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Rwanda is a landlocked country surrounded by Uganda in the north, Tanzania in the east, Burundi in the south, and Zaire to its west and northwest. Also known as the land of a thousand hills with various landscapes. The Virunga volcanic mountains have high altitude forests, world-famous mountain gorillas. Lake Kivu offers beautiful beaches.
Rwanda lies on the East African plateau, with the divide between the water systems of the Nile and Zaire rivers passing in a north-south direction through the western part of the country. To the west of the divide, the land drops sharply to Lake Kivu in the Great African Rift Valley; to the east, the land falls gradually across the central plateau - its grassy highlands are the core areas of settlement of Rwanda's population - to the swamps and lakes on the country's eastern border. Most of Rwanda is 3,000 ft above sea level, with much of the central plateau. Rwanda has a pleasant tropical highland climate, with a daily temperature range as great as 14°C (25°F). Temperatures vary considerably from region to region because of the variations in altitude.
Many visitors have been surprised by the fact that Rwandans are now harmoniously living together only 10 years after the genocide that threatened to shatter the social fabric of the country. Reconciliation has not been easy.
To set Rwanda's recent history in a context, you need to go as far back as the late 13th century when pastoral Tutsi tribes arrived from the south and conquered the agricultural Hutu and hunter-gatherer Twa inhabitants of Rwanda, establishing a feudal kingdom. A unified state was established by King Kigeri Rwabuguri during the 19th century, but this lasted only until 1890 when Rwanda was annexed as a province of German East Africa. Nevertheless, Rwandans are not only living together today but they are striving to be recognised as one people. Rwanda is a country of unimaginable beauty and such beauty defies its violent past: may it continue to defy it forever.
Accommodation is mostly in Kigali; they are expensive. There are some cheaper new hotels of reasonable standard. Missions with dormitory accommodation are also available, particularly in remote districts and smaller towns. Ruhengeri and Gisenyi mission station hotels are excellent. Outside the main towns there are guest houses, which are generally cheaper than hotels. There is a solar-powered house at the edge of the A'Kagera National Park. Some safaris involve camping in East African style tents. Rest huts are available on the expedition route in the Virunga Volcanoes.
Visit Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. It is home to the Genocide Museum, which documents the 100-day massacre in 1994.
Kibungu, in the east of the country, is in the centre of a region of lakes and waterfalls, including Lake Mungesera and the Rusumo falls. Gisenyi is the main centre for excursions. Plane trips can be made from here to view the craters. Situated on the north of the lake it offers many opportunities for watersports or for excursions on the lake. Get close to some of Rwanda's fantastic wildlife. The park has a variety of wildlife and is a habitat for over 500 species of birds. The major point of access is Kabarando. Safaris can also be undertaken; the park is devoted to game preservation and has lions, zebras, antelopes, hippos, buffalos, leopards, apes, impalas, crested herons, fish eagles, cormorants, giraffes, elephants, elands and warthogs.
Embark on a gorilla trek. Military units currently guard the park and ensure the safety of visitors, particularly from poachers. This park is one of the last sanctuaries of the mountain gorilla and it is here that the well-known Diane Fossey spent 18 years studying them prior to her murder in 1985.
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