Kigali sits among rolling hills at the heart of East Africa, offering a remarkably clean, green and orderly urban landscape. The city blends contemporary development with a strong cultural identity, where polished avenues give way to lively neighbourhood markets and hillside communities. Visitors can explore the Kigali Genocide Memorial for a powerful insight into the country’s history, browse vibrant crafts at Kimironko Market, or enjoy a growing café culture shaped by locally grown coffee. Panoramic viewpoints reveal soft, undulating hills under wide skies, while the hum of motorbikes and the scent of roasted coffee define the city’s everyday atmosphere. Kigali also serves as a gateway to Rwanda’s national parks and unforgettable mountain gorilla encounters, making it both a meaningful stop and a base for wider exploration.
Set on the southern shores of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda, Cyangugu is a scenic lakeside town known for its beautiful setting and access to some of the country’s most remarkable natural attractions. Overlooking the neighbouring city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the town serves as an important gateway to both Lake Kivu and the nearby Nyungwe National Park. One of Africa’s oldest rainforests, Nyungwe is renowned for its rich biodiversity, including chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and numerous bird species. Visitors can enjoy boat trips on the lake, explore the surrounding hills, or experience Nyungwe’s famous canopy walkway suspended high above the forest floor. Combining lakeside scenery, wildlife encounters, and outdoor adventure, Cyangugu offers an excellent base for exploring Rwanda’s south-western region.
Tucked away at the southwestern tip of beautiful Lake Kivu, Bukavu serves as the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s South Kivu Province. This sprawling city of around 800 000 people is known for its remarkable collection of over 100 Art Deco buildings which were constructed during Belgian colonial rule. Visitors can also look forward to some excellent kayaking opportunities on the lake as well as visits to the exceptional Kahuzi Biega National Park, a critical habitat for eastern lowland gorillas.
Located near the town of Bukavu and the Rwandan Border, the Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s last remaining stronghold of the eastern lowland gorillas. The park’s terrain features primary tropical forest and is dominated by two extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, both of which offer some spectacular hiking opportunities and provide panoramic views of the park below. With over 250 individual gorillas calling the park home, visitors can look forward to the unforgettable experience of witnessing these remarkable creatures in the wild. Other animals of note include, among others: the elusive forest elephant; an impressive number of primates, such as Bosman’s potto, red tailed monkey and Angolan Black Monkeys; and a diverse range of resident birds, including the famous Congo peacock.
As previously described
