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Rwanda,
land of a thousand hills, offers many beautiful tourist attractions
most within a two-hour drive from Kigali. Among them, the most popular
attraction is the Volcanoes Mountains, home to the famous Silverback
Gorilla.
When touring through Akagera Park, you may see a range of
wildlife including elephant, black hippopotamus, giraffes, zebras,
water-buffalo, and the rare grey hornbill. Visit the lakeside town of
Kibuye for a relaxing retreat with beaches, swimming and lakefront
restaurants and hotels. Butare is a quaint college town and considered
the “intellectual centre” of Rwanda. There you can visit The National
Museum of Rwanda, where you will see a beautifully presented collection
of exhibits on Rwandan history and culture.Nearby, Nyungwe Forest holds
13 primate species, 20-25% of the total number in Africa.Ruhengeri,
another beautiful lakeside town, has long sandy beaches stretching
across the shores of Lake Kivu with several quaint hotels along the
water.
Visit the Rwanda Tourist and National Parks Office
(ORTPN) on Avenue de l’Armée for information about all current events
as well as street maps of Kigali, and information about transport,
minibus, taxis or car hire. This office also sells permits to visit the
Mountain Gorillas and can help you arrange transportation.
Additional ORTPN contact information:
Telephone: +250 76514, 76515, 73396
Fax: +250 76512
Email: reservation@rwandatourism.com
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GEOGRAPHY:
Rwanda
is a landlocked republic in Equatorial Africa, situated on the eastern
rim of the Albertine Rift, a western arm of the Great Rift Valley, on
the watershed between Africa's two largest river systems: the Nile and
the Congo. Much of the country's 26,338 km2 is impressively
mountainous, the highest peak being Karisimbi (4,507m) in the volcanic
Virunga chain protected by the Parc des Volcans. The largest body of
water is Lake Kivu, but numerous other lakes are dotted around the
country, notably Burera, Ruhondo, Muhazi and Mugesera, some of which
have erratic shapes following the contours of the steep mountains that
enclose them.
ECONOMY:
Primarily a subsistence agriculture
economy, Rwanda nonetheless produces for export some of the finest tea
and coffee in the world. Other industries include sugar, fishing and
cut flowers for export.
MONEY:
The unit of currency is the
Rwanda franc. The US dollar is the hard currency of preference. It may
be impossible to exchange travellers' cheques away from the capital.
Credit cards are usually only accepted at the major hotels in Kigali.
LANGUAGE:
In
addition to the indigenous language of Kinyarwanda, French and English
are official languages. French is widely spoken throughout the country.
In the capital and other tourist centres, many people speak English.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
Good Friday and Easter Monday, which fall on variable dates, are recognised in Rwanda. Other public holidays are :
1 January (New Year's Day);
1 February (National Heroes Day);
7 April (Genocide Memorial Day);
1 May (Labour Day);
1 July (Independence Day);
4 July (National Liberation Day);
15 August (Assumption Day);
1 October (Patriotism Day);
25 December (Christmas Day), and
26 December(Boxing Day).
COMMUNICATIONS
Rwanda has an excellent cell phone network covering almost the entire country.
International
phone calls can be made easily. Appropriate SIM cards for the network
are readily available everywhere, even in remote towns, and cell phones
can be purchased or rented from major shops in Kigali. Most towns of
any size will have several Internet cafes and computer centres
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SAFETY AND HEALTH
A
certificate of yellow-fever vaccination is required. Much of Rwanda
lies at too high an elevation for malaria to be a major concern, but
the disease is present and prophylactic drugs are strongly recommended.
It is advisable not to drink tap water. Bottled mineral water can be
bought in all towns. Hospitals are located in all major towns.
SEASONS AND CLIMATE
A
combination of tropical location and high altitude ensures that most of
Rwanda has a temperate year-round climate. Temperatures rarely stray
above 30 degrees Celsius by day or below 15 degrees Celsius at night
throughout the year. The exceptions are the chilly upper slopes of the
Virunga Mountains, and the hot low-lying Tanzania border area protected
in Akagera National Park. Throughout the country, seasonal variations
in temperature are relatively insignificant. Most parts of the country
receive in excess of 1,000mm of precipitation annually, with the driest
months being July to September and the wettest February to May.
The
climate is not uniform throughout the country: it is generally dryer in
the east than in the west and north. On occasion, the volcanoes of the
north may be capped by snow, and evenings in Kigali may call for a
sweater. Nevertheless, every season is good for swimming and tanning on
the banks of Lake Kivu.
An advantage of traveling during the
rainy season is that the scenery is greener, and the sky less hazy, a
factor that will be of particular significance to photographers. The
wet season is also the best time to track chimps in Nyungwe, while the
months of November to March will hold the greatest appeal for bird
watchers, as resident birds are supplemented by flocks of Palaearctic
migrants.
Useful Phrases
Muraho (formal) Uraho (informal): greeting someone not met before or not seen for a long time
Mwaramutseho (formal) Waramutseho (informal): morning greeting
Mwiriwe (formal) Wiriwe (informal): midday to evening greeting
Muramukeho (formal) Uramukeho (informal): good night
Amakuru ki?(formal) Bite? (informal): how are you? What’s up?
Nitwa + name: My name is (+ name)
Witwa nde?: What’s your name?
(Item)+ n’angahe?: how much is (+item)
Wanyereka aho bituma?: Where is the bathroom?
Iwacu ni (__): I am from (__):
Ndashaka taxi: I need a taxi:
Ncumbitse kuli Peace Land Hotel, hoteli nziza ya mbera mu Rwanda!: I am staying at Peace Land Hotel, the most beautiful hotel in Rwanda!
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