Rwanda is a landlocked country which lies on the eastern rim of the Albertine Rift, a western arm of the Great Rift Valley. Rwanda has an evergreen landscape and also has a thousand hills. It is therefore referred to as the Land of many hills. It is a beautiful country with many adventures, tours and safaris. These include; gorilla tracking, cultural interaction, wildlife safaris, chimpanzee tracking, city tours and bird watching. The best place for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is within the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes which are covered with bamboo. This is also where the late Dian Fossey studied the characteristics of the endangered mountain gorilla for 20 years.
The Akagera National Park is the only Savannah park in Rwanda. This park is ideal for game viewing. It is in this park where you will have a chance to view and photograph the big five (lion, elephant, Buffalo, leopard and rhino). You also get to see other animals such as giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, hippos and over a dozen species of antelopes. The hippos and crocodiles are normally found along river Akagera where they lie in wait for animals as they come to drink water. Lake Kivu is the deepest freshwater lake in Africa. It is situated in Rwanda and has gorgeous islands and beaches. It is also a wildlife heritage for tourism.
The Nyungwe National Forest Park is the largest block of mountain forests in central Africa. It is an ideal site for tracking chimpanzees and the beautiful golden monkeys. Chimpanzee and gorilla tracking takes many hours of walking in the thick forest, this makes the safari quite tiresome. However, this is worth it especially after seeing these endangered relatives and watching their behavior which is similar to that of human beings. It is important to keep your distance for your safety. In addition, avoid flash lights when photographing.
For those people who love bird watching, Akagera and the Viruga Volcanoes are the best sites in Rwanda. From these two sites, you can watch about 650 species of birds. Of this, 44 species are only spotted in Rwanda. These birds include the little bee- eater, the eagle, owl, Sunbird, shoebill and many others. A safari to Rwanda also gives you an opportunity to interact with the local people. From this interaction you get to learn about their history including the 1994 genocide where hundreds of people including children were killed. You also get to learn more about this by visiting the Genocide Memorial Site.