The Land of a Thousand Hills — mountain gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes, ancient rainforest, and a capital that has become a model of remembrance and renewal.
The reason most people come to Rwanda — mountain gorillas, volcanic peaks and a lakeside to unwind afterwards.
Just two hours from Kigali, on the border with DR Congo and Uganda, this park is part of the Virunga range and home to the world’s endangered mountain gorillas — twelve habituated groups — plus five of the eight Virunga volcanoes, rare golden monkeys, and Dian Fossey’s former Karisoke Research Centre. Beyond gorilla trekking: volcano hikes, golden monkey tracking, the Fossey tomb hike, and the Musanze Caves.
Rwanda’s biggest lake and one of its most popular attractions, ringed by resort towns like Gisenyi and Kibuye with beaches, guesthouses and restaurants. Swim, sunbathe, canoe between the islands, kayak, or cycle the Congo Nile Trail — plus hikes into the hills and coffee and tea plantation tours.
A short drive from Volcanoes National Park: a small forest of deep cultural significance, once used for the coronation rituals of Rwanda’s kings. Ancient sites — a lava-stone bathing ditch, a dark cave, a ceremonial podium and a sacred spring — sit among lava-stone trails, tall trees and butterflies, each with its own local legend.
Ancient forest, rolling tea estates and a window into the country’s pre-colonial kingdom.
One of Africa’s oldest and best-preserved mountain rainforests, in the remote southwest on the border with Burundi and DR Congo. Home to chimpanzees, owl-faced and colobus monkeys, hundreds of bird species, waterfalls and hiking trails — plus East Africa’s only canopy walkway, and tea plantations along its edges.
Rwanda’s tea and coffee are known worldwide — tea is the country’s top export, and its coffee wins international competitions. Plantations spread across the north and west, including the rolling estates that ring Nyungwe National Park, and make a popular add-on to a park visit.
In Nyanza, about two hours from Kigali on the road to Nyungwe: an insight into Rwanda’s royal history. Highlights include the sacred Inyambo cattle with their huge curved horns, a reconstructed 15th-century royal palace, and the colonial-era home of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, blending Rwandan and European style.
A capital that faced its history and rebuilt, and the only place in Rwanda to see the Big Five.
In Gisozi, ten minutes from central Kigali: a place of remembrance and learning, and the final resting place of more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The museum holds survivor and rescuer testimonies, court records, photographs and historical documents.
In eastern Rwanda on the Tanzanian border: woodland, swamp, low mountains and savanna, and the only place in Rwanda to see the Big Five — lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and eastern black rhino. Game drives cross varied terrain, and a boat cruise on Lake Ihema brings you close to hippos and crocodiles.
