Rwanda Travel Advice 2024

Rwanda Travel Advice 2024: It is home to rolling green hills, volcanoes, gorillas and other primates, one-third of Africa’s bird species, and friendly people. You might want to know that a Rwanda safari takes place in a small nation with two major attractions: the endangered mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park and the 1994 genocide monument in Kigali.

For a more comprehensive primate experience, combine gorilla trekking with chimp trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park or a visit to observe golden monkeys at Volcanoes National Park.

Which places can you visit on your Rwanda Safari?

Akagera National Park.

Akagera is a traditional savannah reserve that has just completed an ambitious restoration effort to become a fully-fledged Big Five safari destination, making it an excellent complement to the primate-focused wildlife viewing available in Volcanoes and Nyungwe National Parks.

The setting, like that of Rwanda’s other national parks, is spectacular: a chain of low grassy mountains that slope down to a tract of undulating most savannah hemmed in by an extensive wetland with a dozen lakes, extensive papyrus swamps, and a labyrinth of channels fed by the meandering Akagera River.

After suffering greatly from poaching and encroachment during the 1990s, Akagera was put under the active supervision of the non-profit African Parks Network in 2010. Since then, the boundaries have been fenced, the range of tourist activities has been expanded to include guided walks, boat trips, and night drives, and an ongoing reintroduction program has resulted in the return of lions and black rhino, allowing visitors to see all of the Big Five, which also includes buffalo, elephant, and leopard. Other species is numerous, and the birdlife is particularly spectacular, making Akagera an excellent addition to gorilla tracking in the Virunga Mountains.

Akagera provides outstanding Big Five game watching. Buffaloes are abundant and easily visible, elephants are quite numerous but more difficult to locate, and leopards are becoming more prevalent on night drives.

By 2005, both lions and black rhinos had been poached to extinction, but they have subsequently been restored. Seven lions were brought in from South Africa in 2015, followed by another two in 2017, and more than a dozen cubs have since been born at the park. May 2017 witnessed the arrival of 18 black rhinos, one of which had previously given birth to a healthy calf.

Volcanoes National Park.

The 160km2 Volcanoes National Park, which protects the Rwandan part of the Virunga Mountains, is most known for Dian Fossey’s pioneering research of mountain gorillas in the wild in 1966, as well as the site of the Oscar-nominated film Gorillas in the Mist, which was shot on location in 1988. It is one of Africa’s most beautiful national parks, consisting of a chain of six extinct and three active volcanoes with high forest-covered slopes connected by fertile saddles caused by solidified lava flows.

The Virungas, which share a border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are home to more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas, with Rwanda hosting a dozen habituated groups for whom 96 monitoring permits are given each day.

Monitoring mountain gorillas in the Virungas is high on practically every traveler’s must-do list. And reality rarely disappoints. Gorillas are more closely related to humans than any other species except chimps, and the sheer size of these fascinating apes – a silverback may reach 200kg – is quite amazing. Meanwhile, the fact that travelers may frequently approach gorillas to within a few metres demonstrates their incredible peaceful nature.

True, the trek up might be strenuous. You’ll be ascending steep hills amid dense foliage at a height of more than 2,500 meters – it’s not called the rainforest for nothing. But the payoff, a magnificent hour spent with nature’s quintessential gentle giants, is simply one of the world’s most thrilling and emotionally charged animal encounters.

Nyungwe Forest National Park.

The 1,015km² Nyungwe Forest National Park, located on the raised ridge between Africa’s two biggest drainage systems, the Nile and the Congo, preserves the greatest tract of montane rainforest in East Africa. The park is a biodiversity hotspot, with over 1,050 plant species identified, including 200 orchid variations, as well as 85 animals, 310 bird, 32 amphibians, and 38 reptile species. Most tourists are drawn to the ability to monitor a habituated troop of chimpanzees, but the park also has a dozen other primate species, the most visible of which are the acrobatic Ruwenzori colobus and the stunning L’Hoest’s monkey.

Nyungwe is also very appealing to birders since it hosts all but two of the 29 Albertine Rift Endemics that live on the eastern rift escarpment, as well as the dazzling great blue turaco, which is frequently seen in small groups flying awkwardly over a road or woodland clearing. It also hosts East Africa’s unique suspended canopy walkway.

A gratifying aim for those with limited time, a relict woodland area in a valley on the Gisakura Tea Estate houses a habituated and rather readily photographed troop of Ruwenzori colobuses, as well as a variety of other primates.

A road encircles the forest, providing fine views into the canopy and the opportunity to identify a variety of forest fringe and woodland species such as black-throated Apalis, white-tailed crested flycatcher, Chubb’s Cisticola, montane oriole, and two species of Crimsonwing. Tours of the tea factory are also available.

The Uwinka Interpretation Centre and Canopy Walkway, built by USAID, is the focal point of a network of six color-coded pathways that wind through the area of a habituated troop of 300 or more Ruwenzori colobus monkeys. The centerpiece is a 200-meter-long, 40-meter-high suspended metallic canopy walkway that provides an excellent bird’s-eye view of a steep forested valley cut through by a narrow stream.

Kigali City

Kigali, founded in 1907, was a tiny administrative center during the colonial era, with a population of less than 6,000 when it was chosen as the capital of newly independent Rwanda in 1962 due to its central location. Today, this astonishingly tidy and modern-looking highland metropolis sprawls beautifully across a range of hills at heights ranging from 1,300 to 1,600 meters, with a population of well over one million people.

Kigali is largely recognized as Africa’s cleanest city, thanks in part to a longtime statewide ban on plastic bags (in 2008, it became the first African municipality to receive the United Nations’ annual Habitat Scroll of Honor award).

It is also Rwanda’s principal port of entry, hosting the country’s only international airport, and its central location makes it an excellent starting point for further exploration. Top tourist sites in Kigali city include; Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Kandt House Museum, Kimironko market, Inema Arts Centre and Nyamirambo Women’s Centre among others.

When is the best time to visit Rwanda for gorilla trekking?

The optimum time to visit Rwanda for a gorilla walk is during the long dry season (June to September) or the short dry season (mid-December to early February). These seasons provide easier trekking conditions.

Why should you visit Rwanda?

The opportunity to see endangered and famous mountain gorillas is undoubtedly the highlight of the Rwandan trip. Rwanda, on the other hand, has some incredibly green places, as well as woods and a diverse bird population. Rwanda is commonly referred to as ‘the land of a thousand hills’.

Which country is best for gorilla trekking, Rwanda or Uganda?

Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda is extremely comparable and offers the same type of life-changing experience. However, because Uganda has more gorillas, you are less likely to be disappointed because you will see more of them.

Where can you change your money in Rwanda?

The Rwandan franc (RWF) has a favorable exchange rate with the majority of international currencies. Major international credit/debit cards, such as MasterCard and Visa, can be used to withdraw local money at 24-hour ATMs in most cities and towns, but not in national parks.

Many sellers, however, do not accept cards, so it’s a good idea to have a few hundred dollars in hard currency cash as a backup. The Euro is the most generally recognized hard money, but US dollars and, to a lesser extent, British pounds sterling are also extensively used.

About Food and Tipping in Rwanda.

Tipping is not customary at restaurants or pubs that cater mostly to local customers, yet a little gesture would be appreciated by the recipient.

Tourist-oriented eateries function in a similar manner to those in Europe. A 10% tip for the waiter is customary, depending on the level of service. Hotel porters normally anticipate a tip of about US$1 per item of luggage. Tip in local money if feasible; locals may find it difficult to exchange modest sums of hard currency into Rwandan francs.
It is normal to tip guides during national park activities such as gorilla tracking or hiking. If you need a porter, ask your guide about the charge and provide a modest tip if they work well.

In summary; Rwanda is, absolutely, the ideal site in Africa to participate in what is possibly the world’s most exhilarating wildlife encounter: trailing mountain gorillas across the high bamboo- and forest-covered slopes of the Virunga Mountains.

No two encounters are ever the same, but whether it’s a 200kg silverback relaxing on the forest trail, a curious mother staring questioningly into your eyes, or a youngster clumsily attempting to climb a liana, coming face to face with these gentle giants is always an incredible experience.