About Rwanda

Rwanda is a relative small landlocked, hilly country in Central Africa, located south of the Equator and east of Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes.
Popularly known as a land of a thousand hills is a stable East African
country, easily accessible from Kenya and Uganda. It is relatively easy, safe
and simple to travel around. It is landlocked, surrounded by Uganda to the
north, Tanzania to the east Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic
of Congo to the west. It has five volcanoes, twenty-three lakes and numerous
rivers, some forming the source of the River Nile.

Government
Rwanda is a Presidential unitary Republic that is based upon a multiparty
system governed under the constitution that was adopted in 2003 replacing the
transitional constitution that was put in place in 1994.

The President of Rwanda
is the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Among
his other responsibilities are powers to create policy, administer government
agencies, exercise the prerogative of mercy, negotiate and ratify treaties, etc.
The President is elected by popular vote every seven years, and appoints the
Prime Minister and members of Cabinet.

The Rwandan Parliament is composed
of two chambers, namely the Senate and the lower chamber-the Chamber of
Deputies serving 5 year terms. The members of the Senate are selected by a
variety of bodies and they serve eight-year terms. Rwanda has low corruption
levels and the constitution provides for an Ombudsman whose duties include
prevention and fighting of corruption. There is an existing policy of zero
tolerance for corruption and any corrupt tendencies are handled seriously.

The current constitution divides Rwanda into provinces, districts, cities,
municipalities, towns, sectors and cells with each subdivision and its borders
established by Parliament. The five provinces act as intermediaries between
the national government and their constituent districts to ensure that national
policies are implemented at the district level.

Geography
The country lies 75miles south of the Equator, 880miles west of the Indian
Ocean and 1250miles east of the Atlantic Ocean – literally in the heart of Africa.

Mountains dominate central and western Rwanda. These mountains are part of
the East African Rift Valley. The highest peak, which is also Rwanda’s highest
point, is Mount Karisimbi. The vegetation ranges from dense equatorial forest in
the Southwest to tropical savannah in the east.

Climate
The temperature averages 24-27°C (generally 30°C in the daytime and
minimum 15° C at night, though it is often much colder in the mountains where
snow and frost occur). Visit Nyungwe Forest if you would like to experience
“winter” in tropical Africa. The rainfall averages 900-1,600mm p.a. Rainy season are normally from February to April and November to January, although there have been some weather pattern changes recently.

• Official Name: Rwanda
• Capital: Kigali
• Official Languages: Kinyarwanda, English and French
• Currency: Rwandan Francs
• Population: 12,952,218 (2020)

• OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS:
• 1st January: New Year’s Day
• 2and January: Day after New Year’s Day
• 1st February: Heroes Day
• 7th April: Genocide against Tutsi Memorial Day
• 1st May: Labor Day
• 1st July: Independence Day
• 4th July: Liberation Day
• Friday of the first week of August: Umuganura Day
• 15th August: Assumption Day
• 25th December: Christmas Day
• 26th December: Boxing Day

EID EL FITR& EID AL-ADHA: These days are announced every year by Rwanda Muslim Association. Note: Except for 7th April Genocide Against Tutsi Memorial day, if an official holiday falls on one day of the weekend, the following day shall be an official holiday. If two consecutive official holidays fall on a day of weekend the two official holidays shall be compensated in one working day that follows

CURRENCY

The national currency is Rwandan Franc (RWF). As at the December 2021, 1 UD Dollar (USD) was equivalent to 1036.8Rwf. The smallest -value note is a 500Rwf note, which is the smallest note in physical size, as well. There are also notes in denominations of 1,000, 2000, and 5,000Rwf, with the larger notes becoming slightly larger in physical size. There are no notes over 5,000Rwf. Many places in Rwanda now accept credit cards, however it is advisable to carry some cash with you just in case, especially if you travelling outside of Kigali longer than few days. The smallest value coin is 1Rwf. However the commonly used smallest value coin is 100Rwf. It is common for most businesses in Rwanda, including currency exchangers and gas stations to around transactions to the nearest 100Rwf. There are ATMs all over Kigali, for every bank branch. Depending on your bank this can be a much cheaper way to get francs because ATMs use a much better exchange rate than currency exchanges.

RWANDA MAP

Administrative Map of Rwanda (since January 2006)

Administrative Map of Rwanda (since January 2006) Administrative Map of Rwanda (shows Rwanda’s new provinces)The five provinces of Rwanda Rwanda is divided into five provinces (Intara), the provinces act as intermediary between the national government and their constituent districts (uturere). The map shows the new provinces of Rwanda: The Southern Province, the Northern Province, the Western Province, the Eastern Province, and Kigali Province, which is a province-level city and the capital of Rwanda.

National Parks:

DISCOVER THE DIVERSITY AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK

Just two hours drive from Kigali lies Rwanda’s largest National Park. Covering an area of 112 000 hectares the park is named for the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes. Rolling of Acacia bush, panoramic views across scattered grasslands, patches of thick forest and a mosaic of swamp-fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera watercourse all contribute to this parks unrivalled scenic beauty. Akagera is home to the country’s big game. Large herds of buffalo, zebra and giraffe are seen on the open plain while eland, roan and topi are found on the hills. Elephant tend to stay around the lakes, which are inhabited by large numbers of hippo and crocodile. Conservation not-far-profit, African Parks have partnered with Rwanda Development Board for the management of park, a conservation success story and unique wildlife destination. For more visit : https://www.akageranationalpark.org

NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Based on brief history; Nyungwe Forest National Park is that the park has existed for many years since 1903 when German Colonial government declared the park as a reserve and a colonial crown land of Nyungwe. However in 1958 and 1973 the national park was reduce in size by the fires, poached of animals increased, deforestation and all this made the park reduce to 150 sq.km. A big number of elephants were killed and in the year of 1975, Buffaloes were as well killed. In 1984 there was a population growth of about 400 colobus monkeys that lived in the forest in groups.

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Located in southwest corner of Rwanda Nyungwe Forest National Park is vast untouched tropical rainforest with a high dense canopy. Nyungwe become a national park in 2004 when Rwanda sought to increase its tourism beyond the countries mountain gorillas. Nyungwe National Park is very rare and important habitat for many species, especially primates and birds. And at over 1000 square-kilometers, Nyungwe is Africa’s largest protected mountain rainforest.

With about 310 bird species, 26 of which are endemic, Nyungwe is one of the most important and still undiscovered bird watching destinations in Africa Nyungwe is also home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of chimpanzees and a sometimes noisy, acrobatic combination of other primates such as Rwenzori colobus and Lhotse’s monkeys.

A variety of hiking and walking trails crisscross the Park leading to a canopy walk, primate tracking adventures, the southernmost source of the Nile and ecotourism attractions. The park includes a colorful array of orchids, butterflies,
moths and other insects. The beauty cannot be fully expressed on paper; you just have to plan a trip across the majestic hills of southeast Rwanda.

VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK RWANDA

To the north lies the most famous destination in Rwanda Volcanoes National Park which has become
synonymous with mountain gorilla tracking safaris and no visit to the country would be complete
without visiting these majestic primates.

It includes Rwanda’s highest point; Mount Karisimbi 4507m and two active volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamuragira. The massif which covers 8000km encompassing six active and three extinct volcanoes is a home to
around half of the world’s precious mountain gorilla. This makes Rwanda probably the best place in Africa for a tracking safari.

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Background

In 1929, Volcanoes national park was extended into Rwanda and the then Belgian Congo and was named Albert national park managed and run by the Belgian Colonial Authorities. During the early 1960s, the park was divided as Rwanda and Congo gained their independence and by the end of that decade, the park was almost half of its original size.

In 1967, the American primatologist Dian Fossey who had been doing research on mountain Gorillas in the forests of Congo fled from insecurity and established her research base at a place between Visoke and Karisimbi volcanoes that was yet to be known as Karisoke research center. She spearheaded the conservation campaign of the mountain gorillas and mobilized resources to fight against poaching in this area, a fight she put up until her murder in 1985. She was buried at the research center next to the grave of her favorite gorilla called Digit.

The park continued to suffer at the mercies of poachers though conservation efforts were also underway. In the early 1990s, the park became a battlefield for Rwanda’s civil war which paralyzed tourism activities until 1999. In 2005, in a bid to boost conservation and gorilla tours in Volcanoes national park, Rwanda introduced the annual baby naming ceremony for baby gorillas known as ‘Kwita Iziina’ which has seen great results in as far as gorilla population in volcanoes is concerned.

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Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda’s stunning scenery and warm, friendly people offer unique experiences in one of the most remarkable countries in the world. It is blessed with extraordinary biodiversity, with incredible wildlife living throughout its volcanoes, montane rainforest and sweeping plains. Travelers come from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the magnificent gorillas, yet there is so much more to see and experience.

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FOR MORE VISIT RWANDA