In colonial times, the thrilling beauty of Rwanda’s rolling mountainous landscapes earned it the sobriquet “The Land of a Thousand Hills”. After independence, this small Central African nation leaped to fame as the Land of “Gorillas in the Mist”, adopted home of Dian Fossey and the most important refuge for the rare mountain gorilla.
Gorilla trekking in the Virungas was the country’s premier attraction, supplemented by the mesmerizing savannah and plains wildlife of Akagera National Park, the incredible biodiversity of the extensive Nyungwe rainforest, and a range of mountain and lakeshore around the beautiful Lake Kivu. Then came 1994 and the genocide that caused Rwanda to leap from glossy travel supplements to grisly front page news. By 1995, the country was already clawing its way back close to normality, and today it is poised to reclaim its rightful place as one of the world’s finest adventure and ecotourism destinations.
The mountain gorillas are still there, every bit as awe inspiring as ever, as are the elephants of Akagera and the chimpanzees and monkeys of Nyungwe. Rwanda is also one of Africa’s top birding countries, with an incredible 670 different bird species recorded within an area the size of Wales or Belgium. And this nature-lover’s paradise remains, for all it has been through, a truly welcoming country, whose attractions are complemented by good facilities, fine food and its rich cultural heritage.
For those interested in seeing the gorillas in their natural habitat Rwanda offers one of the best locations for Gorilla trekking. In the Park National des Volcans in Rwanda there are ten families of Mountain Gorilla living on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes that you can trek to see. For many, seeing gorillas in the wild offers a wildlife...
For those interested visiting Dian Fossey’s original scientific base Karisoke, a trek is available from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. Karisoke scientific base was established by Dian Fossey in the saddle area between two volcanoes; Mt Visoke and Mt Karisimbi (from which the name Karisoke is derived).
Between Musanze and the Ugandan border are two scenic lakes usually referred to as the twin lakes; Lake Bulera and Lake Ruhondo. They are fed by rivers and a lake in Uganda. The twin lakes area is very scenic, with steep and intensively farmed hills surrounding the pristine dark blue waters.
This walk has been designed to show our guests the many aspects of Rwandan village life and to be introduced to the community development projects we have carried out with our partners SACOLA. Guests are escorted by a Sacola guide and gain a unique insight into life in rural Rwanda, the walk includes a visit to see a local iron...
Trekking to see the golden monkeys is another highlight of Volcanoes National Park. The Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti) is a local subspecies of the widespread Sykes Monkey, also known as the “Blue Monkey” and is endemic to the high altitude forests of the Volcanoes National Park area. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping...
Yellow fever vaccination is required for travellers arriving in Rwanda from all countries. Travellers arriving at Kigali International Airport without a valid yellow fever certificate will have to pay $40 for a vaccination on arrival.
