Northern Province
Plan a VisitRWANDA TOURS WITH LOCAL GUIDES
Rwanda: Country of 1000 Hills
In one road trip, Rwanda can take you from volcano slopes to rainforest, lake shores and savannah. We are guides from Kibeho, in the south of the country, and we plan each route around what you want to see.
AT A GLANCE
Places to Visit in Rwanda
57 places and activities in seven groups: volcanoes, forests and wildlife, lakes, culture, Kigali, history, and Kibeho. Tap a photo to see more.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking
Mount Karisimbi
Mount Bisoke & Crater Lake
Mount Muhabura
Mount Gahinga
Mount Sabyinyo
Musanze Caves & Buhanga Eco-Park
Musanze City & Mountain Viewpoints
Northern Rwanda Mountain Cycling
Bigogwe Region & Grazing Lands
Gishwati-Mukura National Park
Gishwati & Mukura Forest Walks
Nyungwe National Park & Chimpanzees
Nyungwe Canopy Walkway
Isumo Waterfall Hiking
Akagera National Park & Game Drives
Lake Ihema Boat Safaris
Twin Lakes (Ruhondo & Burera)
Ruhondo Boat Tours
Lake Kivu & Rubavu Waterfront
Gisenyi Beach & Rubavu Hot Springs
Lake Kivu Boat Tours & Napoleon Island
Congo Nile Trail & Hiking
Karongi & Kibuye Waterfront/Beach
Karongi Boat Tours & Islands
Lake Kivu Coffee Experiences & Tourism
Lake Muhazi Scenic Retreat
Volcanoes Cultural Village Tours
King's Palace Museum & Nyanza Royal Palace
Inyambo Cattle & Traditional Dance Experiences
Huye Ethnographic Museum
Mount Huye & Nyagakecuru Historical Site
Ruhande Arboretum
Rocks of Ngarama Cultural Site
Kigali City & Walking Tours
Camp Kigali Belgian Monument
Rwanda Art Museum
Mount Kigali & City Viewpoints
Kigali Golf Resort & Convention Centre
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Bisesero Genocide Memorial & Hills
Ntarama & Nyamata Genocide Memorials
Murambi & Nyanza Genocide Memorials
Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial
National Liberation Park
Mulindi Liberation History Site
Kagitumba & CND Liberation History Sites
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitSanctuary of Our Lady of Kibeho
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitChapel of Apparitions
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitMiraculous Spring
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitKibeho Bible Centre
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitWay of the Cross on Sinai Hill
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitHistory of the Apparitions
Near Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitJesus of Mercy at Nyarushishi
Kibeho, Southern Province
Plan a VisitKibeho Genocide Memorial
Nyaruguru, Southern Province
Plan a VisitNyaruguru Tea Plantations
01 / THE CONTEXT
A Small Country With a Lot in It
People call Rwanda the Land of a Thousand Hills, and after a day on the road you will see why. Volcanoes, rainforest, lakes and savannah are all within a few hours' drive of each other. The country rewards travellers who slow down: spend real time in the parks and villages, and leave room to understand its history.
02 / THE NORTH
Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga Mountains
In the north, the land climbs quickly into the Virunga volcanoes. Their lower slopes are covered in bamboo and thick forest, and this is where Volcanoes National Park protects mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Mornings up here are often cold and cloudy, so bring a warm layer.
Serious hikers can take on Karisimbi, the highest peak, or climb Bisoke in a day to reach its crater lake. Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo are there too. Lower down, around Musanze, you can walk into the Musanze Caves, visit Buhanga Eco-Park, take a boat on the Twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera, spend time in a cultural village or cycle the farm roads.
Virunga Volcanic MassifNorthern Province, Rwanda
03 / ON THE ROAD
From the Volcanoes to Lake Kivu
Volcanic Slopes
Terraced Highlands
Lake Kivu Waters
04 / THE WEST
Lake Kivu, Rubavu and Karongi
Heading west, the hills drop down to Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes. The shore is steep and green, lined with fishing villages, terraced farms and small lakeside towns.
Rubavu (Gisenyi) is the easy place to start, with a beach, a long waterfront and hot springs just outside town. The Congo Nile Trail runs about 227km along the shore, and most people walk or cycle one section of it. Further south, Karongi (Kibuye) has quieter bays and boat trips out to Napoleon Island and the other islands. Along the way, some coffee washing stations welcome visitors.
Lake Kivu ShorelineWestern Province
05 / RAINFORESTS
Nyungwe and Gishwati-Mukura Rainforests
The southwest and west of Rwanda still hold large areas of old mountain rainforest. Nyungwe National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2023, is the biggest: a huge, often misty forest with chimpanzees, many kinds of monkey, and waterfalls such as Isumo.
Nyungwe Rainforest
Cross the canopy walkway above the valley, hike to Isumo Waterfall, set out early to track chimpanzees, and keep binoculars ready for forest birds. The trails can be muddy, so good boots help.
Gishwati & Mukura Forests
Rwanda's youngest national park, and a forest that is slowly being brought back. Visits here are quiet and small: primate walks, birdwatching, and meeting the communities who help protect it.
06 / THE EAST
Akagera National Park: Savannah and Lakes
In the east, the hills flatten out. It is warmer and drier here, with open grassland, acacia trees, papyrus swamps and a string of lakes fed by the Akagera River.
Akagera is Rwanda's safari park. On a game drive you may see elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and antelope, and with some luck lions or leopards. A boat trip on Lake Ihema takes you close to hippos and crocodiles. On the way back to Kigali, Lake Muhazi is a pleasant place to stop for a meal or a night.
Akagera National ParkEastern Savannah
07 / THE CAPITAL
Kigali: The Capital and Its Memory
Kigali spreads over green hills and is where most trips begin and end. It is clean, orderly and easy to get around, with good coffee, busy markets and new buildings standing close to places of national remembrance.
Kigali Heritage & Culture
Walk the city with a guide, stop at the Camp Kigali Belgian Monument, visit the Rwanda Art Museum in Kanombe and wander through Kimironko Market. Climb Mount Kigali for the views. The Kigali Convention Centre and Kigali Golf Resort show the newer side of the city.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
In Gisozi, the memorial explains the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and is the resting place of many of its victims. Allow at least a couple of hours. We suggest visiting early in your trip, because it helps you understand much of what you see afterwards.
08 / THE SOUTH
Nyanza and Huye: Royal Heritage
Southern Rwanda was the seat of the old monarchy. At the King's Palace Museum in Nyanza you can walk through the reconstructed royal residence and see the Inyambo, the long-horned royal cattle, often presented with traditional songs and poetry.
In Huye (Butare), the Ethnographic Museum holds Rwanda's main collection on life before colonial rule. Nearby are Mount Huye, the Nyagakecuru historical site and the shaded paths of the Ruhande Arboretum. Further east, the Rocks of Ngarama are tied to local legends of the old kingdom.
Nyanza Royal PalaceSouthern Province
08.5 / REMEMBRANCE & LIBERATION
Memorials and Liberation History
Memorial sites such as Ntarama, Nyamata, Murambi, Nyanza and Nyarubuye keep the memory of 1994. They are places for learning and quiet respect, and visitors are asked to behave accordingly. In the south, our guides also lead careful history visits to the Kibeho genocide memorial.
The story of how the country was rebuilt can be followed at the National Liberation Park in Mulindi, at Kagitumba, and at the Parliament building in Kigali, the former CND.
Mulindi Liberation SiteNorthern Province
09 / KIBEHO
Kibeho: Rwanda's Place of Pilgrimage
Kibeho sits on the hills of Nyaruguru District, in the far south. It is known for the Marian apparitions of Kibeho, first reported in 1981 and approved by the Catholic Church in 2001, and pilgrims come from across Rwanda and abroad to pray here. It is also where our team lives and works.
Visiting the Sanctuary
A visit usually includes the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kibeho, the Chapel of Apparitions, the Miraculous Spring, the Kibeho Bible Centre and the Way of the Cross on Sinai Hill. When her schedule allows, some pilgrims are able to meet the visionary Anathalie Mukamazimpaka. Above all, Kibeho is a quiet place for prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and time alone.
Plan a Kibeho Pilgrimage →10 / FILTER BY INTEREST
Find Places by Interest
Pick a theme to see every place we cover for it, with a short note on what to expect.
Mount Karisimbi
Rwanda's highest volcano at 4,507 meters. It is a hard two-day climb with a night on the mountain, and it gets properly cold near the top.
Mount Bisoke & Crater Lake
A steep and often muddy day hike to a crater lake near the summit. On a clear morning you can see across the whole Virunga chain.
Mount Muhabura
A tall, cone-shaped volcano on the Uganda border. The climb is long and steep, and from the top you look into Uganda and down over the Twin Lakes.
Mount Gahinga
A lower volcano beside Muhabura, with a swampy crater at the top and bamboo forest on its slopes where golden monkeys feed.
Mount Sabyinyo
Its broken, jagged summit earned it the name 'old man's teeth'. The peak is where Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC meet.
Musanze Caves & Buhanga Eco-Park
Lava tunnels left by old eruptions, close to Musanze town, and Buhanga, a small sacred forest linked to the coronation of Rwanda's kings.
Musanze City & Mountain Viewpoints
The main town of the north and a practical base for the park, with markets, craft shops and good views of the volcanoes when the clouds lift.
Northern Rwanda Mountain Cycling
Quiet farm roads through potato fields and terraced hills, with the volcanoes in view for much of the ride. Routes can be chosen to suit your fitness.
Bigogwe Region & Grazing Lands
Open grassland between Musanze and Rubavu where herders keep long-horned cattle. A good stop to learn about Rwanda's cattle and dairy traditions.
11 / PRACTICAL PLANNING
Planning Your Rwanda Trip
Kibeho Tour Guides is a local team based at Kibeho Commercial Center in Nyaruguru District. These are the questions travellers ask us most often.
When is the best time to visit Rwanda?
Rwanda can be visited all year. The long dry season (June to September) and the short dry season (December to February) are the most popular for gorilla trekking and hiking. The rainy months bring greener hills and fewer visitors, with muddier trails.
How many days do I need in Rwanda?
Allow about a week to combine the Virunga volcanoes, Lake Kivu and a southern route through Nyungwe, Huye and Kibeho. Add one or two days for a safari in Akagera in the east, and extra time for rest between long road days.
How do I get gorilla trekking permits?
Permits for Volcanoes National Park are limited and issued by the Rwanda Development Board, so book them well before you fix your travel dates. Treks are at altitude and can last from one to several hours, so a reasonable level of fitness helps.
How do I get around Rwanda?
Most visitors arrive at Kigali International Airport and travel by road. Distances look short on a map, but roads are hilly and winding, so a private vehicle with a local driver-guide is the most flexible way to combine several regions.
How do I add Kibeho to my route?
Kibeho lies in southern Rwanda and pairs naturally with Nyungwe and the royal heritage of Nyanza and Huye. The busiest pilgrimage days are 15 August and 28 November. Read our Kibeho pilgrimage travel guide before you go.
How do I build my Rwanda itinerary?
Tell us your dates, interests and group size, and we will suggest a realistic route. Pilgrims can start from our Kibeho pilgrimages page, and history travellers from our Kibeho genocide history visits.
12 / START PLANNING
Tell Us What Kind of Rwanda You Want to See
Gorillas, a safari in Akagera, a few slow days by Lake Kivu, the history of the south or a pilgrimage to Kibeho. Tell us what matters to you, and we will help you fit it into one realistic route.