Rwanda offers travelers a unique mountainous destination comprising of rolling green hills offers visitors a breathtaking view right from the time you land into Rwanda. Rwanda is the land of mountain gorillas which Dain Fossey the American primatologist dedicated her life to protecting and conserving and a trek to go see gorillas the the highlight of every Rwanda tour.
The country offers 3 national parks and a rich cultural heritage comprising of historical genocides and listed below;
Rwanda National Parks
Volcanoes national park
Volcanoes national Park is the oldest national park in Africa established around the 1960.s under Dian Fossey – an American scientific researcher and also one of the most famous, national parks of Rwanda. It is located in the North western part of Rwanda, near the Virunga Mountains of the D Republic of Congo and Mgahinga gorilla national park of Uganda. The volcanoes national park covers a very wide area of about 130 sq km, and an altitude of 2400m – 4507m.
Nyungwe national park
Nyungwe Forest National Park is the largest mountainous rainforest in Africa and the largest protected rainforest in East Africa covering an area of about 970 Sq. Km at an altitude of 1600m – 2950m. The park is situated south western area of Rwanda along the Albertine Rift (a series of mountain ranges stretching from Mountain Rwenzori of Uganda up to the Lendu Plateau of Congo). This national park can be reached by both road and air transport and by road transport, it’s about 225km from the capital city.
Akagera national park
Akagera national park has seen its re-establishment from the years of 1997 -2009 when Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and African Parks Network formed the Akagera Management Company for the management of Akagera National Park in which a 120 km western boundary fence and the reintroduction of lion and black rhino project was run. Hence, the revival of the kings of the jungles in Akagera national park, after several years, seven lions were reintroduced in Rwanda.
Gisozi Memorial site
Gisozi Genocide Memorial site also referred to as the Kigali genocide site is the most frequented site in Rwanda as it’s found within the heart of the city in Gasabo district. At this location, you find over 250000 bodies buried here. Many of the remains here were collected from different parts of the country and buried in one mass grave at the Kigali Memorial genocide. It covers all the remains that were used in the 1994 genocide out break such as clothes, bones, weapons that were used like machetes, pangas, clubs, swords, among others
Murambi Genocide memorial Site
Murambi Genocide Memorial Center is situated in the south west of Rwanda around Gikonfgoro town. It was established in the former school where several lives were destroyed about 40000 souls were slaughtered from this area. The victims at this site had run to the school seeking for protection but were instead abandoned by UN troops and were later on discovered by their killers who destroyed them there and then (majority of these were women and young children).
