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9
Facts about Rwanda
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Services - Attractions
In this section you can find
information on:
Kigali The rapidly growing city (approximately 800,000 inhabitants) is attractively stretching over several verdant hills, with the city centre, the administrative quarter and residential suburbs closely connected to each other. Kigali is often described as one of the safest and friendliest capitals in the whole of Africa, and, although begging is becoming popular among street children in the centre, the usual annoyances of being hassled known from other parts of Africa are reduced to a minimum. The city centre is the bustling and noisy part of town where the colourful atmosphere of large African cities can be experienced. While the central minibus station is always packed with crowds of people who go about their small businesses, goods ranging from fruits and vegetables to fake sports bags can be found at the busy and colourful central market. For souvenir hunters a variety of local crafts is displayed at small stalls between the ORTPN office and the Hotel des Mille Collines. Similarly, the atmospheric Muslim quarter is well worth a visit. In contrast to the city centre, most surrounding residential suburbs are a lot quieter, although areas such as Remera on the way to the airport always seem to be a place for excitement and light hearted lifestyle which is at least partly due to a high percentage of Congolese immigrants. Kigali also is a place to relax after a strenuous trip, or to get acquainted with the Rwandan pace. The moderate high altitude climate as well as areas with many peaceful and tree-lined residential streets invite the visitor to stroll around and get to know the Rwandan way of life. The capital features a wide range of hotels catering to all tastes and budgets, and a good choice of restaurants offering local as well as excellent international cuisine. Furthermore, certain unexpected comforts and luxuries can be found here because of the large international community that found a permanent home in the city.
Excursions in and around Kigali offer a first impression
of what Rwanda looks like. The many hills
seem to stretch forever, usually
featuring a lush green colour due to the abundant rainfall from the two
main
rainy seasons. Of course, visits to some of the historical genocide sites
are possible – however,
you should discuss this issue with your tour planner
and tour guide in order to determine the most suitable site. (Many visitors
feel highly uncomfortable exploring some skull- and bone-filled places such
as the churches in Nyamata or Ntarama, and prefer to spend some time at a
peaceful and quiet location such as the church in Kibuye.)
Butare and Nyanza Butare is an attractively compact and peaceful town with a number of shady avenues and a main road with various small hotels and restaurants. Apart from the university and museum, the major attractions include the Ruhande Arboretum featuring a range and variety of both imported and indigenous tree species. Apart from that, Butare is home to the largest cathedral in Rwanda, an impressive and peaceful place. One of the town’s highlights is traditional dances performed by the popular Intore dancers. Intore means “the best”, and pictures of these cultural shows can be found on many brochure covers.
Close to Butare, Nyanza is another place of great
interest. In this little town (today, it is more often called
Nyabisindu),
the Rwandan kings, the Mwami, had their seat. The impressive ancient
palace, an enormous
domed construction made entirely with traditional
materials, has been reconstructed and is carefully maintained by local
elders. Among the various items to be seen is the king’s bed, an animal skin
stretched on a frame. One of the highlights is a session with a Mutwa
who narrates the oral history of the country and its royal lineage.
Lake Kivu and its resort towns
Cyangugu in the south is
an old atmospheric town that features a lovely lake-shore setting with
breathtaking views at the lake. It is an important link between the Nyungwe
National Park in Rwanda’s south-west and the more important northern resorts
Kibuye and Gisenyi as well Volcanoes National Park in the north.
Nevertheless, there is also a lot to see around this rather undeveloped part
of the country, including the Bugarama Hot Springs with springs bubbling up
into a large green pool, and the Cyamudongo Forest offering the tracking of
numerous birds and some primates in a largely unexplored montane forest.
Border crossings to Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of
Congo are,
at Kibuye is becoming more and more popular with both local and international visitors as it is the most quickly accessible resort town from Kigali. The landscape around Kibuye is rather unusual and unexpected because numerous hills planted with pines and eucalyptus offer a pristine, almost Alpine and certainly not tropical atmosphere. Accordingly, the town is one of the most relaxing and romantic places in the country, and definitely an ideal surrounding for a couple of days of lake-side recreation with comfortable resort accommodation and a range of activities on the lake and its many islands. Apart from modern water sport facilities, traditional boats can be used for exciting nature discovery tours and interesting experiences with local life. Major attractions include Napoleon’s Hat Island where thousands of bats darken the sky, or the Island of Peace where a cool drink, a refreshing swim or a quick game of beach volleyball further sweeten the breathtaking sunset. In contrast to the pine-covered hills around Kibuye, Gisenyi at the northern shore is a truly tropical place with swaying palm trees, a lake-side boulevard and colonial-era hotels. Nicknamed the “St. Tropez of Africa”, the town reminds of the formerly Mediterranean flair that was neglected and almost got lost during the years of conflict and war. Nevertheless, with several restoration efforts carried out including the reconstruction of the high-standard Meridien hotel (supposed to reopen by the end of 2003), the town will soon again attract increasing numbers of a variety of visitors.
Border crossings to Goma in the Democratic
Republic of Congo are, at the time of creating this page, possible.
Not only
being the city where hundreds of thousands of Rwandans found refuge after
the genocide, Goma has
been the venue of a natural disaster in the beginning
of 2002. The nearby volcano Nyiragongo erupted and
entirely buried parts of
the city centre under a stream of up to seven metres of lava. Traces of this
extremely tragic incident are still largely visible, and a walk through the
city offers stunning views of buildings that are covered with lava up to the
second floor. Lately, remarkable efforts of the poor population led to the
reconstruction of many buildings on top of this lava stream, and the
threateningly fuming volcano in the background provides an unforgettable and
extremely saddening experience.
Volcanoes National Park It is these largely untouched mountainous bamboo forests where the famous movie “Gorillas in the Mist” (Sigourney Weaver) about the life of the scientist and conservationist Dian Fossey was shot. Today, the world’s last surviving mountain gorilla population (650) inhabits the jungles, offering one of the most unforgettable wildlife experiences in the world. To date, five gorilla groups have been habituated to humans in Rwanda, and a maximum of only 38 visitors are granted permits every day. Scientists discovered that gorillas share some 97% of their genes with humans. Accordingly, a look in the liquid brown eyes of one of these gentle giants is the unquestionable highlight of every nature lover’s visit. Apart from the mountain gorillas, the ORTPN Park authorities also offer a wide range of other fascinating activities and attractions. The diverse volcano flora and fauna found in an ecosystem with four distinct altitudinal vegetation zones can be explored on various hiking and mountain climbing trips. Other rare species of wildlife include, for example, the shy golden monkey and other primates. The park rangers even point out that from time to time buffalo and elephants go astray in the mountains. And visitors with an interest in scientific or historical issues have the opportunity to visit the gorilla research centre or the tomb of the legendary Dian Fossey.
At the foot of the Virunga Mountains, the modestly sized
town Ruhengeri has a good range of tourist facilities. The locals’
friendly attitude and the comparably cool climate make it a particularly
good base for activities in the Park and the near surroundings. Some
highlights include the twin lakes Burera and Ruhondo, or the Musanze cave
with its natural bridge which was formed by a lava flow from an earlier
volcanic
eruption. In particular, Amahoro Tours is based here, and many of our educative trips are
carried out in this region (please refer to our
Activities
section for more information).
Nyungwe National Park Nyungwe is known for a variety of at least 250 different types of trees and hundreds of different flowering plants including more than 100 species of orchids and the bizarre giant lobelia. Every visit to the Park offers an atmospheric jungle experience with the mysterious sounds and sights of more than 300 species of birds (25 regional endemics of the 'Albertine Rift'), 13 different types of primates, beautiful butterflies and even the occasional leopard, golden cat or bushpig. Not only are a quarter of Africa’s primate species present in Nyungwe, but visitors can also experience the largest ever recorded colobus monkey colony and over 500 chimpanzees.
The main activities offered by the ORTPN park staff are
trekking, hiking, watching birds and small primates, and looking for orchids
and rare flora. Additionally, the beautiful landscape with numerous
waterfalls and wet zones can be admired.
Akagera National Park
After much of the infrastructure was destroyed during the
civil war, and after many of the formerly numerous
Today, a variety of plains animals can already be spotted
again. These include giraffes, buffalos, zebras, elephants, ten types of
antelopes, various species of monkeys and, occasionally, a lion, a leopard
or a black rhino. But even on days where the sightings of savannah animals
are rare, visitors will admire the beautiful landscape and the lake areas
which are an ornithologist’s dream (more than 525
species of birds). Immense flocks of water birds can be
found here, joined by some outsized crocodiles and hundreds of belching and
grunting hippos. Among the many activities possible in the Park are savannah
safaris, bird watching, canoeing, water cruises and sport fishing. |
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Amahoro Tours
PO Box 87, Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Tel. +250-08655223
; info@amahoro-tours.com
© 2003-07
