Rwanda

Rwanda is a country which has seen an immense transformation since 1994, today it’s considered to be one of the best tourist destinations to see the famed majestic mountain gorillas of Africa. And it is becoming more and more popular due to the current cost of safaris.

It’s received the title of ‘land of a thousand hills’ for its lush rolling mountains, volcanoes and valleys. Rwanda really is a magical world of wildlife; culture and adventure, here are 5 national parks to visit on your trip to Rwanda.

Volcanoes National Park – Gorilla Trekking

Volcanoes National Park is the Rwanda Gorilla Safaris Destination. This 160km² national park protects the Rwandan sector of the Virunga Mountains, range of six extinct and three active volcanoes which straddles the borders with Uganda and the DRC. The Volcanoes Park is part of a contiguous 433km² Trans frontier conservation unit that also includes the Virungas National Park and Mgahinga National Park, which protects the DRC and Ugandan sectors of the Virungas respectively. The three national parks are managed separately today ( that is if the word “managed can be applied to any park in the DRC at the time of writing). Prior to 1960, however, the Volcanoes and Virungas Parks together formed the Albert National Park.
Under Belgian colonization, the Albert National Park was established by the decree of 21 April 1925 in the triangle (considered a gorilla sanctuary ) formed by the Karisimbi, Mikeno and Visoke  volcanoes. At the time of its creation it was the first national park in Africa to be known as such. The institute dup arc national Albert was created by decree on 9 July 1929. A further decree on 12 November 1935 determined the final boundaries of the Albert National Park, then covering 809,000ha. About 8% of the park lay in what is now Rwanda and today constitutes the Volcanoes National Park, while the rest was in the Congo. At the time of independence, Rwanda’s new leaders confirmed that they would maintain the (the mountain gorillas were already well known international) despite the pressing problem of overpopulation.

Ranging in altitude from 2400km to 4,507 the Volcanoes National Park is dominated by the setting of volcanoes after which it is named. This chain of steep, all free standing mountains linked by fertile saddles which were formed by solidified  lava flows , is one of the most stirring and memorable sights in East Africa . The tallest mountain in the chain, and the most westerly part of the national park, is Karisimbi on the border with the DRC. Moving eastward, the other main peaks within the national park are Visoke on the DRC border; Sabinyo at the juncture of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC, and Gahinga and Muhabura on the Uganda border.

Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Tracking Permits

Eight gorilla permits per day are available for gorilla trekking in each of the five habituated groups in the volcanoes Park.  At the time of writing, three habituated groups stay within tracking range on a permanent basis, while two others spend most of their time in the volcanoes park but occasionally cross the boarder into Uganda or the DRC.  This means that up to 40 gorilla permits can be issued daily, depending on the movement of the gorillas.  Trackers are not allocated a specific group in advance but the guides make a concerted effort to match people to a group based on their apparent fitness – Sabinyo and Group Thirteen being the last demanding hikes and Susa the most challenging.

A gorilla tracking permit effectively costs US$750 (including park entrance fees).  It can be bought in advance through the ORTPN office in Kigali or through Rwanda tour operators in Kigali and abroad

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is one of the three protected areas in Rwanda situated in the Eastern province of Rwanda along the boarder with Tanzania just about 2-3 hour’s drive from Kigali city Rwanda’s largest and capital. The park is named for the Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into several lakes the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The park covers an area of approximately 1,200km2 and it was founded in 1934 to protect animals from poachers. Since Rwanda is known as a land of a ‘’thousand hills’’ These highlands provide spectacular views over the expanse of lakes and swamps. And Akagera has its fair share of mountainous terrain. And it is the largest protected wetland in central Africa. The Akagera national park is considered as one of the National Parks with abundant wildlife to mention some include giraffe, leopard, hyena, bush buck, antelopes, elephants, hippos and crocodiles can be seen in the Lake plus also various species of birds that feed on and around the lake. For visitors interested in Rwanda tours, Akagera national Park is worth visting.

Nyungwe National Park _On a Rwanda Safari

Nyungwe forest national park located in southwestern Rwanda is among the diverse ecosystems in the country a home to a number of primate species. Set a side from city noise and congestion, a day at Nyungwe forest national park is very memorable as what you only here are the sounds of insects and birds in the forest and a sight of a dense green forest. There are a number of primates in this forest, which include the chimpanzees and a variety of monkeys that mainly include the l’hoest monkeys, colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, velvet monkeys as well as baboons.

Of all the primates in the forest, chimpanzees are the most popular and are therefore the core wildlife attraction in this park. Living in groups ranging from 10 and above, the chimpanzees are very mobile and always on the move from one place to another some jumping over tree branches. A chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda offers great wildlife encounters and experiences as one goes deep in the middle of the forest viewing many other wildlife species.

Nyungwe forest being very thick, evaporation rates are very high and rain fall therefore very unpredictable. This means that rain can occur at any time of the day and much as it sounds disturbing for rain to get you in the middle of the forest, it gives another African wild safari experience.

RWANDAN CULTURE :

Despite Rwanda’s background, her culture has stayed untouched since precolonial times, Rwanda as a nation comprises of only one tribe of Banyarwanda people who share a single language and cultural heritage this explains well as to why their culture has with stood the test of times. Publicly Rwanda celebrates Eleven National Holidays all year round besides other other others that are occasionally inserted by the government for example Gorilla Naming ceremony.

After a horrifying 1994 Genocide, the government of Rwanda set aside a week of mourning for her fallen citizens she lost in the genocide this takes place a week following Genocide Memorial Day on 7 April

Much the same as other society in Africa, It is what has kept the young men and women active in their culture. Music and move are a great piece of Rwandan services, celebrations, social get-together, and narrating. The most popular customary move is Intore, a very choreographed routine comprising of three parts – the aerial artistry, performed by ladies; the move of saints, performed by men, and the drums. Customarily, music is transmitted orally with styles changing between the social gatherings. Drums are of incredible vitality, the regal drummers having appreciated high status inside the court of the mwami. Drummers generally play together in gatherings of seven or nine.

Rwanda has a developing prevalent music industry, impacted by East African, Congolese and American music. The most prevalent types are hip-jump and R&b, regularly mixed with ragea and move pop. Well known nearby specialists incorporate The Ben and Meddy, both of whom have won honors, and later craftsmen like Miss Shanel, Kitoko, Riderman, Tom Close, King James and others.

Bark cloth and animal skins was the Traditional ware of the Banyarwanda before the coming of the Arabs to Trade with them.