Things to do while on Rwanda safaris; Travelers planning a safari to Rwanda, there is no need of worries because Rwanda’s destination famously renowned as a land of thousand hills has got many tourist attractions in Rwanda from mountains, National parks, cultural centers many more. Below are things which one can engage in during a visit to Rwanda safari tours;
Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla trekking experience; Volcanoes National park is a popular top-visited Rwanda safari destination that is liked by several tourists on their Rwanda holiday tours. However, Volcanoes National Park lies in Musanze village in the Northwestern part of the country and is bordered by the Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda both home to mountain gorillas and other species. More to that, Volcanoes National Park is a great safari destination for those interested in doing gorilla trekking tours, because it is home to endangered mountain gorillas which are divided into 11 habituated gorilla families available for gorilla trekking activity. Gorilla trekking is the main done activity in the park and it can be done in a group of eight people each assigned gorilla family to trek.
One to be able to trek gorillas in their natural environment you’re required to purchase a gorilla trekking permit in advance before your arrival dates especially when visiting in the dry season. Well, a gorilla permit in Rwanda goes at USD1,500 per person per trek.
Fact, Gorilla trekking starts early in the morning with a briefing about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be led by the park range guide in a group of 8 people to search for a gorilla family assigned. Trekking can take about 30 to 7 hours depending on their movements. But once the gorilla family is allocated one hour is allowed to stay with them as you observe them, learn how they feed, play hunt, and build their nest in the evening as well as enjoy photography and video capturing, Things to Do On Rwanda Safaris
Chimpanzee Tracking –Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and is known as home to the largest populations of primates especially the unique Chimpanzees and other species like colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and golden monkeys thus the top attractive primate ‘’Chimpanzees’’. Despite the fact, Nyungwe is located in the southwestern region of Rwanda. Nyungwe National Park is home to more than 1000 individual chimpanzees and is divided into 2 habituated chimpanzee communities which are found in the Cyamudongo forest while the other can be spotted in the Nyungwe forest. The only way to access one of the chimpanzee communities is to take part in chimpanzee trekking which is done in a group of 8 people accompanied by trained park ranger guides. Once the chimpanzee’s group assigned, is found one hour is given to the trackers to spend with them as you learn how they survive in the forest, play, and feed among others.
Chimpanzee trekking permits go at USD90 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents and USD60 for foreign residents.
Golden Monkey Trekking –Volcanoes National Park
Golden Monkey Trekking; Golden monkey trekking experience is the best-done tourist activity on Rwanda Safaris and is only done in the Volcanoes National Park. Facts, golden monkeys are active species that can easily be identified by the golden spots on their fur which makes them beautiful and exciting to look at.
They feed on bamboo shoots and branches although sometimes they venture out into feeding on fresh potatoes.
Golden monkey experience starts with a short briefing about the rules to follow while trekking and then after, guides lead you into the trekking trails. Once you find them, you will try to follow while trekking as you take pictures in a distance for your future remembrance.
You only need to pay USD100 per person per day, to be part of the activity.
Game Drive – Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park lies in the eastern part of the country and it got its name after the Kagera River. On Rwanda Wildlife Safari Akagera National park is the best option to go and be able to engage in game drives, best done during the day and night,Things to Do On Rwanda Safaris
Day game drives; The park has two sessions; the morning and the afternoon.
The morning game drive usually starts at 7:00 am or 8:00 am and till midafternoon. During this drive, you can be able to adventure the early rising animals and the various bird species such as the Red-throated alethe and the black-headed weaver, the long-crested Eagle, the Senegal lapwing, Caruthers’s cisticola among others. The afternoon drive begins after lunch at around 3:00 pm till late in the evening.
Night Game Drive; This time is good for seeing nocturnal animal species that can be hiding away during the day and those on the night hunt. Nocturnal species to see include bushbucks, leopards, impalas, lions many more. We recommended using a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle at a fee of USD40 per person per day.
Animals you expect to see while on a day game drive through Akagera include; Leopards, elephants, the black rhino, hippos, zebras, antelopes, bushbucks, elephants many more.
Best time to do a game drive in Akagera National Park.
The best time for a game drive experience starts from June to September and December to February because, during the dry season, animals are easy to explore and split into an open savannah grassland and short vegetation cover. However, a high concentration of animal species can be seen gathering along the Akagera River.
Bird Watching in Nyungwe and Nyabarongo
Bird watching is one of the astonishing activities to do in Nyungwe national park it can be done in two great locations within the park Nyungwe and Nyabarongo wetlands where you need a permit to access the two birding sites. The best time for the Rwanda Birding Tour start between July and Lake March.
The park is dotted with dense forest where various activities can be done through trekking trails such as the Karamba trail, Kamiranzovu trail, Gisakura Trail, and Bigugu Trail. Bird species to see in Nyungwe includes; the Doherty Bushrike, Regal sunbirds, Short-tailed warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Yellow-eyed black flycatcher, and many more.
The Nyabarongo wetlands are home to about 50 bird species which can be spotted on the long River Nyabarongo some of the birds to see includes; Papyrus yellow warbler, Madagascar squacco heron, white collared over back, Northern brown-throated weaver, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus canary many others. They are also home to the three species of the Lake Victoria Biome and the Afrotropical Biome, Things to Do On Rwanda Safaris
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is also one of the stunning attractions to be visited by tourists on their Rwanda Safari. It is located in the western part of Rwanda near the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although, it’s considered one of the smallest Lakes in the Great Rift Valley but offers the best beautiful view in Rwanda. More so, the lake is surrounded by beautiful beaches, hills, and fishing villages among others.
The Lake contains both Methane and carbon dioxide that can lead to eruptions when the two gases meet and although it has not yet happened in Rwanda and scientists believe it will happen.
Activities to do at Lake Kivu includes; Mountain biking, Kayaking, nature walks, and Island hopping due to the various beautiful islands around such as; Nyamirungaj, Munni, and Amahoro Islands. There is birding and some birds to see include; the common waxbill, Tropical Boubou, African fish eagle, African pied wagtail many more.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
This is counted among Rwanda’s top tourist attractions that display both photos and bones of the dead and a mass grave where most of the people were buried due to the tribalism war that happened during the 1994 Genocide. The genocide led to thousands of people losing their lives. Today, it has become a tourist attraction on Rwanda City Tour.
Canopy Walk
The canopy walk is an exciting safari experience that is carried out in Nyungwe National Park and the best time to do the canopy walk is in the dry seasons. The canopy walk is raised to 50 meters and divided into three categories due to its length of 160 meters. This activity starts early in the morning at around 8 am and afternoon at 3 pm and both take about two hours of experience. It goes at 80 USD per walk per person but for more than one person or a group of people you pay USD40 per person per day.
