Residing at the East and West Rift valleys of Central East Africa Rwanda is a country rich with a diverse landscape, a wide range of mountains, great oasis, and colorful history. The prime attraction of the country is the Mountain Gorilla trekking however; there is much other wildlife that can be spotted in the national parks and lush green lands of the country.
The country has 3 main wildlife-rich national parks that are Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, and Akagera National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park: The national park is one of the most biodiverse spots in Rwanda. The national park is a homeland to 1,050 plant species, along with 85 mammals, 310 birds, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species.
There are 13 species and sub-species of primates can be spotted in the national park including chimpanzee, Ruwenzori colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey, silver monkey, owl-faced monkey, red-tailed monkey, Dent’s monkey, crowned monkey, vervet monkey, olive baboon, potto and at least two species of bushbaby.
The only member from Big Five family can be spotted here, that is Leopard. However, they are hard to spot in the national park.
Akagera National Park: Akagera National Park is a reserve surrounded with savannahs where all the Big Fives of Africa can be spotted. Buffaloes and elephants are the most commonly spotted animals from Big Five family but leopards are hard to spot as well as a good concentration of Lion and black Rhino existing in the park.
Volcanoes National Park: The mountain gorilla population is unbeatable in this national park. As well as the park hosts dozen of habituated groups for which each day there are 96 permits are issued daily. Apart from the mountain gorillas, the national park includes the golden monkey, elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bush pig, bushbuck, and black-fronted duiker.
Rwanda Wildlife Safaris
Rwanda Wildlife Safaris are among the top adventure tours in East Africa highlighting the unique attractions in the region. The Rwanda wildlife safaris take travelers deep into the hidden animal paradise in the small country and explore its key sanctuaries like Nyungwe National Park, Giswati-Makuru National Park , Akagera National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Out of the many places for Rwanda Holiday Tours/ Rwanda adventure tours, Akagera National Park is the best home of the Big Five animals ( lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, buffalos) that are seen during the game drives. As if this is not enough, other national parks of Rwanda have been significant in the wildlife conservation in East Africa for example Volcanoes National Park is the best gorilla trekking national park in Africa.
Nyungwe National Park is the birthplace of Rwanda Wildlife Safaris being the largest protected forest in East Africa and hosts chimpanzees. This home of chimpanzees was founded in 1946 and has since championed the conservation for endangered apes in the region. In one of the top primate tracking destinations, travelers can find many species of monkeys and indulge in chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park. The chimp tracking adventure in Rwanda is one of its kind allowing people to find the animals easily and spending about 1 hour in their pack. Nyungwe is famous for the longest canopy walk in Africa offering a unique to explore one of the oldest forests on earth.
Gorilla trekking is the main activity of the Rwanda wildlife safaris attracting many people from around the world to witness the majestic giants in their natural habitat. The home of mountain gorillas in Rwanda is Volcanoes National Park. In the best gorilla tracking destination, visitors get to traverse the thick vegetation, hike up the Virunga Volcanoes and appreciate the lush green world.
Where to go for Rwanda Wildlife Safaris
Rwanda is a renowned place for awesome wildlife viewing experiences that cannot be seen elsewhere such as gorilla tracking, chimpanzee trekking and the Big Five animals. These amazing adventures lead to the untapped jungles and national parks spread all over the country. Some of the visited places for the Rwanda wildlife safari include; Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park among others.
The birding trips in the land of a thousand hills start from the capital of Kigali taking travelers to the remote parts of the country like Nyungwe, Akagera and Volcanoes.
The Best time to go for Rwanda Wildlife Safaris
There is a high positive correlation between wildlife safaris in Rwanda and those in other countries in East Africa. Both places have similar climatic conditions and during the dry seasons, that is, June-September and December-January, conditions are favorable for moving in the jungles and sporting animals plus birds.
Why Visit Rwanda
Rwanda is the best gorilla trekking destination in the world with about 10 habituated groups living in its forests. This experience is life changing due to the intimacy the people feel when around the humble giants. This is also the perfect time to take photos of gorillas and keep these excellent memories in the future.