Places to visit in Rwanda 2021
Places to visit in Rwanda 2021: Rwanda is small African country that is mainly known for its dark 1994 history, however this country has moved through the pain and ruins and rebuilt itself to one of the top destinations in Africa. The East African country in recent years has become a tourism hub with great scenic sights, luxurious accommodation and variety of flora and fauna to see while in the country.
Well like any other country in the world this country was also hit with the coronavirus and was on lockdown for a couple of months. But the good news is the country lifted its lockdown restrictions in August 2020 and even since the persons wishing to visit the country have enjoyed entry and exiting of the country at their pleasure of course in observance of the COVID19 SOPs.
Now given that people are revisiting the country again, 2021 is a great year to look forward to in terms of revisiting the country; and below we highlight some of the places you shouldn’t miss visiting in 2021, these places include but not limited to:-
Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
If you have heard of Rwanda you have definitely heard about the 1994 genocide that claimed many Rwandan lives. The Kigali Genocide Memorial is one of the many sites and the major site where people were laid to rest after the horrific genocide events and it has been developed to tell of the history and healing of Rwanda and the Rwandan people.
When you visit this genocide memorial you will have an opportunity to see several stories of people that were affected in that time, see burial graves and hear stories of forgiveness and restoration.
This is one place you shouldn’t miss visiting when you are in Rwanda.
Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is the only park in Rwanda that harbours the endangered mountain gorillas and one of park in East Africa with the unique mountain gorillas. Located 2 to 3 hours from Kigali city the park is a beautiful nature destination with unique nature, Virunga Mountains and mountain gorillas.
Visitors to this park engage in several activities that include mountain gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, hiking some of the Virunga Mountains, and visiting the neighbouring communities among other things.
Just nearby the park is also the Iby’iwacu cultural village that gives you an experience of some of the Rwandan traditions including songs, dances among others.
This is a must visit place because of its amazing tourist activities and for its refreshing ambience; you will be glad you visited the place.
Nyungwe National Park
The home to the great ancient forest Nyungwe forest, the park is named after this forest its 70% occupied by this great forest. Nyungwe forest dates back to prehistoric times and its one of the oldest forests in Africa; this forest is made up of over 1000 tree species that harbour primates, over 200 bird species, about 50 butterfly species and several flower species.
Nyungwe National Park also has a unique landscape that is made up of several hilly points and waterfalls. It’s also the only park is East Africa with a canopy walk.
Activities to this park include but not limited to primate trekking (chimpanzee trekking), canopy walking, bird watching, hiking or mountain climbing to the waterfalls, community visits and many more activities.
Lake Kivu
The blue watered fresh water lake is one of the Great African lakes and one of the oldest lakes in the region. Lake Kivu which lies on the border of Rwanda and DRC is a hot tourist destination together with its surroundings.
People that visit this lake are able to enjoy boat rides on the lake, swimming, relaxing on the lake shores enjoying picturesque views and the surroundings, fishing, touring the surrounding communities to explore the local cultures as they enjoy fish (the communities nearby are fishing hubs), visiting the coffee plantations in the neighbouring villages and many more other things.
Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is the only savannah national park in Rwanda and its endowed with beautiful nature that includes an assortment of vegetation and lakes that are a perfect habitat for the wildlife that live therein.
The park is home to over 50 animal species, about 100 bird species and a number of tree species also with some butterflies. The animals in the park include zebras, giraffes, impalas, warthogs, antelopes and many more.
Activities done in this park include game drives, boat rides on Lake Ihema, sport fishing, bird watching, nature walks among other activities.
The King’s Palace
The King’s palace located in Nyanza is an historical site, which denotes the times Rwanda was fully traditionally governed with kings and cultural leaders. This palace is among the few traditional places that still exist to this day.
A visit to this place will help you appreciate the culture and history of the Rwandan people as you explore the different features, tools, symbols, structures, stories etc. about their traditional life.
While in Nyanza you can also access the Rwanda National Museum that you can visit on top of visiting the King’s Palace.
Musanze caves
At the foothills of Volcanoes National Park the caves are some of the natural ancient sites in Rwanda; they used to be very significant to the traditional leadership in the country before colonial rule and they have a very rich history.
A walk through the caves will give you appreciation for natural landscape beauty and when you hear the stories attached to the caves you will appreciate the Rwandan culture even deeper.
