The Top Things I wish I Knew Before Visiting Rwanda
In my visit to Rwanda as a business traveler I did not know that Rwanda could not only fulfill my travel needs but also my cultural and nature travel bucket list. I was more interested in the conference that I had gone to attend in Rwanda at the Kigali convention center but while there I had a discussion with other attendees of the conference, most of them were going to visit other destinations in Rwanda after the conference and I started regretting and cursed that how I wish I knew all these mesmerizing attractions in Rwanda I could have planned to come to attend the conference and also visit these places.
Some of these wonders I got to know about them when I flew out of Rwanda or when I was passing in the town of Kigali and found some posters describing the wonders found in Rwanda and as they as it is never too late as long as you are still breathing, I am planning to have a return trip to Rwanda and visit these fabulous attractions and spectacular destinations.
Wonderment I wish I Knew Before Visiting Rwanda
Rwanda is not only rich in nature but a place of cultural significance with never-ending memories for those who visit this destination, but unfortunately, I did not know that this destination had some of these jaw dropping attractions when I had gone to attend a conference in Rwanda. Below are the grandeur attractions in Rwanda:
As a primatologist, I grew up watching the Great Apes on National geographic Channel which traverses the lives and challenges of chimpanzees in captivity, the Kingdom of the apes which follows the chimpanzees and gorillas stories in the African jungle which includes the battle of their dominance, other movies like the human apes all these have inspired a spirit of exploration in me but I did not know that Rwanda has both the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees that I have always watched on national geographic channel, I found out from an attendee of the conference that Rwanda has both these great Apes and am now planning to visit Rwanda again and go to Nyungwe National park and participate in chimpanzee habituation and Volcanoes national park and participate in Gorilla trekking.
I have always known that lake Victoria to be the source of the Nile but I am just discovering now after doing several research online, I have realized that Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda has the furthest headstream of the Nile which means it is the source of the Nile and not lake Victoria but I am realizing this after flying out of Rwanda I must go back to Rwanda and visit Nyungwe national park and reece this place and then come back with my colleagues in another return trip to visit this impeccable place.
A colleague has just told me that he visited the great volcanoes of the Virunga Volcanoes that is in Rwanda. All my life I did not know that Rwanda is the home of the dormant volcanoes of the Virunga like mount Sabinyo described as the old man’s teeth, mount Gahinga, mountain Karisimbi that is the tallest mountain in the Virunga Volcanoes, mount Muhabura, I am an adrenaline junky and always had a dream to participate in hiking activities but I have got to realized this after flying out of Rwanda and I plan to have a return flight to Rwanda and hike this great mountains.
I am just reading now that mountain Sabinyo is a tri-border point of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo and when you are on it summit it means you are standing in all the three countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo simultaneously imagine such a feeling of being in three countries at the same time and I wish not to miss such a feeling again, definitely I must return to Rwanda and hike this great mountain described as the old man’s teeth.
The beauty of Lake Kivu. Little had I given lake Kivu much of my time but my colleagues have just told me that cycling around lake Kivu is like cycling around the Indian Ocean and I would not want to miss such a phenomenal ride, the roads around the lake are highly maintained and you can view the islands, Goma town while you are in Rwanda on this special ride around this lake.
When I came to attend the conference I got shocked at how clean Kigali city was and I was told that all the cities in Rwanda are clean like that with Rwanda banning the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags and making Rwanda to be kept as a clean city so when coming to Rwanda make sure not to carry such bags to continue keeping the country clean. Rwanda also has a service day called the Umuganda day which takes place on every last Saturday of the month where every citizen is supposed to take part in cleaning the country to make Rwanda clean. So such experience is mind blowing.
When I came to attend a conference, I wanted to visit the Iby’icawu cultural village in the first week of April after the conference but I got to realize that in every month of April, there is always commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and performances like dancing for tourists does not take place because music is not played in the first week of April so I missed the Iby’icawu performances but when I come back to Rwanda next time I must participate in this activity but while keeping in mind that I should visit it in another month not in April.
I have always admired seeing the golden monkeys with my own eyes but little did I know that these engendered species that are endemic to the Virunga Mountain are found in Rwanda in Volcanoes national park and in my next visit I must go for golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National park.
As a great primatologist, I have always admired Dian Fossey and her work in conserving the mountain gorillas and studying them critically but when I visited Rwanda, I just participated in mountain gorilla trekking after my conference because I only had one more day to spend in Rwanda and I could not participate in both gorilla trekking and hiking to the Dian Fossey’s grave on the same day as it is physically challenging but in my next return I must hike to her grave and honor her great work.
I have always admired Ellen DeGeneres acting skills but little did I know that she is a wildlife activities. She has supported the work of Dian Fossey who was a great primatologist by building Ellen Degeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund which serves as a hub for gorilla conservation which combines research and public education as they are able to watch the behaviors of mountain gorillas and also the public is taught on the advantages of conserving mountain gorillas through the interactive museum and exhibits, virtual reality and 360 degrees immersive theatre.