Rwanda is a blessed country offering to tourists the best travel itineraries including mountain gorilla trekking where is an act of the mystique going close to the gentle creatures sharing up to the 99 percent of the human being’s DNA that captivates most tourists from all over the world, Rwanda has more serious strides in protecting animals. Click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris.

Rwanda gives travelers a chance to view the gentle apes in their natural environment—just the beginning of the best of what Rwanda has got to offer. Rwanda has other activities to offer, such as Rwanda’s genocide of 1994. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Nature lovers can enjoy their big five safaris at Akagera National Park, get a chimpanzee-eye view, and take bird canopy walks in Nyungwe Forest national park. Travelers interested in culture can look out for the fascinating exhibits on beliefs and the traditional customs of Rwanda at the Ethnographic Museum. Travelers shouldn’t miss the royal cows at the King's Palace Museum of Rwanda.

1. Volcanoes National Park

Mountain gorilla viewing is one of the best things to do in Rwanda at Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes national park of Rwanda Sharing its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Virunga national park and Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla national of Uganda, Volcanoes national park accommodates the growing number of endangered mountain gorillas. Primates experts estimate that there are over 600 mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park. 

Travelers interested in visiting any of the 18 mountain gorilla groups habituated to human presence require a gorilla trekking permit that is always limited to a certain number of people per day. Volcanoes mountain gorilla trekking permits cost $1,500. 

The gorilla trekking experience lasts from four to eight hours; most of the time is spent hiking through the dense, mystical bamboo forests, swampy areas, and wild meadows. Guides from the volcanoes national park will lead you to the allocated mountain family being habituated. Travelers can spend an hour viewing and observing all these creatures as they eat, care for themselves, and interact with each other.

Rwanda’s Gorilla trekking is considered a safe tourism activity where mountain gorillas are apathetic to visitors. In Volcanoes National Park, armed guides use a bunch of clicking sounds to communicate with these giant mountain gorillas keeping guests safer from any potential dangers and making the experience unforgettable. Porters are always available at the trails in Volcanoes National Park who are worth hiring for your one-day gorilla trekking. Porters can help with carrying your bags or helping you avoid slipping on muddy paths.

 Travelers who are interested in learning more about the endangered mountain gorillas After your mountain gorilla trekking adventure can head to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Karisoke Research Center just located in Musanze. It is a small but complete museum with all of the information about mountain gorillas and Dian Fossey's conservation work.

 2. Kigali Genocide Memorial 

It's difficult to believe that Rwanda was in the midst of a horrific genocide in 1994, which killed approximately 800,000 people in just 100 days. Rwanda has come a long way since the upsetting massacre that affected so many relatives and simply left a mark on the lives of many people and future generations.

Tourists can easily learn about Rwanda’s horrific genocide of 1994 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The operating museum is driven by the timeline that caused the 1994 genocide.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum includes an emotionally charged Children’s Room meant for the youngest genocide victims that keeps everyone’s memory alive through the big-sized portraits of the children; most of the infants were killed.

3. Nyungwe Forest National Park for chimpanzee tracking 

Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of Rwanda’s important forest conservation areas. Nyungwe Forest National Park has a spectacular range of biodiversity, including over 1,068 plant species, about 322 bird species, and approximately 75 types of mammals. Although most tourists come to the Nyungwe tropical rainforest to track chimpanzees being habituated to human presence by the park rangers, This primate encounter is a fraction of the cost of gorilla trekking.

4. King's Palace Museum

A visit to the King's Palace Museum, which houses Rwanda's eight national museums and is home to the inyambo, also known as sacred cows, and their large longhorns, will undoubtedly do so. Throughout the day, travelers are entertained by the traditional singers and poets, which is a ritual that makes Rwandan people unique.

The Kings' Palace Museum is an intriguing site with four-legged creatures outback that showcases a replica of a king's palace dating back to the 15th century, represented by a thatched roof royal hut and a fresh milk hut led by an unmarried woman.

5. Akagera National Park

No trip to Rwanda is complete without a big-game drive at Akagera National Park. Travelers can embark on a scratch of a safari just 2-3 hours away from Kigali city to Akagera National Park, which has rich biodiversity and offers an incredible experience such as viewing the Big Five animals, antelopes, zebras, elephants, hippos, Nile crocodiles, and giraffes. 

6. Lake Kivu

After all your adventures in Rwanda, just be ready to experience no better place for relaxation in Rwanda than at Lake Kivu, which stands in a 2,700-square-kilometer emerald-evergreen oasis amidst the misty mountains of Rwanda. Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s largest lake.

Soak yourselves in the views from Rubavu, the resort town perched on the northern sector of Lake Kivu and offering a lively waterfront, a sand beach, and stunning views. 

7. Ethnographic Museum

Ethnographic Museum is one the best for Africa's collections in terms of ethnological and archeological artifacts, Rwanda's Ethnographic Museum is set approximately 130 kilometers in the south of Kigali found in Huye. The Ethnographic Museum was a gift from the Belgian government to Rwanda in 1989 in honor of Rwanda's 25th anniversary of independence.

The Ethnographic Museum has seven different galleries that take tourists back into the pre-colonial days in Rwanda. You will spot an impressive collection of woven baskets, woven grass, musical drums, traditional garments made out of animal hides, spears and bows, and old farming tools.

8. Gorilla Guardians Village

Volcanoes National Park is not just a place to trek mountain gorillas—it's also a top-class place to engage yourself in Rwandan culture at Gorilla Guardians Village. Managed by the reformed poachers, its non-profit cultural village offers tourists the chance to participate in the hand weaving of baskets, which is Rwanda's famous craft, shoot an arrow for enjoyment, and grind grain with stones. Gorilla Guardians Village offers authentic experiences. 

9. Explore Kigali 

Kigali city offers the best on bespoke clothes from swirling patterned textiles experience, explore the energetic atmosphere at Kimironko Market which is Kigali's largest marketplace. A big warehouse space like a maze is full of surprises around every corner.

Look out for Kigali's creative scene at Inema Arts Center, which will showcase the works of 10 local artists within the residence. Head to the Rwanda Art Museum, built at the former Presidential Palace, displaying the finest contemporary Rwanda pieces from the nearby regions. It also showcases the debris from the presidential aircraft when it crashed in 1994. Other attractions on the Kigali city tour include Joe at Question Coffee Café and Hotel des Mille Collines.

Rwanda is a premier destination for mountain gorilla trekking safaris, abundant wildlife species, 13 primate species, and East Africa’s only canopy walk, located in the dense tropical rainforests of Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Volcanoes National Park alone gives tourists the best opportunity to trek and view mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, hike to the late Dian Fossey tomb, take guided nature walks, and hike volcanoes.

With the recent reintroduction of lions to Akagera National Park, located in the eastern part of Rwanda, it has truly come with a fully-fledged adventure destination, and on top of that all, it’s not even a full day’s drive between each of the top-class attractions.

Tourists can explore Kigali City before traveling around the country, as many are always taken away by the 1000 hills. Kigali City Tour takes travelers around the busy down town where they can learn about the long-ago history of the town, from slums to the suburbs with lots of historic museums, memorials, and both old and new churches.

Rwanda has tea and coffee plantations, which look so beautiful from a distance. A tour to Lake Kivu is the greatest highlight of a real Rwanda Safari, and a hike to the lakeside villages along the Congo Nile trail offers a great opportunity for a full experience in the land of a thousand hills.

The best time to travel to Rwanda is within the long dry seasons of June to September and the short dry season of December to February. These drier months are ideal for trekking mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, and wildlife viewing in Akagera National Park.