With Self–Drive Kigali, you will discover why Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills and be moved by its sad history. Rwanda is a country bestowed with beautiful physical features. Known as the land of a thousand hills, its spectacular volcanoes, mountains, and natural resources are significant economic assets to the country.
In spite of its long history as well as natural and physical beauty. Self-Drive Kigali gives you an opportunity to enjoy the stunning scenery and warm, friendly people offer unique experiences in one of the most remarkable countries in the world.
Fascinating facts you may discover about Rwanda during you 4×4 self- drive safari.
- The Land of a thousand Hills
Rwanda is a landlocked country situated in central Africa. Also known as ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills’, Rwanda has five volcanoes, 23 lakes and numerous rivers, some forming the source of the River Nile. The highest point is Mount Karisimbi. Tourism is important due to wildlife, including the mountain gorilla. Kigali, Gitarama, and Butare are the largest cities.
- Home to the Mountain Gorillas
During your 4×4 self-drive safari in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, you will discover the Virunga Mountain that line the northern border of Rwanda. They are made up of eight major volcanoes and more than half of the population of remaining mountain gorillas live in these mountains. Thanks to conservation efforts, the mountain gorillas have increased in number in recent years.
Seeing a gorilla family up close and personal is a magical experience. These huge but peaceful animals can be just a few feet away or closer if you’re not careful and the hour you are allowed to spend with them is unforgettable. The experience is brilliantly organized, with several groups of eight visitors heading off on foot to find the families that have been monitored by trackers overnight.
The group of eight is augmented by an expert guide, two armed guards to fire warnings should any other mountain animals come too close to you, and as many porters as the guests deem necessary in the case of your group, about four of five. You can as well hire one or two, as much to support the community, from which the porters are drawn, as vital bag carriers.
Having said that, the altitude can take its toll and a little help can make the difference between a successful mission and failure. The rules say no one should venture within 10 meters of the gorillas – but in reality, in a small clearing, they are three or four paces away. You also have to wear a mask when with the gorillas to spare them our germs. Afterwards, a certification ceremony rounds things off beautifully, with humor and a great sense of satisfaction.
- The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi
Talk about Rwanda and remember over one million of Rwandans who were brutally killed in 100 days during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The worst Genocide of the 20th century was prepared and implemented by the genocidal regime which trained Interahamwe militia and extremist Hutu to kill Tutsi and Hutu opposed to the killing using machetes, clubs, spears and other traditional weapons, with the full support of government security forces.
Some of the victims were abandoned in the hands of the killers by the United Nations Peace Keeping forces, demonstrating a failure of the international community despite the “Never Again” pledge adopted in 1945. Now the Rwandans commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi on April 7 which was also adopted by the United Nations as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi.
- Wildlife of Rwanda
Rwanda has a lot of wildlife to offer. Akagera National Park is one of East Africa’s diverse national parks with both the white and black rhinos, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopard, elephants among others. Located in the Eastern province of Rwanda, the park can easily be accessed from Uganda via Mirama hills border and from Kigali.
It’s sprawling – it takes 6 hours to drive from the south end (where you enter) to the North end. So, game drives are longer. So, you need to plan on a full day game drive to go all the way to the northern part of the park then back down again.
Akagera has a lot of hills and thick vegetation providing lots of cover for the animals, but the park is beautiful and serene and when you do see animals you aren’t competing with tons of other vehicles for a front row spot to see them – it’s normally just you. It’s magical in its own way. I would absolutely suggest a visit to Akagera.
The park is small, and I’d thoroughly recommend taking a guide on a game drive even if you’re on a self-drive as you need to know where to go and how to spot the animals. And I would highly recommend a night game drive for a different type of experience. You may be lucky to see a leopard and see the park at night. Again, temper your expectations.
- Culture of Rwanda
Unlike other countries in Africa that have many ethnic groups, there are only three in Rwanda. These include the Hutu, with about 84 percent of the population, the Tutsi (15%), and the Twa (1%). The Twa (Pygmy) hunters and potters are considered the indigenous people. The Hutu and Tutsi who migrated to the region at different times met the Twa in situ.
Three things have differentiated these ethnic groups: occupation, social status, and physical features. The Tutsi as cattle owners are usually tall and slender, whereas the Hutu farmers are short and square. The Tutsi retain the exclusive right to own cattle, and for this reason the Belgians described Rwanda as a caste society. The groups share close cultural similarities, but it is more difficult to distinguish a Hutu from a Tutsi than the two from the Twa.
No last names differentiate the Hutu from the Tutsi. Married women do not adopt their husband’s last name, and children do not take the name of their parents. By the nineteenth century, when the Europeans arrived in Rwanda, the Hutu and Tutsi were identified not only by ethnic differentiation but also by marriage, occupational status, and politics.
But living together in harmony has been part of the Rwandan society, and traditional values supported a culture of peace. Although the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa pursued different occupations, their symbiotic relationship facilitated the political and eco- nomic structure of the society.
They developed a complex and sophisticated society, speaking the same language and observing common religious belief systems. The Tutsi learned the Hutu Bantu language. As loyalty to the Hutu lineage of leaders gave way to Tutsi political power in the eighteenth century
- History of Rwanda
According to tradition, Ruganzu I Bwimba, a Tutsi leader, founded a kingdom in the Bwanacambwe region near Kigali in the 15th or 16th century. What is now central Rwanda was absorbed in the 16th century, and outlying Hutu communities were subdued by the mwami (“king”) Ruganzu II Ndori in the 17th century.
Kingdom of Rwanda, traditional East African state, now the Republic of Rwanda. The area is believed to have been settled by the Hutu sometime between the 5th and the 11th century and then by the Tutsi beginning in the 14th century. The Tutsi, a pastoral people, established dominance over the Hutu, who were agriculturalists.
According to tradition, Ruganzu I Bwimba, a Tutsi leader, founded a kingdom in the Bwanacambwe region near Kigali in the 15th or 16th century. What is now central Rwanda was absorbed in the 16th century, and outlying Hutu communities were subdued by the mwami (“king”) Ruganzu II Ndori in the 17th century. The borders of the kingdom were rounded out in the late 19th century by Kigeri IV Rwabugiri, who is regarded as Rwanda’s greatest king. By 1900 Rwanda was a unified state with a centralized military structure.
The Germans claimed Rwanda as part of German East Africa from 1890, but they never really controlled it. Following World War I it was assigned, along with neighboring Burundi, to Belgium as part of the League of Nations mandate (later the United Nations trust territory) of Ruanda-Urundi.
The Belgians ruled through the traditional kings but encouraged the rise of the Hutu lower classes. In 1959 war erupted between the Tutsi and the Hutu, and the mwami Kigeri V was forced into exile. He was deposed, and in January 1961 Rwanda was declared a republic; it became independent on July 1, 1962.