PREPARATION FOR RWANDA SAFARIS

Planning for Rwanda trip. How can i prepare for the tour in Rwanda?

Before starting the preparation, you need to know the location of Rwanda, which airport will you from to, personal requirements to carry, which tour company to deal with, which tourist destinations to visit, which activities to be done, the type of accommodation among others.

All tourists planning to visit Rwanda should note that Rwanda is found in African continent. Rwanda is among the East African countries including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi- thus in East African community. Rwanda is a landlocked country located in central Africa, bordered by Uganda  in north, Burundi in south, Tanzania in the East and Democratic republic of Congo (D.R.C) in the west.

Visitors to Rwanda should also note that , the country is mountainous thus nick named " the land of a thousand hills" so visitors should carry warming sweaters (cotton made) since the  country experiences coldness especially at night - this is due to high altitude- the higher you go, the cooler it becomes- Rwanda is endowed with five volcanoes known as Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. Visitors willing to climb one of the volcanoes should carry hiking shoes and some fitness needed.

Kigali International Airport is the major entrance to Rwanda especially to international or foreign visitors from United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, South Africa, Australia, Korea, China, Japan, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Brazil among others. However, visitors from neighboring countries mostly use boarders like Katuna or Gatuna, Kyanika and so on. Visitors from Uganda, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo,   Sudan, Kenya, Burundi and Tanzania mostly enter Rwanda through different boarders but security is tight at every entrance point.

Personal requirements needed for Rwanda safaris include  1-2 long sleeved shirts,  3 short sleeved t-shirts,  2 –3 pairs of light weight slacks/trousers – that can dry quickly (if wearing on treks),  1 pair of shorts, 1 sweater or sweatshirt,  A waterproof and windproof jacket, 1 skirt ( for women),
Gloves – gardening or similar (for gorilla trekking),  Strong waterproof walking boots – pants should be tucked into socks and boots while trekking (heavy soled rain boots also work well), Pair of sports sandals like Tevas, Hat-wide brim or with a visor for sun protection, Sleepwear, Underwear, Lightweight wool socks, Swimsuit (and a plastic bag), Miscellaneous,  Sunscreen, Sunglasses with neck strap, Insect repellent with DEET, Small day pack, Flashlight, Binoculars, - Extra batteries, Camera and extra lenses, Film particularly fast film for the gorillas or Chimpanzee, Personal toiletries, Prescription medicines and possibly prescription itself, Kleenex tissues, Small notebook, First Aid Kit including rehydration sachets, anti-diarrhea medicine, aspirin, cold medication, antiseptic cream, band-aids, motion sickness pills, lip balm, eye drops and personal medication among others. However, the given list is just a guideline as you can decide to make your own choice.

To be safe, visitors are advised to deal with a reliable tour and travel company so, African Jungle Adventures Ltd is the best choice. Send them an email on info@rwandagorillasafaris.com  OR info@rwandagorillatrekking.com      for  memorable safaris in Rwanda.

Major tourist destinations in Rwanda include National parks like Volcanoes National park, Nyungwe forest National Park  and Akagera National Park. Other attractions or tourist destinations include Genocide memorial museum, Lake Kivu, Twin Lakes: Burera and Buhondo among other attractions in Kigali city.

The chief tourist attraction in Rwanda is mountain Gorillas, followed by chimpanzees and so on. Mountain Gorillas are found in Volcanoes National park - 3 hours drive from Kigali while chimpanzees are found in Nyungwe Forest National park- 8 hours from Kigali. A variety of wildlife is found in Akagera National Park -2 hours drive from Kigali.

Tourist activities in Rwanda include; Gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, wildlife viewing, mountaineering, city tour, biking, motor cycling, nature walks, cultural walks, golden monkey trekking, colobus monkey tracking, canopy walk, canoeing, birding, boat cruise among others.

Safari lodges/ Hotel in Rwanda includes Budget accommodation, Deluxe or mid range accommodation and luxury or high end accommodation. In Kigali, visitors can stay in Kigali Serena Hotel, Hotel Desmille colline, Manor Hotel, Chez Lando Hotel, Step town Motel among others. In Volcanoes National park, visitors can stay in Virunga Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge, Gorilla Nest Lodge, Hotel La Palme, Muhabura Hotel, kinigi Guest House extra. In Akagera National park, tourists can stay in Ruzizi tented Camp, Akagera game lodge and so on. In Nyungwe forest national park tourist can stay in Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Peace Guest House, Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel, Gisakura Guest house among others. visitors to Lake Kivu can sleep and dine at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Kivu Sun hotel, Lake Kivu Gorilla Lodge, Paradise malahide etc.

For self driving visitors, it is advisable to know the direction and location of each destinations opt to visit: Volcanoes national park (Home of mountain Gorillas) is situated  in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.  Akagera National park lies in eastern Rwanda, along the Tanzanian border. Nyungwe Forest national park (Home of chimpanzees) lies southwestern Rwanda, at the border with Burundi, to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.

In terms of size, Nyungwe Forest National park is the largest, followed by Volcanoes while Akagera national park is the smallest. Statistically, Volcanoes national parks registers a large number of visitors, followed by Nyngwe National Park while Akagera receives the least number of Visitors.