Best Places To Tour In Rwanda

Are you looking for the best places to tour in Rwanda during your tour and adventure safari trip? Rwanda has so many attractions that are open for tourism on all days of the year. The small country covering a total size of 26,338 sq. km is located in East Africa and is bordered by Uganda in the north, Kenya in the east, and Tanzania in the south. Rwanda has over 4 national parks and other attractions such as genocide memorials, lakes, and much more.

Most of the tourism in Rwanda is done in volcanoes national park where mountain gorilla trekking is done, Akagera national park which is the only place for game viewing, and Nyungwe forest national park where chimpanzee trekking and canopy are done. Rwanda is doing so much to advertise her tourism and they are mainly focusing on mountain gorillas to attract bug numbers of these tourists. Below is a list of best places to tour in Rwanda during your safari and tour;

Volcanoes national park

Located in the northwestern part of Rwanda, the volcanoes national park is one of the places you don’t have to miss out on while on a safari in Rwanda. The park is located near DR Congo’s Virunga national park and Mgahinga national park of Uganda. These three national parks form what we call the Virunga conservation area.

Volcanoes national park is the most visited national park in Rwanda attracting thousands of tourists into the country who want to spend time with mountain gorillas. Tourists to volcanoes national park have a variety of activities to do in the park among which include golden monkey trekking, gorilla trekking, birding, and much more.

Mountain gorilla trekking is the most done activity in the park and its done among 10 fully habituated mountain gorilla families which are Susa gorilla family, Sabyinyo gorilla family, Agashya gorilla family, Hirwa gorilla family, Amahoro gorilla family, Karisimbi gorilla family, Umubano gorilla family, Kwitonda gorilla family, Ugenda gorilla family, Bwenge gorilla family, and Titus gorilla family.

Trekking of mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park is done by people above the age of 15 years and all these must possess a valid mountain gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla trekking permits for volcanoes national park are bought from Rwanda Development Board at a fee of $1500 per person per trek.

Akagera national park

Akagera national park is the only savannah national park in Rwanda and one of the oldest in Africa having been gazetted in 1934. Akagera national park is located in the eastern part of Rwanda protecting over 8000 large mammals, and 480 bird species.

Game viewing is only done in Akagera national park in Rwanda and it’s the most done activity. Game viewing safaris in Akagera national park  exposes you to see animals such as hyenas, lions, hippos, buffaloes, zebras, rhinos, crocodiles, elephants, leopards, topis, impalas, elands and so many others. Game drives are conducted in the early morning hours and evening hours in this park. Apart from game viewing, tourists to Akagera national park can do activities like birding, boat cruises, nature walks, community cultural experiences, and fishing among others.

Nyungwe forest national park

Gazetted in 2004, Nyungwe forest national park is one of the places in Rwanda which tourists shouldn’t miss visiting while on a safari. Nyungwe is located in the southwestern of Rwanda in Rusizi in the Albertine rift region. Nyungwe forest national park is most visited for chimpanzee trekking although there are other primates found in this park such as owl faced monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons among others.

Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity in Nyungwe forest national park and it’s only in this park where the activity is done. The activity is done after a briefing where ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle to search for the chimpanzees and on meeting them, they are given 1 hour to be around them.

The canopy walk is the other done activity in Nyungwe forest national park so tourists in Rwanda should be part of it to have an aerial view of the park. The canopy walk was introduced in 2010 as an activity and it’s an exhilarating experience done on a suspended bridge 90 meters long and 50 meters above the ground. The canopy walk gives tourists an aerial view of the park, animals, and surroundings.

Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is located on the borders of Rwanda with DR Congo and among the best places to tour in Rwanda for relaxation and holiday trip.  The lake is a good place to relax after doing some activities like golden monkey trekking or gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park. If you are a honeymoon traveler or in love. All in all, Lake Kivu is one of the best places to visit in Rwanda.

What is the best time to tour places in Rwanda?

Tourists can visit any of the places above in Rwanda at any time of the year but there are some months that are better than the rest. The drier months are best for visiting Rwanda and these are June to September and December to February. During these months there is little or no rainfall in the country, the trekking trails and game trucks in the park are dry, the vegetation in the tourism places is thin and the roads leading to different destinations are passable.

Tourists can also visit Rwanda for any activity in the rainy season. The rainy season in Rwanda happened in months march, may, October and November and tourists who are planning to visit the country in these months need to know that there is plenty of rainfall this time, the part trails and game trucks are muddy and slippery, vegetation in the parks is thick giving un clear views of the animals and birds and lastly roads leading to the park are impassable. The rainy season in Rwanda favors budget travelers because they enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities.