Activities in Rwanda prior to or following a Kigali conference. Rwanda is a landlocked country that borders Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not to mention the mountain gorillas, the nation’s top tourist destination, the stunning undulating hills are a pleasure to behold.

The government has made every effort to ensure that the nation is safe and has made progress in the tourism industry after the 1994 genocide caused many difficulties and setbacks. The tourism attractions in Rwanda and the various activities you can partake in prior to or following a conference will be discussed in this article.

Before or after a conference in Rwanda, you can do a number of things on a safari, such as the following:

Go to Volcanoes National Park.
With more than 400 gorillas and ten habituated gorilla families, Volcanoes National Park is most famous for gorilla trekking. A popular activity for tourists is gorilla trekking, and more and more people are making reservations for gorilla safaris over time.

Trekking is a highly sought-after activity, and in order to participate, one must have a gorilla permit, which must be reserved in advance. Because there are only 80 permits available per day at Volcanoes National Park, you may not be able to engage in the activity on the dates you have in mind if you do not make reservations in advance. One of the things you ought to do either prior to or following the conference is this.

The finest spot to learn about the Kinyarwanda culture and gorillas is the Gorilla Guardians community, which was once known as the Ibyiwacu Cultural community. It is situated just south of Volcanoes National Park. In order to conserve the gorillas and provide employment for rehabilitated former poachers, Edwin Sabuhoro established the settlement.

The center is a knowledge center where visitors can put on traditional clothing, eat food cooked locally, and learn more about Kinyarwanda culture. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to take in the traditional music and dances at a Kinyarwanda wedding.

Some of the Virunga ranges, such as Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke (renowned for its Crater Lake), and Mount Sabinyo, are found in Volcanoes National Park. Hiking the mountains offers a unique experience and allows you to observe the various vistas of the national park, including the fauna.

In 2013, the public and visitors were able to visit the Musanze caves, which are situated outside of Volcanoes National Park. These have 32 cave entrances and are roughly 2 kilometers long. In order to facilitate access to the caves, paved pathways were added to the staircases and they were also restored. The Batwa tribe used the bat-infested Musanze caverns as hiding spots and a place to strategize throughout the conflict.

One of the activities conducted in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is golden monkey trekking. Similar to gorilla trekking, golden monkeys are an endangered species that can be trekked in volcanoes all year round. To keep them from going extinct, there are some guidelines that must be adhered to during the voyage.

To trek the monkeys, you will also need to buy a Golden Monkey Trek Permit. Gorillas, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys are among the other primates you can observe when trekking.

Go to Akagera National Park.

The largest national park in Uganda, Akagera offers a diverse array of animals that may be observed on game drives. Game drives in Akagera National Park are enjoyable. Birdwatching, boat cruising on Lake Ihema, and taking part in cultural excursions in the local settlements surrounding the national park are still further activities that may be done in the area. Lions, antelopes, buffaloes, hippos, and crocodiles are a some of the creatures that can be found at Akagera.

Take pleasure in guided tours in Kigali.

Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, has been ranked as one of the cleanest cities in the world. You may see the Kigali Convention Center, a notable structure in Kigali, meet residents, and explore the city with a guided tour. The building’s distinctive nighttime illumination is amazing, and it’s a great spot for shopping, taking pictures, and getting some excellent 5-star treatment at the Radisson Blue Hotel.

The Mamba Club in Kigali is the place to go if you like the nightlife. After a long day, the elite and middle classes of Kigali congregate at this leisure center. They are the only establishment in the city with a bowling alley, plus they feature decent food and a well-stocked bar. You should be aware that loud music that disturbs other people’s tranquility is prohibited, and that nightlife in Kigali and Rwanda as a whole concludes before midnight.

Trekking with chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park

The oldest montane forests on the African continent can be found in Nyungwe Forest National Park, which is also home to more than 13 primate species, including olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and chimpanzees, the park’s main tourist attraction.

The Nyungwe forest and Cyamudongo are the two areas where chimpanzee trekking is conducted in Nyungwe. The park also offers chimpanzee habituation. You get to spend nearly a whole day with the chimpanzees and learn more about their behavior, unlike chimp trekking, where visitors only get to spend an hour with the animals.

To take part in the exercise, tourists must obtain a chimpanzee hiking permit. Along the way, you will also be able to see more than 130 different types of birds, butterflies, and other primate species.

Check out the Hotel des Mille Collines as well.

Most famously, the five-star hotel served as the backdrop for the 3004 film Hotel Rwanda, which was based on a true story. Because diplomats were also staying at the hotel at the time, the hotel manager was able to safeguard more than 1300 people during the genocide. With more than 115 opulent rooms, continental cuisine, and a swimming pool, the five-star hotel gives the public some of the most opulent amenities in addition to being a well-known destination. A number of well-known persons will accompany you to the hotel.

Savor Nyungwe’s canopy trek.

With a height of almost 50 meters above the forests, the Nyungwe canopy walk is the longest in East Africa. Since it opened in 2010, a lot of tourists have tried to stroll the walkway. It is broken up into three sections, each of which presents unique difficulties.

Please take note that children must be accompanied by an adult in order to participate in the canopy walk. It is best done in the dry season and is not a good workout for travelers who are afraid of heights. In addition to being a challenge, the canopy walk allows you to see the park from a new perspective.

Go to the Centers for Genocide.

Kigali Genocide Memorial Center: Learn about the nation’s violent past and pay tribute to all the innocent individuals who perished in the genocide at this memorial center. It serves as the last resting place for more than 300,000 war victims.

The center, which is operated by the non-governmental organization AEGIS, is separated into sections, some of which display the victims’ personal belongings, such as their skulls, and photos of the survivors. There is a mass grave outside with the names of some of the fatalities, though the list is still being updated to this day.

One of the numerous genocide centers in Rwanda is the Nyamata Church, where more than 25,000 Tutsis were murdered after fleeing the Interahamwe. The Hutu militia invaded and used grenades to open the doors of the church where the people had taken refuge, killing everyone inside.

The national identification documents of the residents who died inside the church, the blood-stained altar fabric, and a few human bones are all still present. Additionally, hundreds of individuals were interred in a mass grave.

The following are more genocide centers that are open for visits:

The Genocide Memorial in Murambi.
memorial to the Nyanza genocide.
memorial to the Ntarama genocide.
Memorial to the Bisesero Genocide.
Among these is the Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial.
Take a culinary adventure around the nation.

Before a conference, you should sample some of Rwanda’s regional food. On your cuisine safari, sample the grilled beef, akabanga, isombe, and somboza. Nearly every restaurant in the nation will serve the local cuisine. You can also sample the Urwagwa, a locally made beer that many residents like to drink after work.

As part of your food safari, stop by the milk bars to sample the fresh milk from Rwanda’s longhorned cow. Locals are known to consume milk almost daily, and milk bars can be found in almost every region of the nation. The finest place to sample the milk if you’re in the Kigali area is the Kigali milk bar.

Savor the Congo Nile Trail

The Congo Nile trail will be enjoyable if cycling is your strongest suit. The 140-mile track winds through tea plantations, Nyungwe National Park, and along the shores of Lake Kivu. Toward the end of the trail, you can clearly see the Congo’s border. Additionally, the trail winds through a number of communities where you can stop for refreshments and food.

A tent, snacks, bottled water, a warm sweater, a helmet, bedding, a dust mask, goggles, and other essentials are all necessary for the Congo Nile Trail cycling trip. For a little cost, bikes can be rented before the beginning of the cycling trial; however, make careful to inspect them to determine their condition.

You should see the tea farms.
Rwanda boasts some of the biggest tea estates, some of which are privately held, and tea is the country’s second-most-exported cash crop after coffee. You can easily schedule tea trips to the many tea estates, such as Pfunda, Gisovu, and Gisakura. Once you arrive, you may learn about the processes involved in planting, weeding, harvesting, and processing the tea before it is sold.

Visit the Kamironko market to shop.
Before or after the conference, one of the greatest places to shop in Rwanda is the Kamironko market. The market is a one-stop shop for nearly everything, including fruits, vegetables, and various foods at affordable prices.

It also has an extension where you can buy used clothing, purses, suits, and shoes. Additionally, it’s a fantastic place to get Kitenge fabric of all kinds. You may buy all the mementos you need in Kamironko market before or after the conference, but be careful to haggle a little because locals raise prices when they see a foreigner.

Attend the ceremony of Umuganda.

Every month on the last Saturday, the Umuganda ceremony is held, during which all citizens are expected to clean the city and their neighborhoods. The president flags off the ceremony, which is akin to a public holiday with offices closed and no cars permitted.

The goal of Umuganda is to encourage residents to keep the neighborhood clean and to refrain from needless littering. All citizens, but not visitors, are required to participate in the activity; however, you can still volunteer to learn more about the locals.

The dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February, is the ideal time of year to visit Rwanda. This month is ideal for a lot of tourist activities, but keep in mind that it’s peak season and that you need to plan ahead to get the greatest safari deals.