Known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda is one of the amazing destinations to enjoy a safari holiday. Visit Rwanda and see the mountain gorillas, enjoy sightseeing in a country full of a string of volcanoes that comprise the Virunga Mountains, go chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest, enjoy game viewing in Akagera National park, cultural tours and more. A safari to Rwanda is ever the best as the country is blessed with very many tourist attractions, so it’s up to you to choose from a variety of these many attractions. Some of Rwanda attractions vary from park to park as each national park has its own unique features. The country is gifted with three recognized national parks and all these parks can be seen if you decide to take a Rwanda Tour of at least 6 days. You can enjoy all the gifted creatures in these parks.
For wildlife lovers, Visit Akagera national park. This park is blessed with very many wildlife species some of them can be seen elsewhere in the world. It’s blessed with over 54 mammal species include buffalo, lion, Elephant, Hippo, Bush buck, Water buck, Reed buck, Warthogs, Hyena, among others.
Nyungwe Forest National Park
Rwanda’s Nyungwe national park is known as a premium places in the world for chimpanzee tracking/trekking, chimps share almost 98% of human DNA the park is located in the southwestern part of Rwanda, over 13 species of primates live in this park. chimpanzee is the major highlight, other species include the black and white colobus monkey, golden monkey, red tailed monkey, baboon, civet monkey, owl-faced monkey, more than 300 Colobus monkeys, mona monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys the list is endless, chimpanzee tracking safaris are available to this park among other interesting adventurous activities like forest walk, bird watching safaris and community walks to the neighboring communities.
Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla trekking is the most popular adventure that you should not miss during your safari in Rwanda. Not only in Rwanda, gorilla trekking has become one of the most popular thing to do in Africa. Today many tourists opt for a gorilla tour in Uganda or Rwanda to enjoy this moving experience that is available all year round for wildlife enthusiasts. A Gorilla trek is the most popular adventure activity that brings tourists in Rwanda. This adventure is done in the Volcanoes National Park within northern Rwanda. Mountain gorilla safaris are available from different tour operators and these trips range from day trips to long safaris.
The Volcanoes National Park is located within a distance of just about 2-3 hours’ drive from the Kigali Rwanda’s capital city. The park is situated in the northwestern part of Rwanda. Access to the park can also be available in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Other interesting tourist adventures that you can take in Volcanoes National Park include
- Volcanoes hikes of Mount Sabyinyo and Karisimbi,
- Golden monkey tracking – Golden monkeys are a world order of old monkeys only found in the Virunga. These primates are also categorised as endangered
- visiting the nearby genocide memorial site and cultural sites,
- Visit local markets, the national museum and other interesting places.
For more information about exploring the park check the Volcanoes Rwanda Travel Guide
Birds
On any Rwandan safari expect to see a variety of species of birds. Rwanda is a home to a good number of Africa’s bird species. Each park hosts plenty of birds! For bird lovers taking a birding safari is a must visit. Some of the species you should not miss are Papyrus gonolek, shoebill stock, the Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Mountain Sooty Boubou, Rwenzori Batis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Archer’s Robin-chat, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Grauer’s Rush, Neumann’s and Grauer’s Warbles, Masked Mountain Apalis, Stripe-breasted and many others.