Get lost in Rwanda
Kigali City
Area Overview
Rwanda is often called the “Land of a Thousand Hills” and its capital city is no exception; Kigali is a region of rolling hills, valleys, ridges, and steep slopes.
It enjoys a temperate tropical highland climate, a bit cooler than typical due to its high elevation of 1,540 m (5,140 ft). Average daily temperatures range between 15 and 27C (59 and 81F) and don’t fluctuate much throughout the year. Farmland comprises over 60% of the land within the city’s boundaries, mostly in outer areas surrounding the urban center and, like the rest of the country, most of the agriculture is small subsistence farming.
As in all of Rwanda, the last Saturday of each month in Kigali is a morning of mandatory community service called umuganda. One person per household between the ages of 18 and 65 is expected to carry out community tasks such as cleaning streets or building homes for vulnerable people. Most normal services close down during umuganda, and public transportation is limited. Rwandese take great pride in this national service and in the ritual of coming together to support one another, and their commitment shows.
Local people are in general very friendly and often willing to share the country’s history of genocide with visitors. The Kigali Genocide Museum is well done and worth a visit for those looking to understand the events leading up to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
There is also a flourishing local art scene with many new galleries opening up.




Nyungwe National Park
Area Overview
Enjoy a vast array of animal and plant species.
Nyungwe National Park spans 1,019 km2 (428 mi2) in the heart of the Albertine Rift and harbours exceptional levels of biodiversity, including 25% of Africa’s primate species and more than 1,000 plant, 96 mammal, and 300 bird species.
Tucked away in the midst of working tea plantations, Nyungwe is also a vital water catchment area, providing most of Rwanda’s fresh water. In 2020, Nyungwe National Park signed a management agreement with African Parks, signaling an historic step towards securing one of Africa’s most important Afromontane rainforests.
Thirteen primate species are found in Nyungwe forest, including very occasional sightings of the golden monkeys as well as colobus monkeys, grey cheeked Mangabeys, Ruwenzori colobus Monkeys, L’ Hoest’s monkey, Owl faced monkeys, Mona monkey and blue monkeys. There is also a 90m (295 ft) long canopy walk which is the first tree top forest canopy walk in the whole of East Africa and the third in all Africa, as well as 13 hiking trails through 130 km (80mi) of parkland.




Volcanoes National Park
Area Overview
Just a three hour drive from Kigali, Volcanoes National Park encompasses 160 km2 (60mi2) in a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, with evergreen and bamboo forests.
The national park includes five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, with Karisimbi being the highest at 4,507 m (14,785 ft). The lush slopes of these volcanoes provide a dramatic natural setting for one of the most thrilling and memorable wildlife experiences: seeing the mountain gorilla in its natural habitat. Roughly half of the world’s wild population of mountain gorillas reside on the Rwandan slopes of the Virungas massif.
This is also the setting for the film Gorillas in the Mist, an autobiography about Diane Fossey, who set up the Karisoke Research Center and dedicated her life to these wonderful animals.




Lake Kivu
Area Overview
Lake Kivu, situated on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a freshwater lake nestled within the Albertine Rift.
The region is characterized by a combination of rolling hills, picturesque shorelines, and the expansive freshwater body that stretches across the East African Rift Valley. The lake is surrounded by lush greenery and terraced fields, and its waters often reflect the surrounding hills that frame it; these hills are part of the larger Virunga mountain range, adding to the dramatic and varied topography of the region.
Biodiversity thrives in and around Lake Kivu, contributing to the ecological richness of the area. The lake is home to a diverse array of fish species, including tilapia and various types of cichlids. Fishermen dot the shores, utilizing traditional fishing methods that have been passed down through generations.



