Rwanda with
the three national parks, a thriving capital city, spectacular mountain scenery
and some surprisingly diverse wildlife, has plenty to occupy a longer holiday
and certainly deserves further exploration. Today, Rwanda has one of the
fastest growing economies in Africa. Yet for most people, it inevitably
conjures up images of the fateful genocide of 1994, when almost a million
people died. Whilst the genocide is a massive part of its history, twenty years
on Rwanda has evolved into a united, proud and optimistic country that warmly
welcomes its visitors and provides a truly memorable and inspiring holiday.
Where to
go on a Rwanda holiday
Volcanoes
National Park is among Rwanda’s three parks and is the place that most people
come to on holiday because of its renowned residents, the mountain gorillas.
Rwanda’s gorilla trekking is its biggest attraction. Less well-known holiday
options are Akagera National Park on its eastern border and Nyungwe Forest
National Park in the south.
Akagera National
Park in Rwanda is the only park with traditional safaris offering good wildlife
opportunities, although not on the scale of the parks in Kenya or Tanzania. Akagera
scenery is beautiful - it could be described as Rwanda’s Lake District - and
worth visiting for that alone. In stark contrast, Nyungwe is dense rainforest
with interesting hiking trails, bird watching and primate spotting. The parks
are easily accessible by road, so a circuit of all three perhaps including the
beautiful shore of Lake Kivu and the capital, Kigali, can make a fascinating
and diverse holiday.
Gorilla tracking
safaris in Rwanda
This is
an ultimate wildlife experience and the reason why most people come here on
holiday: sitting within a small family group of gorillas is a 'must' for
serious wildlife enthusiasts. This is where Dian Fossey first brought the
world’s attention to the plight of these majestic primates in the late 1960s,
when only around 250 survived. Today their numbers worldwide have increased to
some 880, split between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
almost half of them live in Rwanda.
Mountain
gorilla survival is one of Africa’s greatest conservation success stories, and
tourism has played its role in this. Rwanda is regarded as probably the best
destination for a gorilla tracking safari. Your permitted hour with these great
apes promises to be a priceless encounter that will remain with you long after
your holiday is over.
Primate
holidays in Rwanda
Nyungwe
Forest National Park hosts thirteen different primate species, among them are
the chimpanzees and Rwenzori colobus, both of which can be tracked. Nyungwe’s colobus monkeys can sometimes be
seen in spectacular troops of several hundred, believed to be among the largest
numbers worldwide. And in Volcanoes National Park, two groups of endangered
golden monkeys have been habituated for visitor tracking. Pretty and playful,
they’re a delight to watch.
‘Rwanda
holidays
Akagera
National Park in the east of the country is worth exploring. Scenically it is
one of Africa’s best parks, with rolling hills and deep valleys, open savannah
plains to the north and lakes and papyrus swamps on its eastern border. The
park includes the largest protected wetlands in Central Africa and is home to
some 8,000 animals and over 480 species of birds, making Akagera an interesting
destination for a bird watching holiday.
When to
go on a Rwanda Safari Vacation
Vacations
in Rwanda run all year around, but the most popular times to travel are in the
long dry season from June to September, and the shorter dry season around
December to February. If you’re intending to track gorillas, you’ll need to
plan your holiday well ahead to secure Gorilla permits – especially around July
to September. Rwanda’s main rainy season is from March to May, with shorter
rains in October and November.
Rwanda’s
genocide
It will
be naive to suggest that the entire nation has moved on, a holiday here leaves
you with an overwhelming sense of the people’s optimism and national pride, and
their determination that genocide must never happen again. There are no
different distinctions with the people in Rwanda but all call themselves
Rwandese with no distinctions between Tutsis and Hutus. Each year, from April
to July, commemorations called Kwibuka take place as part of the country’s
healing process. And at any time of year, a visit to Kigali’s Genocide Memorial
is important in understanding Rwanda’s history and the events leading up to the
genocide. It may seem an unlikely holiday attraction but it is in fact a
beautiful, peaceful place that is testament to Rwanda’s strength and spirit of
reconciliation.
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