Rwanda’s Beauty Beyond Gorillas
While traveling via the rolling hills after which Rwanda is named the land of a thousand hills, you actually realize that the country is much more than the gorillas for which the country has been widely known. Sheltering the highest population of the endangered mountain gorillas in the virunga conservation area, gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park has been a highlight for most if not all travelers to Rwanda from all parts of the world. Rwanda has been ranked as the safest and best tourism destination in the whole world not only because of the gorillas but a complement of other features that make Rwanda a unique tourism destination to stay. Among the other distinct features that make Rwanda a unique destination include:
Clean streets and organized city
While driving in the streets of Kigali, you will hardly spot neither a litter nor any tumbleweed plastic bags or even the splats of chewing gum thrown any where in the entire city and the neighboring communities. Kigali is thus the cleanest and organized city in Africa and the entire world. It was in 2008 when the government of Rwanda under the leadership of president Paul Kagame put a policy to ban all plastic bags and bottles and was the first country to put this policy in the whole world. On reaching Kigali international airport or any of the borders to Rwanda i.e Cyanika in Kisoro, Katuna in Kabale and Goma, all travelers are thoroughly checked to ensure no one has aplastic bag or a bottle before crossing over to Rwanda. This is one of the things that have Rwanda the cleanest country in Africa.
The Kigali convention center
Still in the heart of Kigali city is the excellent Radisson Blu convention hall, a center for all conferences, meetings, incentives and exhibitions for people from all over the world. The construction of the convention center was completed in 2016 and then officially opened to people for various activities and businesses. The convention center comprise of the conference center which accommodate 2,600 seats, the Radisson Blu hotel Kigali (a 5 star hotel) with 292 luxury rooms, Kigali information technology, museum and other rental offices for different people. The convention center therefore attracts thousands of people both local and internationally for shopping, tourism, conferences, meetings and other businesses among others.
Umuganda (community work)
Translated as the coming together of all Rwanda citizens to participate in public works, Umuganda is one of the things that make Rwanda a unique destination. Umuganda is done every last Saturday of the month and all people right from the president to the local person aged between 18-65 years participate without force. On this day, a variety of public activities are done and these include building of schools, hydro electric plants, public roads, medical centers, houses for the poor and aged, creating highly productive agricultural plots and rehabilitation of wetlands among others. Umuganda starts in the morning to midday and all cars are stopped, shops and markets closed as well as any other activities are put on halt until when umuganda is completed.
Akagera national park
This is the only savannah national park in southeastern part of Rwanda and is the best site or wildlife safaris in Rwanda. Akagera national park is now a home to the big five (elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions and leopards) with the recent introduction of the black rhinos from south Africa. Interestingly, travelers to Akagera national park for three nights and above after trekking mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park are offered 30% discount service fee which is an added advantage of travelling to Rwanda. The game drives in Akagera national park exposes travelers to a variety of wild animals such as the impalas, Topis, Elands, Masai giraffe, Defassa waterbucks, roan antelope, bush bucks, reedbuck and sables among others. Experienced guides help in spotting these animals and interpreting the unique features about each spotted animal.
Nyungwe forest national park
Situated in southwestern part of Rwanda, Nyungwe forest national park is the only home to the famous chimpanzees in the whole of Rwanda. There are two chimpanzee communities that have been habituated in Nyungwe forest national park available for trekking. More still, the 30% discount also applies to travelers who will stay 3 nights in Nyungwe forest national park after trekking mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park.
While in Nyungwe forest national park, travelers also take part in the credible canopy walk 60 meters above the forest level. This provide travelers with spectacular aerial views of the entire national park, wildlife and the neighboring communities an experience that every traveler lives to remember. The 30% discount was put as compensation after the immediate double increases of the gorilla permit from 750usd to 1500usd in the volcanoes national park by the Rwanda development board in May 2017.
Conclusively therefore, a safari to Rwanda is a once in life time experience exposing you to gorilla trekking, city tours, chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey trekking and canopy walk experience among others.
