March 28, 2024

Top 5 Destinations To Visit While On A Safari In Rwanda

Rwanda is located in East Africa and it is the smallest country in the East African community which comprises other countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and recently established South Sudan which attained its independence from Sudan in 2011. Rwanda’s capital and largest city is Kigali since its independence in 1967 and hosts the President’s main residence, state house and other government offices under President Paul Kagame’s rule from 2000 up to date.
Sadly, a dark moment struck Rwanda in April 1994 when President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down near Kigali airport which led to his assassination and as a result an estimated 500,000- 1,000,000 Tutsi and Hutu were massacred by the interim government in well-planned attacks until the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control on 4th July leaving several genocide memorial sites in the entire country as they are shown below.
So if you plan  on a safari in Rwanda and looking for the top destinations to visit, the ones mentioned below should give you that experience that you deserve.
Murambi genocide memorial site
With an acknowledgement of about 2700 people massacred in this specific school, Murambi has been deserted by its residents since the end of the Rwandan genocide and government had to renovate it and established it as a preservation area and an exhibition for booming Rwandan tourism industry. One mass grave was dug and the victims were given a descent burial and while you are there you will be guided by the survivors of the genocide as they truly take you back into 1994 to feel the intriguing pain and suffering they went through.
Gisenyi genocide memorial site
An estimated 1,200 remains of those who cruelly died in the Rwandan genocide are collected in Gisenyi including the grave of Madamme Carr who was an American managing Imbabazi orphanage and some other remains were collected from Nyundo and Corniche areas. The establishment of this memorial site was aided by Ibuka,the minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
Ntarama genocide memorial site
Approximately 5000 people were murdered in this church just 30 kilometers away from Kigali where they had gone to seek refuge and since then this church has been conserved and made a viewing site in commemoration of the people who fell victims to the holocaust. Most of these victims were women and children hiding for their lives.
Gisozi genocide memorial site
This place is considered to be where several of the Tutsi were murdered in cold blood by the Hutu and in 2000 both the Tutsi and Hutu victims were buried in Gisozi making it a tourism center in 2004 with an estimated 300,000 people buried in there, a display house, library, Gallery and a cemetery are all featured here for historic purposes.
Bisesero genocide memorial site
An estimated 30,000 people were massacred in Bisesero in the district of Karongi on the lower slopes of Kibuye region, Western Rwanda occupied by the Tutsi who fought in defense of their lives and property but because of the inferiority of their weapons, the Hutus defeated and killed many of them and the site is now referred to as the hill of resistance because of the braveness Bisesero people displayed in 1994.
Nyanza memorial site
At the ETO school governed by the UN in Nyanza, many of the Hutus and a few Tutsis were murdered while seeking refuge after the departure of the UN troops who were deployed in Rwanda before the genocide broke out. Every year 11th April is a ritual day meant to remember the victims of the holocaust at Nyanza.
Nyarubuye memorial site
This place was a convent and school where many of the Tutsis estimated to be 20,000 were man-slaughtered as they tried escaping into Tanzania but in 2003 the government renovated the school which is currently in operation with a number of students and the convent reserves the remains of the victims.
Nyamata memorial site
This was a church located in Bugesera district 35 kilometers away from Kigali city and an approximate of 2,500 people were murdered as they went seeking refuge. The church is still in existence in remembrance of the victims of 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The 1994 holocaust damaged Rwanda but the Rwandan government with support from their allies rebuilt it into a paradise that softly attracts the entire world, in short there are more places to visit without dark memories as named below.
Akagera National Park
This national park eats up 1,200 square kilometers (120,000 ha) of land and lies in Eastern Rwanda stretching along the Tanzanian border and it was established in 1934 to protect the wildlife animals and the vegetation that make up the ecosystem. The park is named after Kagera River which flows eastwards into lakes like Lake Ihema which is the largest in Rwanda therefore giving you a great experience in the African wilderness.
Lake Kivu and its Beaches
Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s largest lake and Africa’s 6th largest in the western part of Rwanda with its 3 major towns of Kibuye, Gisenyi and Cyangugu expanding beside it. The lake has beaches with freshening waters and great sand with hotels also having beaches with sports options in them giving visitors a remarkably satisfying beach time in Rwanda.
Nyungwe Forest
It is located in the Southwestern part of Rwanda bordering Burundi to the South and lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the West, and it has a 970 square kilometer national park named after it which protects and harbors 13 primate species, 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species. An accelerating activity in this forest is the canopy walk through a highly suspended bridge with breathtaking views of the valleys and the forest.
Volcano National Park (Park National des Volcans)
This park is located northwest of Rwanda and it was established in 1925 making it the very first national park to be created in Africa, bordering Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda covering 160 square kilometers of land dominated by rainforest and bamboo, the park is a haven for the rare and endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys with five out of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains ( Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo) and in the park Daine Fossey, the American zoologist was buried at Karisike Research Center.
Rwanda being one of the countries within the Great lakes region has a booming and very fast growing tourism industry valued and supported by the Rwandan government and its citizens especially because of the tragic incident of the 1994 genocide which left thousands lifeless and the survivors traumatized after the end of the holocaust. Several memorial sites today commemorate the victims as tourism centers that you can visit in addition to the other natural attractions mentioned above and for you to personally visit all these attractions at an affordable cost, simply call us today on +256-758540071 or send us an email to booking@tristarafricaskimmersafaris.com.