Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Rwanda. Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre (Kigali), Sainte-Famille Church (Kigali) or Kandt House Museum of Natural History (Kigali).
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Rwanda.
Table of Contents
Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Kigali
Museum in Kigali, Rwanda. The Kigali Genocide Memorial commemorates the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The remains of over 250,000 people are interred there. There is a visitor centre for students and those wishing to understand the events leading up to the genocide of 1994. The Centre is a permanent memorial to those who fell victim to the genocide and serves as a place in which the bereaved could bury their family and friends. The Centre is managed and run by the Aegis Trust on behalf of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide.[1]
Sainte-Famille Church, Kigali
Catholic church in Kigali, Rwanda. Sainte-Famille Church is a Catholic church in Kiyovu, downtown Kigali, in Rwanda. It is located on a hill, close to the commercial district of Rugenge. Sainte-Famille Church was the scene of killings during the genocide in April 1994.[2]
Address: KN 1 St, Kigali
Kandt House Museum of Natural History, Kigali
Museum. Kandt House Museum of Natural History is a museum in Kigali, Rwanda. It is under the responsibility of the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda.
Dedicated to Richard Kandt, in his former home of German resident Richard Kandt on the Nyarugenge Hill in Kigali city, which now was turned into Natural History Museum since 2006. The museum strives to show the evolution of life, description of Flora and Fauna of Rwandan Natural Parks (Nyungwe, Akagera and Volcanoes), geological background of Rwanda, German and Rwanda shared history and exhibition of live reptiles (snakes) with the aim to explain the interrelation between nature and history as result of natural history museum. It is also the best view of three mountains (Mt Kigali, Mt Jali and Mt Shyorongi) and best view of old kigali city.[3]
Mount Gahinga, Volcanoes National Park
Also known as: Ikirunga cya Gahinga
Volcano in Rwanda. Mount Gahinga is a dormant/extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and Uganda. Gahinga lies between Muhabura and Sabyinyo, but is the smallest of these three. Mount Gahinga, also known in the local Kinyarwanda/Rufumbira dialect as "a small pile of stones", has a swampy caldera on its peak. The caldera is believed to be about 180 m wide. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park also got its name from this volcano. Mount Gahinga, whose elevation is 3,473 m, is part of a chain of eight volcanic mountains of the Mufumbiro ranges. The volcano chain spans across Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The vegetation across the mountain can be described as afro-montane with bamboo composing the main vegetation. Like Muhabura and Sabyinyo, the bamboo forests on Mount Gahinga are a habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla. There are several other species of animals and birds that form part of the Mount Gahinga ecosystem. The golden monkeys are notable to these.[4]
Mount Karisimbi, Volcanoes National Park
Also known as: Ikirunga cya Karisimbi
Stratovolcano in Rwanda. Mount Karisimbi is a stratovolcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is currently dormant. At 4,507 metres, Karisimbi is the highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Karisimbi is flanked by Mikeno to the north, Bisoke to the east and Nyiragongo to the west, on the other side of the Rift Valley. Karisimbi is the 11th highest mountain of Africa.
The name Karisimbi comes from the word 'amasimbi' in the local language, Kinyarwanda, which means snow. Snow can mostly be found during the dry season in June, July and August on the top of the volcano.
Between Karisimbi and Bisoke is the Karisoke Research Center, which was founded by Dian Fossey in order to observe the mountain gorillas living in this area.[5]
Mount Sabyinyo, Volcanoes National Park
Extinct volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mount Sabyinyo is an extinct volcano in eastern Africa in the Virunga Mountains. Mount Sabyinyo is the oldest volcano of the range. It is north-east of Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes, and west of Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda. The summit of the mountain, at 3,669 metres, marks the intersection of the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, and holds religious significance to local tribes. It also is within the adjoining national parks established by these countries: Virunga National Park in the DRC, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The slopes of Mt. Sabyinyo are a habitat for the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The mountain carries the local nickname "Old Man's Teeth," because its serrated summit resembles worn teeth in a gum line (in contrast to the perfect conical summits of the adjacent mountains in this range).[6]