Rwanda is endowed with a variety of tourist activities found in three National Parks namely:

  • Akagera National Park
  • Nyungwe National Park
  • Volcanoes national Park

Few parks but many tourist attractions, Rwanda ranked 152nd in the world. In Eastern Africa, it ranked 5th. Rwanda generated around 528.00 m US Dollar in the tourism sector alone.  Below are the top 5 tourist activities done in Rwanda National Park:

  1. Mountain Gorilla Trekking – With ten habituated Gorilla families, gorilla trekking makes Volcanoes National Park a must visit. Gorilla trekking is the top tourist activity in Rwanda and earns the country the biggest percentage of revenue. Currently, Rwanda Gorilla permit cost US$1500 each which is more than twice that of Uganda at US$700.  Each Gorilla family receives a maximum of eight people a day. That means Rwanda is capable of accommodating 80 gorilla trekkers every day.
  2. Chimpanzee trekking – Done in Nyngwe National park which is situated in southwest Rwanda, partly abutting the Burundi border. It’s a vast area of mountain rainforest, home to many species of chimpanzees plus other 12 primate species. Chimpanzee trekking starts with briefing and then transfer to meet chimpanzees in their natural habitat- approximately 500 chimpanzees are residents at the Park. 12 other primates are found in Nyungwe National park hence a haven of primates. Other primates in Nyungwe National Park include Vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys, Mona Monkeys, ververt Monkeys and so on.
  3. Golden Monkey trekking – If you go on a gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park, think about golden monkey trekking as well. Golden Monkeys move in troops and the activity is currently cost US$100 per person. Golden monkeys are known to have unique characters and are a rare species that are endangered at the moment and they are currently found in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda. They are easily recognized due to the yellow patches that can be seen all over their bodies. The Golden monkeys are also known as ‘the Old-world monkey’ and the only way to separate these primates from others is by their noses. There is a unique character about the golden monkeys and that is most of the monkeys have their nostrils pointing to the sides but if you look closely at the golden monkeys, their nostrils face upwards.
  4. Game viewing/ Game drives – Done only in Akagera National Park, it’s the only savannah situated in Eastern region of Rwanda. Sit in an open roof 4×4 car and drive through the park to see a variety of animals like elephants, lions, Antelopes, Leopards and buffaloes among. Akagera National Park also protects the big 5: Lions, leopards, Rhinos, Elephants and Cape Buffalo. The game drives happen in the northern part of the park because of the terrain there but animals are all over the park. The park entrance is in the south and the northern gate used for exit.
  5. Birding – Birding is done in all the three national Parks. Over 750 species! Being a small country with an area cover of just 26,338 square kilometers, Rwanda contains the highest concentration of birds per square kilometer in Africa. Ducks, geese, and waterfowl Guineafowl Pheasants, grouse, and allies Flamingos Grebes Pigeons and doves Bustards Turacos Cuckoos Nightjars and allies Swifts Flufftails Rails, gallinules and coots Finfoots Cranes Thick-knees Stilts to mention but a few.