Rwanda Travel Guide

Rwanda is a hidden gem for wildlife observation

Our group of three pretty active seniors (63 ,66, 72) were traveling to Rwanda to observe mountain gorillas and do a more traditional safari. Two of us were birders, so naturally we focused on avian creatures a lot, but saw plenty of other wildlife. We like to go to sub-saharan Africa in January or February, which is what they call the emerald season. This is the time between two rainy seasons, where plants are lush and blooming and plenty of water is available for animals to drink. It is considered "off season", because it is not the time the big migrations happen. But we were not interested in that. We like to see the African landscape alive and blooming as well and with a good guide and from a safari vehicle that sits quite high it was easy to see wildlife. And an additional plus of the emerald season is that it is cheaper.

It has not always been possible to travel to Rwanda safely, since they had gone through a horrific genocide in 1994. In the 100 days of slaughter almost one million people, mostly Tutsis, were killed by Hutus. But today, Rwanda is an amazing country and completely safe to travel. The country is re-building itself from the genocide and its destructions. Comfortable roads and infrastructure have been put in place in cities and throughout the country. Government support helps people plant crops and bring them to market. Health insurance for all makes medical care available for everyone. Environmental laws such as the ban of single use plastic bags in 2008 have been passed. As a result the streets of Rwanda are some of the cleanest I have seen anywhere. Rwandans live peacefully with each other no matter what their "ethnic" background. So we were happy to support with our tourist dollars a country that does such an amazing job with its recovery.

We went to two different regions in Rwanda. The first one was the Akagera National Park at the North-eastern end of the country. Our transport
by van from Kigali took about four hours of driving through the country and getting a sense of the people that live there. They seemed very content with their lives and were very friendly and welcoming towards visitors. We stayed at Magashi camp during our stay in this area. This camp was pretty new, I think only one or two years old, and very well run. The staff was super friendly and emanated a warmth that was very pleasant. The food was outstanding, and they paid close attention to some dietary restrictions (allergies) one of us had.

One huge advantage of the location of this camp is that it borders a lake that is inhabited by about 500 hippos. During the day they mostly come up and grunt, but at night they come out of the water and even walk in between the cabins to feed.

The cabins were luxurious and of course very clean and well kept. Because we traveled in the emerald season (low season), we had a safari vehicle that could seat 7 or 8 people easily all to ourselves. We also were able to have the same excellent guide for our entire stay. He knew that we were very interested in birds and geared his game drives towards that as well. We had a fantastic time observing not only lots of different species of birds, but also the big mammals like lions, giraffes, elephants, cape buffalos, hippos, zebras and of course lots of gazelles. Our guide drove us into the area where the Eastern Black Rhino Conservation program is enacted. It was wonderful to see those animals getting re-introduced into the wild.

What made Magashi camp really special for us was the fact that they also did safaris on the lake from one of their small boats. Again, we were just the three of us and the guide in the boat and drifted along the shores of the lake. We had really close views of lions, buffalos and Crocodiles that did not even seem to notice our boat drifting by. And then of course there were the hippos in the water and the birds flying in and out of the reeds. So, Magashi was definitely a place we would recommend for safaris.

After our stay in Akagera we travelled back to Kigali and then on to the North-western corner of Rwanda, to Volcanoes National Park. We stayed at Virunga Lodge, a very nice "old-school" lodge with very friendly staff. The morning wake up call and delivery of tea or coffee to the cabin was done by a staff person singing in front of the cabin door until we opened up to take possession of the goods delivered. We had a lovely young woman with an angelic voice and we loved being woken up by her. Though the lodge was about a 45 minute drive from the meeting point for the gorilla expedition, it was well worth the drive.

Volcanoes National Park is a high elevation mountain range, where 60% of all mountain gorillas live. Dian Fossey made the area famous when she did her studies there. Because of successful conservation programs the population of these primates is actually increasing. One of the driving engines of this conservation program is the large financial input of a tightly controlled visitation program. For a pretty steep price ($1000 per person), eight people can trek into the mountains with trackers, guides and porters to spend one hour observing a family of gorillas up close and personal. Depending on where the gorilla families are on a given day, the trekking can take anywhere from a couple of hours in the morning to a whole day. It can be a very easy excursion of the toughest thing you have aver done. It all depends on where the gorilla families are and whether they stay put.

Our gorilla family called Amahoro group had 22 members with two silverbacks present. When we reached them they were still warming up in the morning sun and munching on the local plants for breakfast. There was a tranquility and serenity emanating from them as they slowly stripped plants of their leaves. They were fully aware of our presence as we were standing in the open just a few feet away, but they seemed undisturbed by us. We watched them for a full hour, and that included not only their eating sessions, but also mothers moving past us with their babies on the back, or youngsters playing chasing games over our feet. It was an experience like not other.

The next day we ventured into the same region, but this time to see another primate species, the golden monkeys. This is an old world monkey species endemic to the high altitude forest of Volcanoes National Park. Our trackers and guides found a family of them within an hour walk up the forest. They feed largely on bamboo leaves and fruit. Unlike with he gorillas there was no tranquility at all with these creatures. They were a lively bunch leaping from bamboo branches, frolicking on the floor and munching incessantly on bamboo leaves and other plants. The young were very playful and inquisitive, often jumping around our feet. It was pure joy to observe them while being completely ignored.

So, to wrap it all up. We can definitely recommend Rwanda as a great place to travel and explore wildlife and culture. It feels good to support a country that has its priorities right and has so much to offer.

I only went on one game drive in Rwanda, but it was not such a good experience.

I think Rwanda is most known for Gorilla Trekking, which is probably a better option than going on a game drive.

I had an amazing experience about Rwanda

About wildlife in Rwanda is good as in National Parks there are animals that can't be found any where in world, like Mountain Gorillas in Virunga Park, Lions, Rhinos and other wild animals in Akagera National park. In Nyungwe national park there are amazing birds and chimpanzees, etc. When you are travelling in Rwanda, its climate is so great because of hills in every party of country. In sector of tourism in Rwanda, it has been favorised in every kind like transport where many companies have been created, and in every area of visiting you can find good restaurant with international food content. My guide is Akagera national park and live hood of Rwandan people.

I refer you to my review, an amazing experience

A definite "bucket list" adventure and I would do it again!

The entire trip was a positive overwhelming experience. It is one of the cleanest countries I have visited.
The people seemed to be happy and proud of the culture and their country. I was never concerned for my safety. It is about a 3 hour drive to the mountain lodge for an overnight stay before the hike to see the gorillas.

The trip into the National Park to see the gorillas is very well organized. Please be sure to hire one of the men to assist you on your walk. It is only $10 US dollars and some of these men are reformed poachers. They are kind and very dedictated to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trek. Several park rangers escort you and welcome any questions you have.

Our overnight stay at Gorilla Lodge was very enjoyable with great food and delightful entertainment from the local youngsters with native dance.
The security at the airport is very deligent and painstakingly repetitious but I wouldn't have it otherwise. Everyone was polite and made sure we had our tickets and completed luggage inspection in plenty of time for departure for home.

Life-changing, life-affirming!

Foremost, the individualized attention that I received was incredible - from personal pick-up and transportation to the orientation and assisted itinerary. It was almost fate to be taken to a local restaurant - the Ogopogo - how terrific to explain to the owner that origin of this word (my son lives in Kelowna) AND to be able, post-trip, to send him a T-shirt from the Okanagon with "Ogopogo" on it to hang in his bar!
My guide solicited my input to chose my desired itinerary so that I was able to visit the Genocide Memorial - a "must see" plus a drive-about tour and a stop at a local market. The drive to the Mountain Gorilla Lodge through amazing scenery was particularly enjoyable with frequents stops to capture it on film.
The service at the Gorilla Lodge was wonderful with great cuisine, lovely service and great company. Entertainment included dancers of every age from a local school. Staff were concerned with comfort and the fire in the lodge was appreciated in the cooler mountain climate.
Just when you think that it couldn't get better, time to go to Volcanoes National park and trek! A short orientation at the site and additional entertainment from the local dancers, the somewhat strenuous trek...eased with assistance from the guides!...was beyond worth it when the gorilla troop was encountered. There was every age group in the troop and we were particularly fortunate to visit the troop that had surviving twins and witnessed them in their mother's attentive arms. Words are insufficient to describe the experience! - I will tell you that it touches your very soul. When you make eye contact with these close relatives, I do not know who was studying who....I DO know that I was gifted with their trust and tolerance to be allowed to observe them for an hour which went by TOO QUICKLY.
Returning from the site, there is an internal quietness from the contact with these forgiving animals - they hold no malice for the wrongs we have committed. The experience is life-changing.