Rwanda is a country which can be visited throughout the year. If you’re planning for a Christmas holiday in Rwanda, don’t hesitate to plan for the activities to take on in the national parks as well as outside the national parks. There are so many events that take place around this time and also I have a good news for you that when you visit Rwanda during Christmas you can do gorilla safari at a discounted rate because during this time a permit is reduced from $1500 to $1050 USD per person hence making the holiday so much affordable but you have to visit 2 or 3 Rwanda parks.
Rwanda is becoming famous in offering memorable experiences when it comes to organizing holidays and events. If you are looking at where to spend your festive season, Rwanda would be a good choice for you. From its stunning beauty to the festive celebration events organized at the end of the year, engage in a variety of activities that reflect the local culture and traditions while also embracing the holiday spirit.
Attend Cultural Events: As a way of enjoying the festive season, different events are organized, whether in Kigali or out of Kigali. This may be a music festival, dance performances or cultural events happening during the festive season. This will give you the opportunity to experience Rwanda’s rich cultural heritage.
It’s a good occasion to connect with the local community and experience the spiritual side of the festive season. Remembering to strengthen your faith on this day is always the best experience you would achieve on your Christmas holiday in Rwanda. This can be done by visiting different churches and join to see how they do worship hence a memorable experience.
Explore Traditional Cuisine in Rwanda. Trying Rwandan festive dishes and attending local feasts by sharing meals within a local setting and with locals trying traditional food in a local restaurant would be a delightful way to spend you Christmas holiday.
This would come true by trying different eating joints in Rwanda where you will have the chance to taste whatever meal you want to. Go for the local wine and brews which are produced in Rwanda giving the opportunity to distinguish the difference between the international and local one.
Go for gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park. This is the main activity you may not wish to miss while in Rwanda. You will have to book the gorilla permit and pay $1500 before your day of trekking.
The gorilla trekking in Rwanda starts with a briefing from the park authorities and Rangers at around 7:30am. During the briefing, participants are divided into groups and assigned to a particular gorilla family. At 8:00am, the park Rangers lead the group to search for the gorillas.
take between one to six hours depending on the gorilla group you are assigned and their specific location on the day of the trek. You will spend hours just watching the little ones roll around and play. Mountain gorillas are always playful and quite curious. Some may walk right up to you but with no harm intended.
You have the opportunity to take a cultural tour in the afternoon after the gorilla experience. This will take you IbyI’wacu cultural village. It gives you a rare chance to meet local people, in their environment, with a taste of our culture and traditions. Be genuinely welcomed by the community as a special visitor while they proudly present to your aspects of their traditions and beliefs. The only way to get to know people, is getting close and interacting with local people, and taking part in their daily activities and most of all with them.
Culture guide will take you to see the king’s house replica with all the houses interpretation of all parts and stories attached to this cultural treasure. Be enthroned and become a king for some time while exercising king’s powers as presented to you by a village elder through a village ceremony.
Don’t leave this village without having a story to tell on Rwanda’s local foods-just have a local dinner with local people to see the skill they have when it comes to dinning time. After you head back to your lodge for overnight.
The next morning before signing out of volcanoes, take trek for the golden monkeys an exciting adventure that offers an epic encounter with a rare and beautiful species of monkeys called “Golden Monkeys”. They have a striking golden fur coat, and added to their sprightly character are quite lovely to watch and offer excellent photography.
The monkeys spend a lot of time at the top of the bamboo, but also do climb down along the tree to eye level and even move on ground. They are some of the least shy monkeys as you can get so close to within a meter. You will take one hour with them as the play, feed and socialize.
After you head to Akagera for a wild life experience. On a game drive, you will be able to witness the big mammals like Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, several Antelope species, and recently the re-introduced Lions and Rhinos. The park is a varied habitat for wildlife and a number of bird species with over 500 bird species in the park making it a birding paradise.
After the game drive, take a boat cruise on lake Ihema one of the tourist activities in Akagera National Game Park that rewards with seeing hippos swallowing water, crocodiles and numerous bird species around the shires on this Lake. The boat safari on Lake Ihema offers the opportunity to take up-close photos of these animals. As other animals come to the lake for a drink or bath, you can take a look at those that you may have missed while out on a game drive in the wild.
Once this park is maximized then embark on your journey to Nyungwe national park for the chimps. The experience starts at 5am which implies that you should be up earlier. Each trekking group can only have a maximum of 8 members. Nyungwe Forest is a rain forest with a slippery terrain that will require sturdy hiking shoes, a rain poncho in the likely event of a downpour, long sleeved thick shirts for the cold weather, long trousers to protect you from the long creeping undergrowth. Binoculars are so important for the better view of the chimps since they tend to be high in the trees.
Its a rewarding experience with acrobatic chimpanzees swinging on tree branches, mother chimps cuddling baby chimps and more sights that will warm your heart as you interact with them for that one hour.
After lunch, go for canopy walk, a 2 hours’ stroll on a 200meters long trail 50 meters above the forest cover and one of the most exhilarating activities to do while here. The view at the top will give you the eagle’s eye experience; panoramic views that a hike on ground would not offer. This experience is one of the best to take on in the park. Note that children below the age of six years is not allowed to participate.
You will wind up your trip with a rest at lake Kivu. This will give you the chance to relax at the lake showers in the sand beaches. You will witness the morning and evening breezes. Take a boat cruise while here to visit the surrounding islands. You will get the chance to visit the coffee farms on these islands. Once you are done with all that, you will drive back to Kigali for your flight making it the end of your Christmas holiday in Rwanda.