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Surprisingly, most first time travelers to Rwanda visit the country with anticipations relating to the Rwandese genocide that ended about two decades ago. By the time they leave the country, they realize that Rwanda is a very politically stable country and very gifted by nature. This means that most people especially from Europe and America misunderstand the country.
Today, Rwanda’s capital city Kigali is among the fastest growing urban centers and most cleanest in east and central Africa with a number of well improved accommodation facilities, big shopping malls, local markets and a number of coffee bars that serve locally made delicious coffee and tea.
The most amazing thing about visiting Rwanda is that a tourist gets chances of viewing different environmental and ecological systems plus many wildlife species in this small country. They mainly include the rare mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, birds, monkeys, hippos, giraffes, lions and various gently sloping hills that make Rwanda one of the unique wildlife safari destinations.
The Mountain Gorilla Experience
Gorilla trekking ranks among the best wildlife experiences that travelers look for on the African continent. On the D-Day for gorilla trekking, visitors travel early morning at the Kinigi headquarters in Volcanoes National Park features mist getting off the thick-forested gentle slopes, exposing the evergreen tress to the beautiful sunshine and a group of local entertainers performing some of the most interesting traditional dances and drama.
Just within a blink of an eye, you see local Rwandese putting on bush hats and hiking boots serving you hot locally made tea and coffee as you prepare for the great trek of viewing one of the endangered apes on the planet – the mountain gorilla.
Mountain gorillas cannot be found in any other countries in the world but only the Virunga ranges that stretch in the three countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda has half of the mountain gorillas in the Virunga area and the park officials plus guides ensure that tourists trekking these marvelous animals get and reach their anticipations and full value for their money. $750 spent on a gorilla permit is not cheap at all.
Tourists to volcanoes national park for gorilla tracking get a chance to meet any of the 10 habituated mountain gorilla families that live in the jungles always looking for fresh pastures and territories. Each gorilla family is led by dominant giant male called a silverback but can have a number of individual members ranging from 10 and above. If luck is on your side, you can get a chance of seeing newly born mountain gorilla babies as the loving mother gorillas pamper them.
Viewing the mountain gorillas break leaves and soft plants as they eat, the young ones play and jump around the bushes as the gorilla mother looks on and cuddle the youngest is very touching and offering remarkable experiences that are coupled with good guiding services from the guides explaining the major behavior of the gorillas and very caring to the tourists ensuring their safety through the entire gorilla tracking process especially while in the forested gentle slopes.
The Chimpanzees
These are best viewed in Nyungwe forest national park located in southwestern Rwanda. This evergreen rain forest contains various plant and tree species that are edible by the chimpanzees and perhaps it’s the reason why many of them stay there.
The forest has well developed trails that lead groups of tourists to the heart of the forest with great views of the major forest dwellers that include birds, monkeys, baboons and the chimpanzees – the prime attractions.
The chimpanzee tracking experience at Nyungwe is greatly enhanced by canopy walkway that rises about 50 meters above which tourists use to view wildlife species that inhabit the top layers of the forest. While on the canopy walkway, there are lots of chances of viewing Rwanda’s hilly landscape and taking as many photographs as possible.
A Taste of Locally made Coffee and Tea
Having cool and favorable climate, Rwanda is an agricultural country that grows a variety of cash and food crops. Among the most grown cash crops are coffee and tea grown on plantation basis especially on the gentle terraced slopes also offering green vegetation scenic views.
Most areas with coffee and tea plantations have processing plants and therefore any tourist visiting a plantation is taken through the whole coffee and tea growing and processing process that ends with tasting the delicacy with a very pleasant scent.
All those interested in tasting these beverages can stop at any restaurant, eatery, hotels and coffee or tea plantations.
All the above-mentioned experiences in Rwanda the place with a thousand hills forces many tourists to revisit the country for more beautiful experiences.
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