Top 6 best places in Rwanda to make your vacation memorable

Rwanda may be one of the smallest countries on the African mainland, but it is a country of more than thousands of hills. The country is a source of inspiration for everyone due to its baffling struggle and recovery in the economy, technological development, political settlement, security for natural resources, etc. despite undergoing a period of severe trauma due to 1994 genocide that lasted for 100 days. Rwanda has seen a robust rise in tourism in the last couple of years due to its fascinating attractions in the capital city of Kigali and other parts. The country is blessed with extraordinary biodiversity and incredible wildlife living in mountains and sweeping plains. Know about the exotic locations in Rwanda that are well-known and should be visited whenever you are in this East African country bordered by Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nyungwe Forest

Located at the border with Burundi in southwestern Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest is always worth visiting mainly for the nature lovers and photographers. Nyungwe Forest turned in a national park in 2004 covering an area of around 970 square kilometers of rainforest, grassland, bamboo, bogs, and swamps. The forest is filled with a varied diversity of animal species that makes it a priority for conservation in Africa. The forest consists of several large-scale biogeographical zones and multiple types of terrestrial biomes that provide a great span of microhabitats for varied species of animals and plants. The park is famous for being the home of 13 primate species, 85 mammal species, 1068 plant species, 275 bird species, 32 amphibian, and 38 reptile species. The area next to the forest is filled with beautiful scenery. This forest is also a beautiful place for canopy walk to get the photogenic views in different ways. Primate safaris are also conducted in this park.

Image Source: Flickr / Justin Raycraft

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park must be visited if you are in the land of Rwanda as it is a haven for the rare and endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Spanning across an area of 160 square kilometers, this national park lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. You will have to drive for a maximum of 2 hours from Kigali town to reach this place. Don’t miss the opportunity of meeting the mountain gorillas face to face. Apart from gorillas and golden monkeys, other attractions include more than 75 species of mammals like buffaloes, elephants, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, hyenas, etc. The renowned American primatologist and conservationist, Dian Fossey made Volcanoes National Park her base for carrying out her research into the gorillas. She conducted her extensive study on mountain gorillas and saved many of them from 1966 until her 1985 brutal murder.

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Musanze caves

Musanze caves are situated in the district of Musanze in Rwanda at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park. These caves accumulate maximum footfalls as compared to the 52 surveyed caves in Musanze district. Covered in lush greenery, these caves elongate for 2 kilometers and the inside of it are the homes for bats. These caves are good to explore and photograph. You will have a wonderful experience while going through the caves in darkness. The inside atmosphere is quite cool even during summer. The caves look like a house with several rooms and stairs.

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Iby’iwacu cultural village

Iby’iwacu cultural village should be visited to get a complete view of the cultural practices of the three Rwandan tribes – Batwa, Tutsi and Hutu. The village attracts a huge number of tourists from across the world and here you can enjoy learning how to prepare traditional foods, different traditional dances like Ikembe, Ingoma, Intore etc. You should also visit the former king’s palace, traditional herbalists and clinics. You can purchase traditional products like Batwa pottery at the exhibitions. This is located near Volcanoes National Park and its intention is to redefine the lives of ex-mountain gorilla poachers. The village provides a lifetime opportunity to meet and socialize with the locals within and get a fragrance of Rwandan traditions and culture.

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Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu should be visited by everyone as it is one of the African Great Lakes. This is one of the three freshwater lakes which are known to undergo limnic eruptions. According to the geologists, there have been massive local extinctions about every thousand years caused by outgassing events. It also offers splendid beach for relaxation of tourists. You can also enjoy swimming, boat trips, kayaking, limited sport fishing and hot springs here. This is also renowned for the emission of methane by microbial reduction of the volcanic carbon dioxide.

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King’s Palace Museum

King’s Palace Museum is also a beautiful place to visit in Rwanda. It is a beautifully-crafted thatched dwelling shaped like a beehive. Located around 90 kilometers from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, this place gives you the history of King Mutara III Rudahigwa. The royal palace is traditionally built. It gives a detailed look into Rwandan traditional seat of their monarchy. This beautiful museum is totally made with traditional materials. Visiting this place will give tremendous ideas on how early Rwandans used to protect their tall residences from waterproofing, insulation and other natural calamities. You will be able to see the milk jugs in the milkmaid’s hut, woven baskets, beer huts made of banana beer (exclusively for the King), vessels in beer huts, etc. A herd of traditional cattle with distinctive horns can also be seen. Each animal was decorated with woven necklaces and was identified by a unique song sung by the attendants.

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Apart from the above places, there are several places in Rwanda to visit. Some of those renowned locations are Kigali Genocide Memorial, Congo Nile Trail, Ggisuma, Gishwati Forest National Park, Congo-Nile Trail, Akagera National Park, National Art Gallery, National Museum of Rwanda, Inema Arts Centre, Ivuka Arts Gallery to name a few.

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