Though attracting an increasing number of travelers, lured by the pull of gorilla trekking, Rwanda safaris are unlike most safaris you would embark on in Africa; and there are still a number of spots worth exploring. The country’s winding alpine roads and narrow valleys are alive with agriculturalists tending their crops, fishermen in dug-out canoes, and women gathering tea on terraced hillsides. In addition, cavernous blue lakes, sweeping savannah and tropical, misty rainforest abound with wildlife just waiting to be discovered…
Here are the top ten highlights of what you could expect on a visit to le pays des milles collines (land of a thousand hills), or the little ‘Switzerland of Africa’:
• Fabulous flora and fauna: Nyungwe National Park boasts stunning waterfalls, luminous tea plantations, birds, butterflies and buttresses. It also plays host to a gorgeous orchid garden, containing several different varieties of these delicate beauties.
• Up in the Clouds: For the high and mighty, East Africa’s only forest canopy walkway has recently been built in Rwanda. Offering spectacular bird’s eye views over the forest, it’s also a great vantage point for some eye-to-eye monkey business…
• Coastal Retreats: Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s deepest freshwater lakes, is the perfect destination to complement Rwanda safaris, due to its picturesque location, colourful resort towns and sandy beaches. Windsurfing and kayaking are popular activities on the lake, as well as a spot of fishing for any of you handy with a rod.
• Cultural Heartbeat: Visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Centre of Rwanda, which offers a chance to experience Rwandan rural culture through walks, dancing, archery, cooking, crafts, not to mention, a taste of the local banana brew and the famous ‘Songs of the Gorillas’!
• Kigali Chic: Rwanda’s sophisticated capital should definitely not be missed from your itinerary. Sip red wine on the terrace of the Hotel des Milles Collines (the original Hotel Rwanda), and don’t forget to make a poignant visit to the Genocide Memorial Museum.
• Monkey Business: Rwanda is a top spot for primates and that’s before we even get to the Mountain Gorillas, for which the country is renowned. Nyungwe Forest National Park hosts dozens of species, including the rare Golden Monkey, Chimpanzees, Black & White Colobus Monkeys and Baboons, to name a few.
• Animal Parade: In Rwanda’s Eastern province, Rwanda safaris start in Akagera National Park – an oasis for all the usual safari suspects you would expect to see from an open topped jeep, including giraffes, hippos, lions, crocodiles, elephants and buffalo. Currently undergoing something of a transformation, Akagera will soon rival some of East Africa’s beat known national parks for game viewing.
• Fine Fish Cuisine: Dine by Lake Muhazi, under the shade of a tree full of weaver birds and watch the kingfishers, crested cranes and the otters diving for their own catch of the day…
• For the Active: Mountain biking over Rwanda’s 1,000 hills presents a highlight for the adventure seekers. Why not try out the 230km Congo-Nile trail, which provides fantastic views of the Congolese mountains, as well as the active volcano Nyiragongo.
• The Great Apes: & finally of course, follow in the footsteps of Dian Fossey and visit the rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas, with a trek through their rainforest refuge in Volcanoes National Park. As wildlife encounters go, a meeting with a majestic Silverback surely has to top the bill?