Rwanda is a sovereign small landlocked country located a few degrees south of the Equator, in the Great Lakes region (Central and East Africa). Her striking weather and climate, rich fertile soils and hilly terrain which give Rwanda her stature, “the Land of a Thousand Hills” and supports one of the densest populations in Africa.
Rwanda’s landscape is majorly mountainous, deep valleys and not surprisingly, Eco-tourism is growing. Many ecotourists do commonly participate in Rwanda primate tours, particularly the gorilla trekking as about half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas, live in Rwanda.
Along with Volcanoes national park, other tourist attractions include; Nyungwe forest National Park which covers 1000 square kilometers of beautiful majestic hills which is diverse in flora and fauna. Here, you can spot 13 different primate species including chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkey, Vervet Monkeys, Red tailed monkey and around 300 species of birds.
Where to Go
Volcanoes National Park
This is the ultimate location to track the rare and captivating mountain gorillas in Africa. This area along the boarder with the democratic republic of Congo and Uganda also happens to be one of the most striking sights in Africa. There is a chain of no less than seven volcanoes, the highest, Karisimbi more than 450m.
Volcanoes National park in the north of Capital Kigali is a prime location for primate tours such gorilla trekking adventures and golden monkey trek through the thick jungle and meet these beautiful gentle giants, the Mountain gorillas and Golden monkeys respectively. There is also the opportunity to visit the research centre founded by Diane Fossey, who almost dedicated her entire life learning gorilla lifestyles as well as protecting and conserving these endangered gorillas and became famous through her book,” Gorillas in the Mist” which later turned into a Hollywood film. The forest is also rich with outstanding birdlife as well as other primates like Vervet monkeys, White and red colobus among others.
Akagera National Park
Akagera National park located on boarder with Tanzania is rich with high population of wildlife including some of the big five like Lions, Buffalo, Leopard and Elephant. Other beautiful mammals include Giraffes, beautiful different antelope species, stunning birdlife and butterflies; the boat ride at Lake Ihema takes you close to high concentration of animals that come to the water banks to draw some water from the lake. Enjoy game drive safaris in this rich savannah grassland also known as little Serengeti National park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to a diverse range of species, including 1,068 plant species, 322 bird species, and 75 animal species. It is a well-known location for monitoring habituated chimpanzees that are at risk of extinction. The majority of tourists that visit the Nyungwe forests observe chimpanzees that park rangers have habituated to human presence.
It should be noted that there are additional activities to engage in while visiting Nyungwe, aside from primate tracking. One of the awe-inspiring activities offered in Nyungwe is crossing a suspension bridge that spans 91 meters and is suspended 50 meters above the lush rain forest. The distance from the Uwinka Visitors Center to the canopy walk may be covered on foot in roughly 90 minutes. The vista of the distant mountains and trees from the woodland is awe-inspiring. Activities comprise avian observation, trekking, and excursions in natural surroundings.
