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Rwanda

Why Go? ...... 505 Mention to anyone with a small measure of geopol­ Musanze (Ruhengeri)....515 itical conscience, and they’ll no doubt recall images of the Parc National des horrific genocide that brutalised this tiny country in 1994. Volcans...... 519 But since those dark days a miraculous transformation has ...... 525 been wrought and today the country is one of tribal unity, Huye (Butare)...... 530 political stability and a promising future. Around Huye...... 533 Tourism is once again a key contributor to the economy and the industry’s brightest star is the chance to track rare Nyanza (Nyabisindu)....534 mountain gorillas through bamboo forests in the shadow of the Virunga volcanoes. These conical mountains are National Park...... 535 shrouded in equatorial jungles and helped earn Rwanda the ...... 540 well-deserved moniker of ‘Le Pays des Mille Collines’ (Land Kibuye...... 540 of a Thousand Hills). Parc National de So, while Rwanda’s scars may run deep, now is the time l’Akagera...... 542 to help the country look to its future and embrace its new- found optimism.

Best of Nature When to Go »»Parc National des Volcans Kigali (p519) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm »»Nyungwe Forest National 40/104 24/600 Park (535) 30/86 »»Parc National de l’Akagera 16/400 (p542) 20/68 8/200 10/50 Best of Culture 0/32 0 »»National Museum of J F DNOSAJJMAM Rwanda (p532) Dry seasons June Baby goril- The long rains »»Gorilla Naming Ceremony Rains ease during las are named Although often (p523) the long dry (mid- during the Kwita wet from mid-Mar »»Rukari Ancient History May to Sep) and Izina ceremony. to mid-May, travel Museum (p534) short dry (mid- is still possible. Dec to mid-Mar). 504

AT A GLANCE Itineraries »»Currency Rwandan Five Days Spend your first few days in Kigali sampling the franc (RFr) country’s finest food and learning of its terrible past. A visit »»Language Kinyar- to the Kigali Memorial Centre is a harrowing introduction wanda, English, French to the 1994 genocide but essential viewing if you’re keen to »»Money Some banks gain a little understanding of this tragic event. To lighten now equipped with your mood, head north to Musanze (Ruhengeri) and spend international ATMs the following day with a mountain gorilla family before re- turning to the capital. »»Visa If required, Twelve Days With another week, spend a few days relax- must be applied for ing by , only a short hop from Musanze, before in advance at www. heading back to Kigali. To round out your Rwanda experi- migration.gov.rw ence, check out the country’s southwestern corner, includ- ing chimpanzee tracking at Nyungwe Forest National Park and a day taking in the National Museum of Rwanda in the Fast Facts university town of Huye (Butare). »»Area 26,338 sq km »»Capital Kigali TRANSPORT IN RWANDA »»Country code %250 »»Rwanda has a reasonable road system, due mostly to »»Emergency %112 its small size and a large dose of foreign assistance. »»The only major unsealed roads are those run- ning along the shore of Lake Kivu and some smaller Exchange Rates stretches around the country. »»The privately run buses and minibuses are more Rw Australia A$1 RFr636 organised than elsewhere in East Africa, with scheduled an Canada C$1 RFr602 (and usually hourly) departures.

d Euro Zone €1 RFr790 »»Bus tickets are available at bus offices prior to travel- a

.Japan ¥100 RFr741 ling and every passenger is guaranteed a seat  New NZ$1 RFr490 »»Most towns are small enough to negotiate by foot, Zealand but as Kigali sprawls over several hills you’ll need to UK UK£1 RFr946 catch a minibus or taxi to get around the capital. USA US$1 RFr601 »»Taxis are plentiful in Kigali although moto-taxis (motorcycle taxis) are a cheaper, if slightly hair-raising, alternative. Set Your Budget »»Budget hotel room RFr5000–15,000 Cultural Tips »»Two-course dinner »»These days it is considered inappropriate to ask if some- RFr5000–8000 one is Hutu or Tutsi. Most people identify themselves as »»Beer RFr600–1000 Rwandan, keen to put the tribal divisions of the past behind »»Short hop on a moto- them. taxi RFr300–600 »»From 8am to 11am on the last Saturday of every month, »»Beef brochette RFr3000 the whole country stops whatever it is doing and works for the public good, cleaning streets, repairing roads and build- ing schools. Known as Umuganda Day, you’ll find it difficult to get around at this time although some tour operators may have dispensation to travel during these hours.