RWANDA DESTINATION

The Volcanoes National Park is located in the far northwest of Rwanda. It borders Virunga Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to the mountain gorilla and the golden monkey where the primatologist Diana Fossey studied and protected the endangered mountain gorilla in Rwanda for many years.

The Volcanoes National Park is named after the chain of dormant volcanoes making up the Virunga Massif, it encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains: Karisimbi – the highest at 4,507m, Muhabura at 4,127 m, Bisoke with its verdant Crater Lake at 3,711 m, Sabinyo at 3,645 m and Gahinga at 3,474 m.

The three other volcanoes situated in DR Congo are: Mikeno extinct volcano at 4,437 m, Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 m, Nyamuragira, an active shield volcano with 3,068 m.

Tropical rainforest, rich mosaics of mountain ecosystems, which include coniferous and bamboo forest, open meadows, marshes and heather, the Volcanoes National Park is home to a very rich biodiversity that irresistibly attracts you as a tourist, researcher or botanist, to go on a safari in the volcanoes in northern Rwanda.

Akagera National Park is located in the Northeast of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. It is covering an area of 1122 km2;

It is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes of which the largest is Lake Ihema. The rolling hills of Acacia and Brachystegia Woodland coupled with scattered grassland and swamp-fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera watercourse combine to create a park of breathtaking scenic beauty.

This Park is Rwanda's famous Savanna reserve. In comparison to the rest of the country, the area is relatively warm and low-lying, and plains support a cover of dense, broadleafed woodland with lighter acacia woodland and patches of rolling grassland studded eloquently with stands of the superficially cactus-like Euphorbia candelabra shrub. Akagera is also among the most scenic of savanna reserves, with its sumptuous forestfringed lakes, tall mountains and constantly changing vegetation.

Akagera offers big game viewing, with herds of elephants and buffaloes emerging from the woodland to drink at the lakes, and then other mammals include leopards, spotted hyenas and lions. Giraffes and zebras haunt the savannah, and more than a dozen types of antelope inhabit the park, most commonly the chestnut-coated impala, but also the ungainly tsessebe and the world's largest antelope, the statuesque Cape eland.

In partnership with African Parks, lions and rhinos have been reintroduced, meaning once again visitors can hope to see the Big Five on safari drives.

The lakes of Akagera are inhabited by hippos and crocodiles, a part from some of the continent's densest concentrations of water birds.

Sleeping within the park is possible, at various lodges, a bush camp in the north at select periods, or camping in specific sites.

Lying on a surface area of 1000 km2 of imposing hills in the south-west of Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is the largest reserve of primary highland forests in East Africa. One of Africa's oldest rainforests, Nyungwe is rich in biodiversity and spectacularly beautiful.

Being unique as a result of the diversity of its flora, botanists will marvel at the 1,068 plant species including the giant lobelia and 140 orchids. The birdwatching is among the best in Africa with 322 birds' species including Red-collared Babbler and 29 other Albertine Rift Endemic species. The most beautiful bird in Nyungwe is the big blue turaco - a bird that has a strange blue color, with red and green feathers, which flutters from tree to tree in psychedelic processions. Butterflies are also a common sight, with at least 120 species.

But Nyungwe is especially renowned for its primates: 13 species on the whole, including the closest ancestors of the human being, chimpanzees, and the handsome Black and White Angolan colobus monkeys, which are agile and acrobatics. There are 75 known mammals in Nyungwe, such as the cerval cat, gazelle, mongoose, congo clawless otter and few leopards.

Lake Kivu is located in the West of Rwanda on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Part of Africa's Great Rift Valley, Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. It is Rwanda's largest lake and the sixth largest in Africa. The lake covers a total surface area of some 2700 km2 and stands at a height of 1463 m above sea level. Its maximum depth of 480 m is ranked eighteenth in the world. The lake is surrounded by majestic mountains.

Lake Kivu is a relaxing paradise for swimming, lazing on red sandy beaches, watersports & adventure.

Lake Kivu is the largest of many freshwater lakes found in Rwanda that shines in the valleys and terraced hills that lead down to the picturesque lake shores and three resort towns: Rubavu (Gisenyi), Karongi (Kibuye) and Rusizi (Cyangugu), that are ideal stopping points to relax, swim, or taking a boat excursion past the small lakeside villages that offer a rewarding glimpse of rural life.

Touring along the Lake Kivu, in addition to enjoying sublime landscapes, you can observe the peasants cultivating the fields of tea, cassava, coffee, and daily life in the Rwandan countryside. You will also take advantage of the Congo-Nile crest with a good view of Lake Kivu and its surroundings.

The small town of Kibeho is located in the south of Rwanda not far from the border with Burundi. It became world-famous and popular with pilgrims since the 1980s when the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary appeared there.

Since then, pilgrims from all over the world travel to Kibeho to pray to the Our Lady of Kibeho, seeking for divine blessings and healing.

Kigali, the Capital city of Rwanda, is for many tourists visiting the country, the arriving gateway and departure. One of the cleanest cities in the world, Kigali is green and safe with meaningful culture. In fact, it's so clean it holds the official title of "The Cleanest City in Africa."

Kigali is developing rapidly, with new shopping malls, office buildings and a world-class convention centre built in the style of the King's Palace of olden days, which lights up the night sky atop of one of the many hills.