Activities Offered in Musanze Rwanda
Activities Offered in Musanze Rwanda: Musanze is Rwanda’s most visited metropolitan region due to its tourist attractions. Musanze is the capital and most significant town in Rwanda’s Northern Province. The former name was Ruhengeri, but it has since been altered as part of the country’s new strategy of renaming all of its cities in order to erase memories of the awful genocide while also making administration easier. Musanze is home to the majority of the province’s government administrative and commercial services.
Musanze is Rwanda’s nearest city to the Volcanoes National Park, and as a result, it has excellent views of the Virunga volcanoes. Musanze is therefore a gateway town for visitors to Uganda’s Volcanoes National Park and other attractions.
The city itself is not particularly crowded. In reality, when compared to the major cities and towns in East Africa, it appears relatively unimpressive. Although most visitors to Musanze in Rwanda come to see the Volcanoes National Park and, in especially, the mountain gorillas, there is so much more to do in and around this lovely town.
Activities in Musanze Rwanda.
Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
The Volcanoes National Park is Musanze’s main draw with gorilla trekking being the main tourist activity. The park covers 130 square kilometers and is home to the critically endangered mountain gorilla. Musanze-related activities Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity. Unfortunately, it is a costly endeavour, with a gorilla licence in Rwanda costing a whopping $1500. Mountain gorillas may be found in just four national parks in the world, including Volcanoes.
The Volcanoes National Park gorilla trekking begins at 7:30 a.m. with a briefing from one of the park rangers. Following the briefing, each participant is allocated to one of the 10 habituated gorilla families. Permits for gorillas can be obtained through the Rwanda Development Board’s website or by visiting one of their offices. If the cost of permits is prohibitively expensive, you can follow primates in Uganda’s Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks. The gorilla parks are adjacent and only separated by human bounds.
Hike to Dian Fossey Grave.
This is a full-day exercise that needs the same degree of fitness and commitment as mountain gorilla tracking. Dian Fossey was a brilliant primatologist who was the first to conduct extensive research on mountain gorillas. Dian Fossey found Activities in Musanze how to make mountain gorillas comfortable with humans, allowing gorilla trekking to be feasible, Activities Offered in Musanze Rwanda
She later felt that study was insufficient to safeguard the gorillas and began battling poachers (wildlife traffickers) in the Virunga area. This earned her a lot of enemies, and her death is thought to have been carried out by persons who benefited from poaching and animal trafficking. You may pay your respects to Dian Fossey by visiting her tomb and old research center on the slopes of the Mountains Karisimbi and Bisoke.
The place is isolated and high in elevation, but you will learn a lot about her work with gorillas and her legacy today. If you’re lucky, you could see gorillas and golden monkeys on the steep slopes.
Lake Burera and Ruhondo
These two lakes are close together and are commonly referred to as Rwanda’s twin lakes. They are situated in a location with stunning landscape, tranquillity, and at the foot of the Musanze the Virunga volcanoes. The lakes are similar in natural beauty to Lake Bunyonyi, Mulehe, and Mutanda in Uganda, with excellent birding chances. The lakes are only a 20-minute drive from Musanze (Ruhengeri), but you may easily get there by bike.
When you arrive, you may go for a village tour, kayaking, camping, or bird-watching. Storks, cormorants, cranes, kingfishers, herons, and other water birds are frequent bird species. Boats may be hired for a modest price to carry you to the various islands for incredible photo opportunities. Cyuza Island in Lake Burera is especially good for camping. La Paillotte manages the Lake campground, which seeks to provide wonderful experience and comfort to travelers in the Musanze region. For want of a better description, the view of the Virunga rangers from this little island is absolutely breathtaking.
Visit the Musanze Caves
These caverns date back over a million years. They originated as a result of the eruptions of the volcanoes in the vicinity. Lava erupted, flowed, cooled at the surface, and left molten rock flowing beneath. The molten rock sliding beneath the earth’s surface left behind tunnels, which we now refer to as the Musanze caves. The caverns contain a complex network of tunnels, some of which reach for almost 20 kilometers, Activities Offered in Musanze Rwanda
During Rwanda’s struggle with neighboring tribes, the monarchs used these caverns as a refuge. Everyone is given a torch, helmet, and gloves to use when exploring the Musanze caverns. If you’ve never been in complete darkness, turn off the torch for a few seconds while exploring the caverns.
The Musanze caves are managed by the Rwanda Development Board and may be reached after a 30-minute drive from Musanze town. The caverns cost $50 to enter, and the entire experience takes no more than three hours. Aside from the Musanze caverns, there are around 45 more caves in the region that may be visited. Most are administered by the Rwanda Development Board and continue to operate in their original state.
