Rwanda
Rwanda is a beautiful country located in East Africa commonly referred to as the land of a thousand hills. This country is bordered by Uganda in the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.
Kigali is the capital of Rwanda which extends across hills and valleys with connections available to the rest of the towns. The clean streets of Kigali are among the aspects which are mentioned when discussing this country as a tourist destination.
Another special aspect of Rwanda are the gorillas which can be seen in Volcanoes national park. Rwanda prides in its gorillas which are seen in this national park at a cost of USD 1500 for a gorilla tracking experience.
The streets in Rwanda are cleaned on a community day which is referred to as “Umuganda” which engages the people in cleaning the streets. “Umuganda” is scheduled on the last Saturday of every month and is a form of self-help and cooperation which promotes togetherness among its people.
Different charitable activities also take place on this day in Rwanda and they include farming for those who are unable to cultivate for themselves such as the physically handicapped, building houses for the poor, providing transportation to medical facilities for those who are in need.
Kigali gives the tourists a unique and memorable experience as they explore the city and with beautiful sights of the rest of its surroundings. Kigali city is slowly developing with different buildings coming up such as malls, hotels, shopping centers, museums, genocide sites, and many others.
The beauty of Rwanda can also be seen among its people who are hospitable and the tribes include the Hutu, the Tutsi, and the Twa. This country also has different attractions such as the national parks, cultural attractions, arts and crafts, festivals, museums, genocide sites, sights and landmarks, and many others.
The national parks in Rwanda include Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe national park, and Akagera national park. This country also offers unique experiences and is blessed with a variety of wildlife species, a montane rainforest, volcanoes, and plains.
Volcanoes national park is located in the northwestern part of Rwanda. This national park is known for the gorillas which can be seen in the steep slopes of this national park in the mountain ranges which are the habitat for the gorillas.
Volcanoes national park is characterized by steep slopes, green rainforest, open grassland, swamp, and heath as well as montane vegetation. Gorilla Trekking is done through the rainforest where different bird species can also be seen as well as other wildlife species such as the golden monkey.
Some of the attractions in volcanoes national park include the Musanze caves. The activities which are carried out in volcanoes national park include hiking, canoeing, mountain biking as well as cultural experiences.
Nyungwe national park is known for the chimpanzees and a variety of wildlife species which include primates such as the l’hoest monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, colobus monkeys, and many others. Bird species can also be seen during a visit to Nyungwe national park and the bird species include the red collared warbler, purple breasted sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, and many other species.
Activities in Nyungwe national park include hiking, chimpanzee tracking, canopy walk, birding among others. The canopy walk through the Nyungwe forest is a highlight of a visit to this national park and it offers amazing views of the treetops.
Nyungwe national park is also bordered by tea plantations and Nyungwe acts as a major water catchment area for Rwanda and it supplies the rest of the country with water.
Another national park in is Akagera national park which is located in the northeastern part of Rwanda is a wildlife viewing destination and this national park is famous for the big five which include the buffalo, rhino, lions, leopard and the elephant.
The currency which is used in this country is called the Rwanda francs. Different currencies can be converted into Rwanda francs during a visit to this country for easy transactions. Many financial facilities such as banks are available around the country to ease these financial transactions.
General information about Rwanda includes the following; the time zone is GMT+2, the different languages spoken include French, English, and Kinyarwanda and the dialing code is +250.
The transport means used in Rwanda include air transport, water transport, and road transport. The airports in this country include Kigali international airport, Butare airport, Gisenyi airport, Kamembe airport, Ruhengeri airport.
The streets in Rwanda are clean with a good road network connecting to different towns within the country. Water transport is commonly done along Lake Kivu. Other lakes in this country include Lake Ruhondo, Lake Burera, Lake Muhazi, and many others.
Rwanda also has other physical features some of which include mountains, hills, rivers, and forests. Mountains include mountain Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga. Rivers in this country include river Kagera, Nyabarongo river, Akanyaru river, and others.
Forests in Rwanda act as habitat for wildlife species and they include Nyungwe forest, Mukura forest. This country also has forest reserves which include Gishwati national forest reserve.
There are 2 seasons in Rwanda which are the rainy season and the dry season. The rain seasons are in the months of February – May, and September – December. Dry season are in the months of June to September.
Rwanda is also known for the 1994 genocide which claimed the lives of many of the people in this country as a result of conflicts between the Hutu and the Tutsi. Different genocide sites have been put in place as a reminder of what happened during the genocide and a lesson to the people in Rwanda to maintain peace among themselves to avoid another mass killing of people.
The different memorial sites in Rwanda include Kigali memorial site, Murambi genocide memorial, Nyamata genocide memorial, Nyanza genocide memorial, Bisesero genocide memorial, Ntarama genocide memorial, Nyarubuye genocide memorial.
Rwanda is recognized for its strong efforts aimed at moving forward after the genocide and promoting togetherness among its people. The togetherness of the people in this country and their hospitality is one of the attributes which have attracted many tourists to visit the land of a thousand hills.
Rwanda has a rich cultural heritage with different tribes including the Hutu and the Tutsi as well as the Twa people. The Twa people who also live in this country are considered the forgotten people of the genocide. The Twa or Batwa are mainly forest dwellers and are dispersed around the country in small groups.
Traditions and customs among the people of Rwanda include their traditional dances performed by different dance troupes such as the intore dance troupe. Some of the locations where these traditional dances can be seen include the Iby’lwacu village, the national museum of Rwanda and many other locations.
Rwanda has different exports which include tea and coffee which is grown along the beautiful hilly slopes and in different locations around the country. The coffee tours take the tourists through the growing and production processes from the nursery beds, coffee plantations, picking coffee, washing, selection, drying, fermenting and other processes.
Rwandan arts and crafts can be seen in the different locations around this country which include art galleries such as Inema arts center, Niyo art gallery, Kigali arts center, Tongo art gallery, Imigongo art center, and many others. Festivals include the “kwita izina” festival which is an event where gorillas are named. Other festivals include tournaments, international food fairs, film festivals, beer festivals, and many others.
Some of Rwanda’s arts and crafts include “imigongo” which is a distinctive Rwandan craft that is made of cow dung. Other arts and crafts include baskets, ceramics, drums, ironworks, and many others. The variety of arts and crafts in this country are handmade with natural products and non-toxic dyes.
Rwanda like any other country has different spheres of government for service providers which include the general administration, education, social welfare, public health, housing and town planning, transport, environment and public sanitation, culture, leisure and sports, utilities and economic service providers. The population in Rwanda is distributed into provinces, districts (akarere), sectors (imerenge), cells (utugari) and villages (imudungu).
Sights, museums and landmarks in Rwanda include the ethnographic and archaeological museum, Kimoronko market, Kigali city tower, the Genocide museum, Murambi genocide memorial center, Nyamata genocide memorial center, King’s palace museum, Belgian peacekeepers’ memorial, Rwanda art museum, Kandt house museum, Sainte Famille church, Bisesero genocide memorial center, Nyamata church genocide memorial center, gorilla statue and many others.
Accommodation in Rwanda ranges from luxury accommodation, midrange accommodation and budget accommodation. Some of the accommodation facilities include the following;
- Luxury hotels include Hotel des Mille Collines, One and only Nyungwe house, Sabinyo silverback lodge, Nyungwe forest lodge, the retreat
- Midrange accommodation includes urban by city blue- Kigali, golf hills residence, country inn hotel
- Budget accommodation includes Step town hotel, Gorilla Hotel.
Hotel des Milles Collines is part of the Rwandan history in a way that this hotel provided refuge to many people during the Rwanda genocide. This hotel is also known for inspiring the movie hotel Rwanda.
Visit Rwanda to experience the beauty of the land of a thousand hills and the hospitality of its people.
