While considering a visit to any African country this year – Rwanda should be the first country to click your mind as it is regarded as one of Africa’s most beautiful, most peaceful, cleanest and one of the most stable and smallest countries in all of Africa. Rwanda is known for its Volcanoes, Montane Forests, Pristine Lakes, clean towns and cities, its culture and history which alone is a very good reason to visit Rwanda. Rwanda is a home of misty rolling hills, terraced mountain sides but read on as to why you should visit Rwanda – the Land of a Thousand Hills.
1. Serene Beauty
Explore Rwanda’s hills and mountains that attract people to come and see. Rwanda’s thousands Hills are a place where God comes to rest – a gentle nudge toward “Rwanda” by the creator himself who find rest, peace, renewal in the Hills of Rwanda. Every visitor is deeply touched by the seeming endless hills that dot the Rwandan countryside in the heart of Africa. Sounds like a good enough reason for you to come and visit Rwanda – the land of a thousand Hills.
2. See the Mountain Gorillas
Have ever watched a movie entitled “Gorillas in the Mist” by Dian Fossey? Then come to Rwanda to practically see gorillas in the mist in the Volcano national park. Wake up in the morning and look toward the volcanoes where you will be heading to track the endangered mountain gorillas and what greets you is the pleasant mist over the mountains and valleys of Rwanda shrouding the Virunga Volcanoes – home of the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda.
3. Wild Chimpanzees
With a visit to Rwanda, you will be able to reveal the hidden treasures of Nyungwe Forest National Park – a vast track of Montane Forest that spills even over into Burundi. Nyungwe is a home to 13 different primates – almost 25% of Africa’s primates including chimpanzees, hundreds of birds some only found only in this Forest. Nyungwe is also a home to East and Central Africa’s only Canopy Forest Walk. 50 meters above the ground – you can observe the primates, birds and butterflies as they move through and among the treetops of the Park.
4. Explore the Volcanoes National Park
Spend some time in Rwanda exploring Volcanoes National Park – not only for mountain gorilla trekking and Golden Monkey tracking in the Bamboo Forests but also volcano climbing and hiking in day-hikes or overnight hikes. Visit Lakes in the foothills of the volcanoes, hike up to the former research station of Dian Fossey – see the remnants of her former home and the graveyard of her beloved Gorillas and her own final resting place. The Virunga Volcanoes – more than home to the Mountain Gorillas but also a place for hike and climbs, for birding, for golden monkey tracking.
6. Immerse in Unique Culture
Don’t leave without exploring the Rwanda’s unique Culture and rich Heritage–living treasure to be experienced and admired by visitors to the Land of a thousand hills. Enjoy Intore dance in cultural performances or learn arts and crafts from Villages. Whether it is a village stay or village visit – Rwanda’s culture is all around you for you to experience and take with you in thoughts, pictures and lasting memories.
7. Visit Genocide Memorial Sites
Discover the Trail of Tears and Sorrows through visiting Rwanda’s Sacred Places including the Genocide Memorials found in various parts of Rwanda. The Genocide of 1994 in Rwanda left close to one million people cruelly murdered– It was a tribal war by the Hutu against the Tutsi People. The memorials not only are a place of mourning and remembrance but places of triumph over evil that being so visible all over the new Rwanda where people are no longer Tutsi, Hutu or Twa but Rwandans. “Never Again.”
9. Relax at the Lake Kivu
In a landlocked nation, Lake Kivu gives you another reason to visit the Land of a Thousand Hills. Come, relax and chill out after volcano climbs, gorilla and chimpanzee treks across Rwanda in a place of scenic loveliness and enjoyable beaches where you can be instead of just do while on safari in Rwanda. Spend a few days along Lake Kivu’s sandy beaches, enjoying its tropical islands, maybe some fishing, boating, nature walks but mostly relaxing under the tropical sun along Lake Kivu.