Rwanda is among Africa’s fast developing tourism destinations. Many tourist from adventure seekers to leisure holiday makers visit Rwanda all year round. If you are planning to take a safari in Rwanda and wondering about which attractions you should include in your itinerary, here are the major attractions in this land of a thousand hills.
1.Mountain Gorillas
Rwanda is blessed to have the mountain gorillas in her Volcanoes National Park located in the western part of the country. Mountain gorillas are very endangered primates that are currently remaining in only 3 countries on the entire planet. Of the 3 countries, Rwanda is the best mountain gorilla tracking destination with 10 habituated mountain gorilla groups. The mountain gorillas in Rwanda are very easy to track because the forests in Volcanoes National Park where the mountain gorillas live are not very thick thus offering much clear views of the great apes relaxing and well as a better chance for clear photographs.
The Volcanoes National Park Rwanda is located a few kilometers from Kigali and can be got to after a 2-3 hours drive coupled with en route sightings of the beautiful landscapes in the Rwandan countryside.
The mountain gorilla tracking permits for Rwanda are sold at $750 and the mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park can be tracked at any time of the year. Tourists are however recommended to book or secure their mountain gorilla tracking permits early enough because a limited number is usually available a day (only 80 mountain gorilla permits).
2. Golden Monkeys
These are also very unique primates in Rwanda that also inhabit the forested mountains of volcanoes national park. Just like mountain gorillas, golden monkeys are also very rare primate species that can only be found in the Virunga massif to covers volcanoes national park. These primates are very unique with their golden fur and also live in groups just like most of other primates.
Tracking also starts in the morning however tourists usually return by mid day and can therefore get time to rest or go for a cultural tour to the Iby’iwacu cultural village. The golden monkey tracking permits is sold at $100 and they can also be tracked at anytime of the year.
3. The Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees in Rwanda live in Nyungwe forest, which is situated in southwestern Rwanda. This forest is among the less disturbed natural forest in east Africa and is a home to not only chimpanzees but also a wide range of wildlife species including birds, plant vegetation, insects and many others.
Chimpanzees are however the leading wildlife attractions of Nyungwe Forest National Park and the forest has tracking trails that lead tourist to different corners of the forest amidst great scenic views.
4. Savanna Wildlife Species
Akagera National Park located in eastern Rwanda is the only savanna national park in Rwanda and a home to a number of savanna wild animals that include zebras, giraffes, lions, hippos, buffaloes, baboons plus a number of antelopes.
Akagera National Park covers Lake Ihema, which is a home to a number of aquatic wild animals, and it’s where tourists while on a boat cruise that costs only $40 view the hippos and crocodiles. The other wildlife species in the national park can be viewed while on game drives. Park entrance fees are only $35.
