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park gained international attention through the work of Dr. Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who arrived in Rwanda in 1967 and established the Karisoke Research Center between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke. Dr. Dian Fossey’s work focused on studying and protecting mountain gorillas which created global awareness of their endangered status.
Activities to do include
- Mountain Gorilla trekking
- Golden Monkey trekking
- Volcanoes hiking (Bisoke, Muhabura, Karisimbi and Sabyinyo
- Dianey Fossey Tomb
- Musanze Caves
- Busaga forest
- Twin lakes ( Burera and Ruhondo)
- Mukungwa Lake
- Historical and cultural tours
NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK
The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south. It covers approximately 1,019 km2 of dense Afromontane forests, bamboo-covered slopes, grasslands and wetlands. The park feeds two of the world’s largest rivers, the Congo and the Nile, and provides a significant portion of Rwanda’s fresh water.
Over 1,100 recorded plant species, 345 bird species and 85 known mammal species, including 13 of Africa’s primates – notably, chimpanzee, Ruwenzori black-and-white colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys – are found in this exceptional landscape.
Following a successful partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in Akagera National Park, in 2020 African Parks signed a 20-year management partnership with the Rwandan government for Nyungwe. This partnership is helping to restore the parks’ vital ecosystems, support community development and establish economic sustainability.
- Chimpanzee trekking
- Birdwatching
- Canopy walkway
- Zipline
- Colobus monkey trekking
- Nature walks
- Tea processing experience
- Coffee processing experience
- Cultural and historical tours
KIVU LAKE
Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes with approximately 42 km long and 50 km at its wides. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift.
More than two million people live in its basin, and for many of them Lake Kivu is an important source of income, mainly from fisheries, transport and tourism. It is the largest local source of fish in Rwanda and a critical source of protein for its population, providing more than 20,000 tons of fish per year.
- Boat cruise
- Birdwatching
- Fishing experience
- Swimming
- Kayaking and canoeing
- Cultural tours
- Historical tours