Rwanda: Where Nature Meets Culture

Rwanda: Where Nature Meets Culture, Rwanda is renowned as “The Land of a Thousand Hills” because of its breathtaking views of undulating hills, mist-clad peaks, and friendly population. Rwanda has kept its natural beauty, rich culture, and wildlife by managing national parks and safeguarding other natural areas. Today, Rwanda has become a tourism center, giving people from across the world with different possibilities to discover its natural resources and enjoy the natural environment.

Rwanda’s natural wonders

Rwanda is known for its unique and extensive natural beauty. It is home to several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which safeguard endangered plant and animal species. Rwanda reserves and protects animals in their natural environment, from towering volcanoes in the northwest to broad savannas in the east and the peaceful waters of Lake Kivu in the west, by   holding back against hunting and poaching.

Volcanoes National Park, one of Rwanda’s treasures, is renowned for being a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas and various other wildlife. This is one of the last three locations globally for optimal interaction with mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park encompasses five of the Virunga volcanoes: Bisoke, Karisimbi, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabinyo. This location is where the renowned primatologist Dian Fossey concentrated her efforts on the conservation and protection of mountain gorillas and their natural habitat. These magnificent beings draw visitors from throughout the globe. Tourists have the opportunity to observe mountain gorillas in their native habitat up close. The experience is unforgettable. Apart from the mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park offers activities like hiking along the different volcanoes, nature walks in the forest, and boat cruises on the neighbouring crater lakes.

In the eastern part of Rwanda lies another natural hidden gem, Akagera National Park. this breathtaking park lies at the border with Tanzania, harbouring the most sought-after big five animals of the wilderness, including lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos.  According to surveys made by rangers, approximately 4000 elephants reside in Akagera National Park. in addition to the big five are giraffes, zebras, several antelope species, plants, and birds. The park offers game drives, boat cruises on the water bodies, birding safaris, and guided nature walks.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is another natural setting lying in the southwestern part of the country. This pristine park lies in a dense tropical rain forest and is a haven for over 13 primate species, and the most common being the chimpanzees. This park provides opportunities for exploring the natural environment through trekking, canopy walk, ziplining, birding, and guided nature walks Kigali National Park is yet another hidden gem in the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali. This is a modest reserve located in the heart of Kigali, offering both visitors and locals an opportunity to engage with the natural environment. This park provides opportunities for leisure activities such as cycling, horseback riding, casual hiking, picnicking, and engaging with the local community.

Navigating culture in Rwanda.

Though Rwanda’s natural beauty is highly recognized, we also need to focus on its culture and traditions. These are characterized by the local community having a deeper connection and determination to protect their traditional values and identity.

Culture and tradition in Rwanda are based on core values like unity and patriotism, resilience, respect for elders, artisan crafts, music, and drama performances, thus creating peace and harmony among communities.

Despite the social and tribal differences that came with colonial rule and later resulted in the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has undergone a long period of healing, and the citizens no longer refer to each other by tribe (Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa) but simply as Rwandans.

Rwanda’s cultural sector greatly contributes to the country’s tourism, and is majorly grouped into three categories, namely, the museums, arts and galleries, and the festivals and events.

In Africa, Kigali is regarded as the cleanest and safest city.   It is so vibrant, organised, appears green all year round, and is innovative with different artistic designs. While on the Kigali city tour, the first place most tourists opt for is the Kigali genocide Memorial site, where bodies of 250,000 genocide victims were buried.

There are other genocide memorial sites in different parts of the country, including Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero, Ntarama, Kigali Belgian monument, Nyarubuye genocide memorial, and many others, all considered cultural museums. These places provide detailed information about the genocide, why and how it happened, and how it was ended, the pictures of the victims and survivors, and writings advocating for peace and reconciliation.

In addition to the genocide museums, several other museums showcase of Rwandan culture and tradition, and among them are: the Ethnographic museum (former National Museum) in Butare town, the King’s place museum in Nyanza- these are located along- Nyungwe highway,  Rwanda art Museum with modern displays of Rwandan art pieces, the Kandt museum that exhibits Rwanda during colonial rule and the Museum of environment near lake Kivu that focusses on environmental protection and conservation. All these museums act as repositories of Rwanda’s history, artifacts, and documentations.

Beyond the Kigali city are different cultural centres that give a greater insight of Rwandan customs. Visit the Ib’yiwachu cultural center in Volcanoes national park, Ndaba rock in Karongi, Kitabi cultural center in Nyungwe national park, Banda Cultural village in Nyungwe, Kimironko Market, Nyamirambo women’s center among others. In all these places, enjoy and join Rwandan dancers on the Intore dance, see how they dress up in their cultural wear known as Omushanana, photos of ancient people and lots of hand made crafts.  At the end of your visit, you can buy some of these products as souvenirs to support the local community.

Visitors experience more of Rwanda culture with visits to the different craft centres and some of the popular centres are; Caplaki craft village in Kigali, Rwanda Nziza art gallery, Ivuka art center, Ishyo arts center Nyamirambo women’s center, Kigali craft studio, Inema arts center, Gatagara arts and crafts and Agaseke craft project among others. In these places expect beautiful hand made crafts including jewellery, baskets, pots, wood carvings, mats, shopping bags, wallets, key holders, and many others most of which are made from local raw materials like wood, fibres, papyrus and cloth locally known as kitenge. All these reflect generations of skill and creativity.

Kwita Izina is another cultural event that brings communities together in Rwanda. This is the annual gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda having inclined from the traditional practice of naming newborns in a family. this event takes place in volcanoes National Park to acknowledge the importance of conserving and protecting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

Every last Saturday of the month, Rwandans hold a cultural function commonly referred to as Umuganda. This a day when all natives aged 18 – 65 come together for a common goal thee sweep the streets and clean all different parts of the country as charity.  Cleaning starts at 8:00am to 12:00 pm. Roads are closed, and no vehicles are allowed to move, personal errands and government duties are put on hold, shops are closed, and this practice has helped to maintain cleanliness of the whole country thus rendering Rwanda one f the cleanest country in Africa.

Sustainable and Responsible Tourism

Rwanda has emerged as a global leader in sustainable tourism. Conservation of the natural wilderness, with strict policies has helped to protect the natural resources and wildlife thus contributing to the rapid development of the tourism sector. Funds collected from national parks such   park entrance fees, chimpanzee and gorilla trekking fees are partially used to develop the surrounding communities through setting up health facilities, schools and other developmental projects. This has greatly reduced encroaching on forests, poaching and hunting of wild animals. Proper management of funds from trekking permits helps to regulate the number of tourists in the respective tourism areas.

The country’s commitment to eco-tourism is reflected through the ban on plastic bags, Umuganda Initiative, green city Kigali initiative, and promotion of community-based tourism.

Rwanda is working hard to make sure every individual homestead has electricity, rural areas benefit from solar system, hydro power plants provide clean energy thus helping to reduce indoor air pollution from inefficient cooking stoves.

Rwanda’s regulations, community involvement, and creative projects all demonstrate the country’s dedication to sustainability. In addition to improving the standards of living of its people, Rwanda’s all-encompassing approach to ecotourism, renewable energy, and environmental preservation establishes the nation as a leader in sustainable development worldwide. Rwanda is a striking illustration of how sustainability can propel advancement, whether you choose to explore its virgin national parks or its clean city and towns.

Rwanda is more of an experience than a destination, nature and culture are in a regular flow. For travelers seeking to learn how natural beauty is connected to culture, Rwanda is the solution.