Rwanda National Parks Full Guide

NATIONAL PARKS IN RWANDA – Rwanda is a small but beautiful landlocked scenic country in East Africa that is increasingly becoming a popular tourist destination as a result of the intensive conservation efforts the government of Rwanda is carrying out, creation of new tourist destinations and worldwide marketing of the country’s lush natural beauty and biodiversity, historical and rich cultural heritage.

Rwanda has only 4 national parks each offering a unique experience to the visitors who go to Rwanda. 3 of the 4 national parks that is Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe Forest national park and the youngest park in the country, Gishwati Mukura national park are located in the Western part of the country and 1 is located in the East and it is also the only Savannah park in the country, that is Akagera National Park.

NATIONAL PARKS IN RWANDA

VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Volcanoes national park is the most visited and most popular national park in Rwanda. It is the oldest national park on the African continent and in Rwanda.

It is the highlight of Rwanda’s tourism famously known to the world as a home to the endangered Mountain Gorillas.

Location: North Western Rwanda in the Virunga Conservation region
Size: 160 square kilometers
Established: 1925
Highlight: Gorilla Trekking
Other activities: Golden monkey tracking, Bird watching (over 200 bird species), Hiking Mt. Karisimbi and Mt Bisoke, Guided nature walks, Cultural tours
Accessibility: By road and by air (small air craft or helicopter ride)
Best time to visit: Dry season that runs from June through to September

AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK

Akagera national park is the only Savannah national park in Rwanda where you can experience a true African wilderness experience on safari game drives around the park with high possibilities of sighting the iconic Big 5, that is the lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino.

It is also the largest national park in Rwanda.

Location: Eastern Rwanda next to the Tanzanian border
Size: 1,122 square kilometers
Established: 1934
Highlight: African Big 5, Safari game drives
Other activities: Boat trip, Night game drives, Guided nature walks, Bird watching (over 500 bird species), Sport fishing, Cultural tours, Hot air balloon safaris
Accessibility: By road and by air using Akagera aviation services
Best time to visit: Dry season that runs from June through to September

NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Nyungwe Forest national park is the home to the oldest montane rainforest in the world, Nyungwe forest and the best place for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda.

It is the 2nd largest park in Rwanda and one of the 2 newest national parks in the country. A scenic park with great views.

Location: South Western Rwanda at the border with Burundi
Size: 1,019 square kilometers
Established: Forest reserve in 1933 and national park in 2004
Highlight: Chimpanzee trekking, Nyungwe forest
Other activities: Bird watching (over 300 bird species), Canopy walk, guides nature walks, guided forest walks, cultural tours, tea plantation visit, biking trips
Accessibility: By road and by air using Akagera aviation services
Best time to visit: Dry season that runs from June through to September

GISHWATI MUKURA NATIONAL PARK

Gishwati Mukura national park is the newest national park in Rwanda. It was created by combining 2 rainforests of Gishwati Forest and Mukura Forest that are separated by a 50 km buffer zone.

The park gets its name from the 2 forests it protects.

It is the smallest national park in the country and the less visited.

Location: Western Rwanda
Size: 32 square kilometers
Established: 2015
Highlight: Chimpanzee trekking, Gishwati Forest, Mukura Forest
Other activities: Bird watching (over 200 bird species), primate viewing, guides nature walks, biking riding, visit to the waterfall, guided cultural tours
Accessibility: By road and by air using Akagera aviation or RwandAir services
Best time to visit: Dry season that runs from June through to September

All the above Rwanda national parks are managed by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) with help of other organizations the Rwanda government got into agreements with to protect, preserve and promote the national parks like African parks and Wilderness Safaris.

Other tourist attractions in the country include its capital city, Kigali, the famous Lake Kivu, the biggest lake in Rwanda, Iby’iwacu Cultural cCnter/Mountain Gorilla Guardians, the Genocide memorial sites and museums.