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Rwanda

~ Land of a Thousand Hills Rwanda is popularly referred to as the “Land of a thousand Hills” because of

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Rwanda
Rwanda is popularly referred to as the “Land of a thousand Hills” because of its rolling landscape. The country which is infamously known for the 1994 Genocide during which nearly one million Tusi were killed, has had a complete turn around in the decade and has become one of the most progressive and fastest growing countries in Africa. Kigali, its capital city is by far the most organized, cleanest and safest city in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda is famous for the Mountain Gorillas which are found in the Volcanoes National Park and are the prime attraction which are what majority tourists come to see in Rwanda. With sparkling lakes, volcanoes and varying national parks, Rwanda can also boast to be an ideal honeymoon destination and is home to chimpanzees and other primates as well as hundreds of bird species.

Kinyarwanda is the national language of Rwanda and the first language of almost the entire population of the country. It is one of the country’s official languages alongside French, English, and Swahili. English is Rwanda’s language of instruction in schools. You may encounter a challenge when it comes to interacting with local residents as most of them may understand only French and others understand only Kinyarwanda. In case you get into a rural area and find less educated residents, higher chances are some of them can understand at least one of the official languages.

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Rwanda - national parks

~ Land of a Thousand Hills Rwanda is popularly referred to as the “Land of a thousand Hills” because of

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Additional information

The National currency of Rwanda is the Rwandan Franc (RWF.) Rwandan Francs can be withdrawn from ATMs in Kigali and nearly all major cities around the country. There are lots of private forex exchange bureaus and banks in Kigali, the capital and other towns of Rwanda as well. There are however possible draw-backs that include extra fees that you have to pay. The US dollar is the country’s most preferred foreign currency, though Pounds and Euros (and others) can also be exchanged into Rwandan Francs. The exchange rate for a dollar is approximately RWF 980 per dollar. A growing number of places now accept credit and debit cards, with visa being more acceptable than master card. Discover Cards and American Express can also be used but at very few spots. However, there is usually a 5% or more surcharge for the privilege of using a card, due to fees that are incurred by merchants in Rwanda. Most lodges and hotels will ask for RWF or USD. If you decide to carry foreign currency in cash for exchange, we advise that you carry 50 & 100 dollar bills rather than smaller notes, the notes should not be older than 2009. If you use smaller or older bills you will get less money in return. We advise you not to use US Dollars in restaurants, bars, souvenirs since you will lose money in the process.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Rwanda is during the dry season when the animals are moving in large numbers in search for pastures and water for drinking. However, rainy seasons attract cheaper rates and are less crowded thus offering great experiences to travelers as well. The long rainy season is filled with persistent, heavy and regular rains. There is also an abundance of green grass with clear blue skies during those months. During the short rainy season, the rain varies geographically, with the west and northwest of the country receiving more precipitation annually than the east and southeast. Rainfall is often during the night or the early morning hours and the sun comes out again during the day. At times you have early morning rains and afternoon thunderstorms and showers. The wettest month is April. . During the long dry season, there is often little or no rainfall. December to February may experience some rain, although it is fairly intermittent and usually does not last very long. July is the driest month.

Wildlife

The most important attraction in Rwanda are the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. However, Rwanda’s wildlife profile is diverse and rich across different species. The country has more than 1000 species of plants, 670 bird species, an estimated 151 mammalian species and over 15 primate species among others. Nyungwe National park is home to an estimated 85 mammalian species, 310 bird species, 1,050 plant species, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species. Akagera National Park also has over 480 bird species and offers opportunities to see the big five.

Travelling around

If you are visiting a number of parks and reserves in Rwanda, you can either fly or drive between them. Roads inside most of the parks areas are not the best conditions and unmarked, making self-driving very difficult. Ellington Safaris will supply you with a driver guide alternatively, you can fly to your destination and utilize a car and driver supplied by the company within the parks. In other parts of Rwanda, towns and cities are linked by  buses and taxis. Ellington is a proud owner of safari vans and land cruisers all bearing the Ellington Safaris logo. All our vehicles are 4-wheel drives with pop-up roofs, air conditioning, and in-built charging systems. The vehicles are regularly serviced to ensure maximum road safety. International flights into Rwanda arrive at Kigali International Airport. From here, one may charter a helicopter. The routes and flights taken depend on the weather condition at that particular period of time, as well as the model of helicopter used.

Climate and weather

Rwanda has beautiful weather and her citizens are very proud of it. Elevation accounts for Rwanda’s generally mild temperatures, which average 70 °F (21 °C) year-round at Kigali, in the interior highlands. There are significant variations, however, between the region of the volcanoes in the northwest, where heavy rainfalls are accompanied by lower average temperatures, and the warmer and drier savannah in the east. The average annual rainfall in the latter is about 45 inches (1,140 millimetres), which is concentrated in two rainy seasons (roughly March to May and October to mid December). The temperatures across the country differ greatly from one area to another based on their altitude. Generally, during the day, the temperature ranges between 22°C and 27°C while at night they drop to between 16°C and 21°C. Unlike many other African countries away from the equator, it is neither too hot nor too cold. There are some temperature variations across the country; the mountainous west and north are generally cooler than the lower-lying east. In the higher mountains, which take up a lot of the country, temperatures range between 10°C to 15°C. In the capital, Kigali, temperatures are stable all year round and hover around 26/27 °C (79/81 °F) during the day and around 15/16 °C (59/61 °F) at night. Evergreen Rwanda can be visited at any time of year with this perfect weather. There are generally two rainy seasons. The long rainy reason from March to May and the short one from October to mid-December. There are also two dry seasons. These include the long dry season (June to September) and the short dry season (December to February).
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