RWANDA - country of thousand hills and smiles
Relax and Explore Rwanda with Green Hills Eco-Tours . This tour will bring you to the important destinations in Rwanda while relaxing and enjoying leisure activities with our staff who are very experienced and professionally trained in Tourism, Leisure and Nature conservation. Your participation to one of Green Hills Eco-Tours activities is the only unique and eco-friendly way for a memorable holiday and directly contributing long-term benefits to both the environment conservation and improves the well-being of local people. Welcome to make a difference with us!
Day 1:Kigali – Transfer to Akagera National Park Meet and greet at your lodge in Kigali by our professional eco tour guide. Enjoy Kigali city tour then drive to Akagera National Park located along the Tanzania border in Eastern Rwanda. With its patchwork of grassy, wooden and bush savannah, of marshlands and lakes, the park offers an enchanting and adventurous environment.
After lunch at the lodge, go for Game drive in the park and take a boat trip to enjoy the calm of Lake Ihema and discover the large number of hippo, the huge Nile Crocodiles and over 50 species of water birds. Overnight at Akagera Game Lodge or other lodge of your budget.
Day 2: Early morning Game Drive to view of the best sceneries in an African Savannah. During Akagera safari plenty of animals can be seen including: Zebra, Lions, masai giraffes, leopards, buffaloes, antelopes, topi, African elephant and over 525 species of birds including the Shoebill, African Jacana, Ibis, herons, and many others.
Drive back to Kigali for lunch and after transfer to Musanze at the foot of Volcanoes National Park. Overnight at Kinigi Guest House or Fatuma Hotel
Day 3: Visit of the Diane Fossey grave – Gisenyi sightseeing tour. After breakfast, depart to the park headquarter where you will meet your ranger guides for briefing. Visit to the tomb of the legendary Dian Fossey who dedicated her life to the mountain Gorilla protection and conservation. Fantastic views, lush forested slopes and outstanding environment. Alternatively, Visit Buhanga Eco-park for nature walk with picnic.
Then transfer to Gisenyi the largest part on the Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu. After check in your hotel and refresh yourself, start Gisenyi for sightseeing tour – enjoy walking through the palms street admiring the old colonial buildings. Relax and enjoy Lake kivu with its beach ideal for water activities; swimming, beach volley ball. In evening visit Intango y’Umuco cultural troupe for (Igitaramo) experience traditional dancers and you will learn about drumming, singing and dancing. Overnight at Kigufi Guest house; Diane Fossey Hotel or Kivu Lake Serena Hotel
Day 4: Lake Kivu Tour – Hot springs experience – Transfer to Kigali After breakfast, take a relaxing boat trip to visit Rubona fishing village, see hot springs and nearby Primus brewery. Picnic and after transfer to Kigali. End of the Tour.
For more detailed information and reservation contact: Tel: 250 (0)788219495 or E-mail: inocentos@yahoo.com or RwandaCongoTours@gmail.com
Rwanda Public Holidays & Events
elow are listed Rwanda Official Holidays & Events calendar for the January 2012-December 2013 period.
1st January: New Year’s Day
1st February: National Heroes’ Day
Date varies: Good Friday
7th April: Tutsi Genocide Memorial Day
1st May: Labour Day
1st July: Independence Day
4th July: Liberation Day
15th August: Assumption Day
Date varies: EID EL FITR: the date shall be announced each year by Rwanda Muslims’ Association.
25th December: Christmas Day
26th December: Boxing Day
Geography
Rwanda land of a thousand hills is a mountainous country at the center of the Great lakes region of central to eastern Africa, near the "Mountains of the Moon," already famous in ancient Greece.
Rwanda's elevation ranges from 1,000m (south and east) to 4,500m above sea level. The "thousand hills" terrain is dominated from north to south by a watershed (2.500m high) that separates the basin of the Congo River from that of the Nile and by the Ibirunga volcano chain, famous for the last remaining mountain gorillas, who found refuge there.
With an area of 26,338 sqkm, and a population of approximately 8.5 million, the country is completely surrounded by DRCongo (west), Uganda (north), Tanzania (east) and Burundi (south), and as a landlocked nation has no direct access to the sea.
In spite of its proximity (2 degrees south) to the equator, the country enjoys a fine spring climate (due to its altitude), with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons.
Provinces in Rwanda
The Republic of Rwanda is constituted of 5 provinces of administration.
Rwanda administrative divisions known as provinces where unites and finally divided into;
--Kigali province
--Western Province
--Northern Province
--Eastern Province
--Southern Province
Kigali Province
It was in 1906 that the history of Kigali started, when Dr. Richard Kandt the first imperial resident governor for Rwanda selected Nyarugenge hill as the site of the capital, due to its central location in the country. Until now, Kigali is still the capital city of Rwanda and its commercial hub. Kigali, a city that is located almost in the center of Rwanda
Western Province
The Western Province which borders the Western province in the west and the Northern Province in the north, is mainly composed of the large parts of the former provinces of Gisenyi, Cyangugu and Kibuye. Meanwhile, it still shares its Western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.Some parts of the province are located in a region, which is covered by a chain of mountains with so many rivers snaking between them.
Culture and Tourism
There are a number of features in the Western province that make is a site for tourists. Among these,We can mention the following:
The Kivu lake, Ngungwe National Park,Nyamyumba hot springs, volcanoes, the Gishwati forest, folklore and Intercontinental. There are other attractions too,are the beaches of Lake Kivu, King Rwabugiri’s retreat places, Urutare rwa Ndaba, and King Ruganzu’s bed.There are other attractions too, though they have not been exploited to the full: there are Caves( Ubuvumo) in Rubavu district;......
