Mountain gorillas, green hills and a hopeful capital
Rwanda is a small, hilly, very green country in East Africa, often called the land of a thousand hills. Most visitors come to trek to mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, then add chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest and a classic savanna safari in Akagera. Kigali is clean, orderly and easy to explore, and its genocide memorial is an essential, sobering stop. It suits wildlife lovers and travellers happy to pay for high-value, low-volume tourism.
Tap a card or a pin. Add a place to a day of your trip, or look for tours.
Guided small groups hike through bamboo and forest on the Virunga volcanoes to spend an hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family. It is the main reason most people visit Rwanda.
The memorial and burial site explains the 1994 genocide through exhibits, survivor testimony and gardens. Around 250,000 victims are buried here.
A vast old montane rainforest with chimpanzees, many monkey species and a canopy walkway high above a valley. It joined the UNESCO list in 2023.
Rwanda's savanna park of lakes, swamps and grassland, home to lions, rhinos, elephants and buffalo. It is managed with African Parks and offers game drives and boat trips.
A large, calm lake on the Congo border with sandy beaches, lake cruises and relaxed resort towns. It is a good place to rest after trekking.
A shorter, gentler trek in Volcanoes National Park to see playful, endangered golden monkeys in bamboo forest. It is a good add-on to the gorilla trek.
A steep forest hike to the former Karisoke research camp and the grave of the famous gorilla researcher. It suits fit walkers interested in conservation history.
A demanding day hike up a dormant volcano to a crater lake on the Rwanda and Congo border. On clear days the views over the Virunga chain are excellent.
A long hiking and cycling route along the eastern shore of Lake Kivu through villages and coffee and tea farms. You can do one section or several days.
Two scenic lakes below the volcanoes, with canoe trips and terraced hillsides. They make a calm half day from Musanze.
A reconstruction of a traditional royal hut beside a later colonial-era palace, with long-horned Inyambo cattle nearby. It shows life at the old Rwandan royal court.
One of the best museums in East Africa on traditional Rwandan crafts, farming and culture. It is a good break on the way south.
A former school where tens of thousands were killed in 1994, now a very difficult but important memorial. It is part of the UNESCO-listed memorial sites.
A quiet lakeside town with green islands you can tour by boat, including one with fruit bats. It is quieter than Rubavu.
A church south of Kigali where thousands sheltered and were killed in 1994. It is kept as a memorial and is part of the UNESCO-listed sites.
Everything above is open to read. A Hodolog account lets you build the trip around it: pick cities, add places to days, see the weather for your dates.
Each city with a guide opens its own page: map, where to stay, what to eat.
Safe-feeling, tidy capital with the main memorial, good food and art galleries.
culture, gateway · Open the city guideBase for gorilla and golden monkey treks in Volcanoes National Park.
wildlife, hiking · Guide comingLake Kivu beaches and a relaxed pace after trekking.
relaxing, lake · Guide comingUniversity town on the way to Nyungwe with the national ethnographic museum.
culture · Guide comingQuiet lake town with boat trips to small islands.
lake, relaxing · Guide comingLodges for chimp tracking and the canopy walk.
wildlife, hiking · Guide comingGateway village for Nyungwe forest.
rainforest, chimps · Guide comingStarting point for Akagera National Park.
safari, wildlife · Guide comingA hilly, orderly capital with memorials, markets and a growing food and art scene.
Kigali Genocide Memorial, Kimironko Market, Inema Arts Center
Cool, green volcano country on the Uganda and Congo borders, home of the mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park, Twin Lakes, Mount Bisoke
A long lake shore with beaches, islands and coffee farms.
Rubavu, Karongi, Congo Nile Trail
Rainforest, tea plantations and the old royal capital.
Nyungwe National Park, Nyanza, Huye
Lower, warmer land of lakes and grassland with big game.
Akagera National Park, Lake Ihema
Hilly capital area with memorials, markets and cafes.
Kigali, Nyamata, Kimironko
Choose how long you have, then add the whole route to a trip as places and nights.
Best: June to September, and December to February. These drier months make forest trails less muddy and wildlife easier to find.
The volcanoes and Nyungwe are cool and can be wet at any time, so pack rain gear; Akagera in the east is warmer and drier.
January. Shoulder season. Good balance of weather and crowds.
79°F daily high, 69°F average, 3.8 in
Average of past years from NASA POWER, worked out at each city's position. A place far from these cities can be quite different.
The US State Department rates Rwanda Level 3, Reconsider Travel, citing crime, unrest near the DR Congo border (do not travel within 10 km of it) and Ebola in neighbouring countries, though the main tourist areas are orderly.
Distances are short and roads are good, but most visitors use a driver or tour because public buses do not reach park lodges easily.
Gorilla permits and lodges are expensive, so Rwanda is costly compared with its neighbours.
Entry rules depend on your passport. Members see the rules for their own passport here.
Passport and visa rules change often and without notice. Always check the official pages before you book and again before you travel.
| Entry | Check current visa and entry rules on the Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration website (migration.gov.rw) and your own government's travel advice before you go. |
| Plugs | Type C, J; 230 V 50 Hz |
| Tap water | not safe |
| Tipping | Tipping guides, porters and drivers is expected; restaurants welcome around 10 percent. |
| Payments | Cards work in Kigali hotels and larger restaurants, but carry cash in francs elsewhere; mobile money is very common. |
| Emergency | 112 police and SAMU ambulance |
| Etiquette | Plastic bags are banned, so do not bring them. Ask before photographing people, and talk about the genocide only with care and respect. On the last Saturday morning of each month, community work (umuganda) can slow traffic and closes some businesses. |
| What to wear | Modest clothing is appreciated outside Kigali; for treks wear long trousers and sleeves. |
| Driving | On the right |
| Between cities | Most visitors hire a car with a driver or join a tour, as distances are short but lodges are rural. Express minibuses link Kigali with Musanze, Rubavu and Huye cheaply. Moto taxis are common in towns; always wear the helmet offered. |
| Main airports | KGL |
| Ride apps | Yego, Bolt |
Rwanda was a kingdom long before German and then Belgian colonial rule, which hardened the divide between Hutu and Tutsi identities. In 1994 an organised genocide killed hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Tutsi, in about one hundred days. Since then the country has rebuilt, with a strong focus on order, reconciliation and tourism. Four genocide memorial sites are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and visitors are expected to approach the subject with respect.
Researched 2026-10-13. Check official sources and recent changes before you go.