RWANDA > AFRICA > INDEX


Prefectures in Rwanda: Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Ruhengeri

Capital City of Rwanda: Kigali


car hire, hotels, travel agencies, travel guides, transportation / traveling to rwanda 

links


Car Rental Rwanda

 Europcar

Hotels in Rwanda

 Southtravels.com - Hotels Rwanda

Nationaal Parks Rwanda

 Akagera National Park - eastern Rwanda
Teeming with wildlife both large and small. They range from Lions, Giraffe, Elephant and Hippopotamus to Hyena, Impala and Gazelle. There is a rich variety of bird life at Akagera as well.
Akagera comes as an exciting surprise after the steep cultivated hills that characterize the rest of Rwanda. Set at a relatively low altitude along the Tanzanian border, this beautiful game reserve features an archetypal African savannah landscape of tangled acacia and brachystegia bush, interspersed with patches of open grassland and a dozen swamp-fringed lakes that follow the course of the Akagera River.
 Nyungwe National Park
Situated in the majestic hills of southwestern Rwanda, is the largest 'island' of montane forest remaining in east and central Africa. This rich and ancient center of unparalleled biodiversity and natural wonders is uniquely accessible to the casual visitor
 Volcanos National Park - in the north of Rwanda
Home to the world's largest number of endangered mountain gorillas. Numbering in the hundreds, the gorillas live in a protected area, free from poachers. The gorillas can be viewed in their natural mountain habitats at a fairly close range.
Access begins in the lively town of Ruhengeri, situated at the base of the entrance of the park. Ruhengeri has long been the base point for gorilla visits.
The Parc National des Volcans [ PNV ] is part of the Virunga Conservation Area and covers more than 125 km². PNV is home of five Virunga volcanos : Sabyinyo [ 3.674 m ], Gahinga [ 3.474 m ], Bisoke [ 711 m ], Muhabura [ 4.127 m ], and the Karisimbi, the highest volcano with an altitude of 4.507 m.

 Albertine Rift
Stretching from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Tanganyika and extending through the countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania, the Albertine Rift is one of Africa's most important sites for the conservation of biodiversity.

Travel Agents / Tour Operators / Rwanda Specialist

 Acacia Adventure Holidays - one of the world's leading independent African experts
 Mountain Travel Sobek 



 Rainbow Tours - Small Group Tours
Rwanda Office, Boulevard des Milles Collines, Chadel Building[ Opposite Ecole Belge Kigali ], P.O. Box 4152 Kigali, Rwanda, Tel: + 250-57.55.66/57.59.88
 Magic Safaris

Travel Guides Rwanda / Related Books

 Rwanda - Bradt Travel Guide - Philip Briggs, Janice Booth
A practical guide with insight into the people of Rwanda, their history, culture and aspirations, this guide covers all three of Rwanda's Parks, including a visit to the amazing mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park. Nyungwe Forest, the largest single tract of mountain forest remaining in east or central Africa, is home to many other primates as well as orchids, reptiles and birds; while Akagera Park offers a range of savannah wildlife including giraffe, buffalo, zebra and antelope. Hippos, huge crocs and water-birds populate its lakes. The guide also visits the most scenic of Rwanda's other lakes, including Kivu with its many islands. Nor are Rwanda's history and culture forgotten, with displays of traditional dance and handicrafts, and visits to historic sites. Rwanda in 2004 is safe, stunningly beautiful and among the most welcoming of countries.
Paperback 248 pages (April 2004); Publisher: BRADT Travel Guides; Language: English; ISBN: 1841620882
  Lonely Planet East Africa
By Mary Fitzpatrick (Author), Tom Parkinson (Author)
Paperback: 672 pages; Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 7 edition (June 2006); Language: English; ISBN -10: 1741042860; ISBN-13: 978-1741042863.
 Gorillas in the Mist: A Remarkable Story of Thirteen Years Spent Living with the Greatest of the Great Apes 
Dian Fossey's classic account of four gorilla families – the basis for the major movie starring Sigourney Weaver
Paperback 336 pages (November 4, 2004); Publisher: Phoenix mass market p/bk; Language: English; ISBN: 0753811413
 In the Kingdom of Gorillas: Fragile Species in a Dangerous Land 
Bill Weber, Amy Vedder
Rich with details about the gorillas' lives, the realities of conservation, and portraits of ordinary people caught in extraordinary times, this is a riveting adventure story that is sure to take its place among the classic accounts of the world of nature. In 1978, when Bill Weber and Amy Vedder arrived in Rwanda to study mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey, the gorilla population was teetering towards extinction. Poaching was rampant, but it was loss of habitat that most endangered the gorillas. When yet another slice of the Virunga Mountains was targeted for development, Weber and Vedder recognized that the gorillas were doomed unless something was done to save their land. Over Fossey's objections, they helped found the Mountain Gorilla Project. The MGP was designed to educate Rwandans about the gorillas and about the importance of conservation, while at the same time establishing an ecotourism project - one of the first anywhere in a rainforest - to bring desperately needed revenue to Rwanda. Weber and Vedder describe their experiences getting to know entire families of gorillas, from powerful silverback patriarchs to helpless newborn infants. They tell us about the gorillas they recognised and came to know as individuals, stories both tragic and joyful. They describe a landscape that was heaven one day, green hell the next. And they tell of their discovery of the terrible and mysterious events surrounding Fossey's murder. They explain that the key to saving the mountain gorillas was helping the people of Rwanda--even in the face of a horrendous civil war--to share in the benefits of conservation.
Paperback 384 pages (June 16, 2003); Publisher: Simon & Schuster International; Language: English; ISBN: 0743200071

Transport / How do I travel to Rwanda

 Kigali Airport

 Airline Tickets / Bargain Flights - price comparison possible

 Map of Rwanda [ Uni Texas - Perry-Castañeda Library - Map Collection ]
 MSN map Rift Valley


Links 

 Travel Insurance

 Visit Rwanda - Tourist Board Rwanda
Discover a new African dawn, Kigali City Tour, Kigali & Butare, National Parks, Ecotourism, Primate Tours, Culture / Adventure & Leisure, Travel Guide, Travel Professionals

 Government Rwanda

 Kigali - Capital City Rwanda - spreading over a number of hills
The main shopping and commercial area is around the Hotel Mille Collines, with the government district on the neighbouring Kaciyiru hill.The markets, the handicrafts, the Muslim quarter and a new genocide memorial being built in Gisozi are some of the main places of interest.

 Butare Prefegitura - in the South of Rwanda - more or less cultural center of the country
University town which contains the exceptional National Museum which has a fine display of the history of the country and people. The Roman Catholic Cathedral, built in memory of Princess Astrid of Belgium, is the largest in the country. At Nyanza, nearby, there is the court of the former King.
 Byumba
 Cyangugu - 
 Gikongoro
 Gisenyi - 
 Gitarama
 Kibungo
 Kibuye 
 Kigali Prefecture
 Kinigi 
 Ruhengeri

 Kivu Lake - in West Rwanda
Lake Kivu offers beautiful beaches, jutting peninsulas and an archipelago of beautiful islands.
 Muhazi Lake - in the east of the country
 Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley created by a fissure in the earth's crust, extends for approximately 8 700 kilometres stretching from Syria in the north to Mozambique in the south. See Wikipedia
 Ruhengeri City - entrance to the National Park of Volcanos - 90 min drive from Kigali
 Virunga volcanos

Cuisine - Rwanda Foods / Recipes

In Rwanda there aren't a lot of different recipes. It was never very important how food was prepared – the main thing was to have something to eat to survive. A housewife only became famous when she was able to prepare beer, bananas, win and honey, seldom because she was a real good cook.

 Isombe with dried fish
This is a typical Rwandan recipe loved from everyone as a feast but not an everyday dish for most of them. "Isombe" are the green leaves from the manioc plant. The leaves get finely mashed and look a bit like our spinach. From the roots of the manioc plant they make some sort of flour that they cook with water. This is called "bugali".

The Best of African Cooking - Manjase Banda
Paperback: 144 pages; Publisher: Esanjam; 2 Revised edition (March 14, 2007); Language: English; ISBN-10: 0954682130; ISBN-13: 978-0954682132
 African Recipes

History of Rwanda

Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

The earliest known inhabitants of the region now known as Rwanda were the pygmy Twa, a group now accounting for only about 1% of Rwanda's population and playing only a marginal role in Rwandan life.

 Rwanda's History - Wikipedia
Early history of Rwanda, Civilization, Colonial influence [ German colonialism, World War I, Belgian colonialism, Catholic influence, Destabilisation ], Ethnic strife and independence, Military rule, Civil war, Arusha accords, The Rwandan genocide
 Antecedents to Modern Rwanda: The Nyiginya Kingdom 
Jan Vansina (Translator)
To understand the genocide and other dramatic events of Rwanda's recent past, one must understand the history of the earlier realm. Jan Vansina provides a critique of the history recorded by early missionaries and court historians and provides a bottom-up view, drawing on hundreds of grassroots narratives. He describes the genesis of the Hutu and Tutsi identities, their growing social and political differences, their bitter feuds, revolts, and massacres, and the relevance of this dramatic history to the post-genocide Rwanda of today.
Hardcover 354 pages (December 2004); Publisher: The University of Wisconsin Press; Language: English; ISBN: 0299201201
 Genocide Memorial Center [ Gisozi & others ]
The Kigali Memorial Center at Gisozi was opened on the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, in April 2004. The Center in Kigali was created by a joint partnership of the Kigali City Council and the UK-based Aegis Trust.
Other Important Rwanda genocide Memorials : Murambi Memorial Centre, Nyamata Memorial Site, Ntarama Memorial Site, Bisesero Memorial Site, Nyanza Memorial Site and Nyarubuye Memorial Site [ See Genocide Memorial Centre - Gisozi & others ].

Music, Art & Culture, Events & Entertainment

 Music of Rwanda [ Wikipedia ]
...The ikinimba is probably the most revered musical tradition in Rwanda. It is a dance that tells the stories of Rwandan heroes and kings.....
 Music from Rwanda - Various Artists - ASIN B00000G5T7

 hisaro.rw - the Rwandan Cultural Portal

 The Swahili - Mark Horton, John Middleton
The Swahili are one of the best known of the peoples of Africa. Living along the East African coast, they acted as commercial middlemen, exchanging the commodities of continental Africa, such as gold, copper, slaves, ivory, skins and timber with the luxury items of the classical, oriental and Islamic worlds. They were central participants in a global economy, long before the era of European expansion. This book is one of the first to draw on recent archaeological findings and a re-assessment of the historical and anthropological evidence to provide an account of this remarkable African civilization covering some two thousand years. This book is essential reading not only for Africanists, but also for those dealing with the history of Islam, Mediterranean history, and Indian Ocean studies, and for those who wish to understand how trading societies organize their landscape, society, governance and belief systems.
Hardcover 288 pages (January 6, 2001); Publisher: Blackwell Publishers; Language: English; ISBN: 063118919X

 Africultures.com - cultures africaines
Art, Cinema, Dance, History / society, Internet, Literature, Media, Music, Photo, Theater
 Africa-Iwalewa`s World Music Magazine - World Music
 Afroton-Instrumente der Welt

Web Portals / Search Engine / Rwanda Directory

 Rwanda - Thinkquest-project Switzerland [ English and German language ]
 Rwanda.net - Rwanda Information Exchange

 Bwana Mitch's Safari-Portal

 Yahoo Rwanda Directories

 CDC Travel Information


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