Finding something to do in Rwanda is easy! It’s only the choice that’s difficult to make. From rare attractions and museums to sports and galleries, you can choose from taking a gorilla trek in Parc Nationale des Volcans (PNV) to just lolling on a beach with your family or an adventure safari through Akagera National Park. Just go and try it!!
Rwanda features a lot of tourist attractions, from World Heritage Sites to national parks, ruined palaces and cultural sites, to hands on museums.
Rwanda is truly a country with some thing for every one to enjoy. Here are a few of the many things to do in Rwanda.
- Visit Rwanda’s famous primates in nyungwe national park, akagera national park, and volcanoes national park including golden monkeys, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys and baboons to name a few.
- Track the world renowned mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park.,
- Join birding safari tour to experience the diversity of Rwanda’s birdlife and visit several of Rwanda’s (IBA’s) Important Birding Areas; Nyabalongo wetlands, Akagera National park, Nyungwe forest national park, Akanyaru wetlands, Rugezi marsh, volcanoes national park and Cyamundongo forest.
- Explore Nyungwe national Park’s amazing water falls or orchids and butterflies.
- Explore one of 52 surveyed caves in Rwanda. Formed from Cenozoic volcanic rocks.
- Visit Rwanda’s largest lake, Lake Kivu and its many islands and beach resort towns rubavu and Karongi.
- Go canoeing, kayaking and wind surfing on Lake Kivu.
- Go mountain climbing at volcanoes national park-don’t miss the 5th highest mountain in Africa- or mountain biking over Rwanda’s thousand hills.
- Enjoy a full tradition Rwandan experience including dancing, traditional crafts, archery, tradition healers, food and a taste of Rwanda’s local brew at Iby’Iwacu village in Musanze in Rwanda’s Northern Province.
- Enjoy fish dishes and a relaxing day at Lake Muhazi around 60km from Kigali.
- Tour Kigali on the Kigali city tour bus and learn all there is to know about Rwanda’s capital city.
- Go shopping for Rwandan crafts at one of the many local markets or cooperatives throughout the country.
- Travel back in time at the king’s place, Nyanza.
- Visit Rwanda’s genocide memorial sites; Kigali memorial site; murambi memorial site; Nyanza Kicukiro memorial site; and Ntarama Memorial site.
Congo Nile Trail
It is no doubt that Volcanoes, Akagera and Nyungwe forest National parks are the most visited Safari destinations in Rwanda. But did you know that there is an interesting activity you can add on your bucket list of must-destinations visit in Rwanda? This is none other than the captivating Congo Nile Trail. This body refreshing trail was officially established in 2009 in order to diversify Rwanda’s tourism activities composing of a series of trails running from Gisenyi to Cyangugu- the Southern side of Lake Kivu.
Birdwatching: Rwanda is an excellent birding destination with over 640 species of birds – 30 of which are endemic to the country. Birding in Rwanda is organized at Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, the Volcanoes National Park and around Lake Kivu. Other birding spots include the suburbs in Kigali and the various smaller water-bodies, wetlands/swamps, marshlands and agricultural plantations. The main species to look out for are those endemic to the Albertine Rift and the Virunga ranges. The intriguing Shoebill stork can also be sighted in wetlands and marshes of Akagera.
Things to Do in Rwanda
There are lots of things to do in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills.
Gorilla Trekking
The Incredible Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Parks, is by far Rwanda’s major international attraction. Interest in gorilla trekking in the country has reached new heights after the release of the feature film, Gorillas in the Mist.Close encounter with a Mountain Gorilla is such an amazing experience and you will be absolutely stunned by the magic of these magic primates
The Incredible mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Parks, is by far Rwanda’s major international attraction. Interest in gorilla trekking in the country has reached new heights after the release of the feature film, Gorillas in the Mist.Close encounter with a Mountain Gorilla is such an amazing experience and you will be absolutely stunned by the magic of these magic primates
Cultural Tours
Rwanda is endowed with rich cultural values such as unique dance and drama, cultural heritage sites etc. Cultural tours to this small central African nation gives eco-tourists the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Rwanda and include visits to local villages to learn about the food, traditional arts and crafts, King’s Palace and Genocide memorial sites that exhibit the remains of 1994 genocide tragedy.
Visits to the Twa, “pygmy people” short and the original inhabitants of Rwanda, which now make up only 1% of the total Rwanda population. The other fraction of the population is either Hutu or Tutsi who share the same cultural background. Divisions and ethnic groups were made exaggerated by the Belgians activities that pointed out differences in size and appearances and made them carry Identity cards to distinguish themselves and little did they know how such Belgians’ activities were doomed to destroy them.
The Belgians claimed that Tutsi were taller and thinner while the Hutus were shorter, dirk skinned with a shorter nose compared to Tutsis. However it is difficult and impossible to tell from their appearance. Today Rwanda commemorates the 1994 genocide every year and nationally celebrations take place at the national stadium, nationals carry burners written on “Never Again” to the genocide that lasted about 100 days and claimed over 1,000,000 lives of people majorly Tutsis.