National Parks in Rwanda
National Parks in Rwanda
There are four major National Parks in Rwanda and thanks to recent conservation efforts visitors can now see the famous Big 5, Gorillas and Chimpanzees on a visit to Rwanda if you combine a visit to both a Primate and Savannah National Park. The National Parks in Rwanda and other tourism related activities are managed by the Rwanda Development Board. Each park has a distinct ecosystem and variety of mammals, birds and landscape making Rwanda a great place to visit.
Rwanda is one of only 3 places where you can see Mountain Gorillas in the wild. The other two places being Uganda and Congo. The Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda live in Volcanoes National Park situated in the north-west of the country. The park is only 2.5 hours away from Kigali the capital city and is part of the Virunga Massif. This is the area that covers refers to an area containing a chain of 8 volcanoes that span across the three countries of Rwanda, Uganda D R Congo and covers 3 national parks of Parc National des Virunga (PNVi) in the DR Congo, Parc National des Volcans (PNV) in Rwanda and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP) in Uganda.
Nyungwe Forest is location in South West Rwanda close to the boarder of Burundi. It is famous for two attractions, Chimpanzees Trekking and the Canopy Walk. As part of the Igishigishigi, Imbaraga or Umuyove trails you are able to access a 160m long and 70m high suspension bridge as part of the guided trail. The Forest is home to 13 primate species and whole host of mammals and birds which make it an incredible place to visit.
Akagera National Park is located in Eastern Rwanda close to the Tanzanian boarder. It has a rich history of animal life that used to reside in the park as it was once a strong hold for Wild Dogs and Black Rhinos. The Rwandan Government has sought to restore Akagera National Park to its former glory but appointing African Park to manage the Park and over see the reintroduction of Lions and Eastern Black Rhino which now makes the park one of the places you can see the Big 5
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Lake Kivu is a fresh water lake situation in South West Rwanda. It is part of the famous African Great Lakes, the sixth largest Lake in Africa and the largest in Rwanda. Lake Kivu is not a National Park but the towns alongs its shores have fast become the go to place to relax after Gorilla Trekking. From Rubavu Town, in the north, Karongi in the middle and Rusizi Town in the south all offer a unique and alternative experience to the mountains and savannah.
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