Geography of Rwanda
Rwanda is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. The country is divided by great peaks of up to 3, 000m (9,842ft) which run across the country from north to south. To feed the people, almost every available piece of land is under cultivation, except for parts of the Akagera (along the border with Tanzania) and the higher slopes of the Virunga volcanoes.
Since most of the country is mountainous, this involves a good deal of terracing. The Virunga volcanoes rising steeply from Lake Kivu in the west slope down first to hilly central plateau and further eastwards to an area of marshy lakes around the upper reaches of the Akagera River, where the Akagera National Park is situated.
The country’s scenery is much mountainous and the Mt. Karisimbi is regarded as the highest peak at 4,507m on the Virunga Volcanic ranges and the lowest point in Rwanda is the Ruzizi River, at 950m (3,117 ft.) above sea level. Lake Kivu is the country’s largest main fresh water body and one of the deepest lakes in Africa. Ruzizi river valley forms the western boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and constitute part of the Great Rift Valley.
There also other small lakes and Rivers such as Ruhondo, Burera, Muhazi, Ihema, Mugesera and River Akagera. Rwanda is also located on the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift which is a western wing of the Great Rift Valley and all these places attract a number of travellers’ whole over the world to Rwanda to explore more about the country.
Recommendation
Rwanda Suggested Safari Packages
Tailor-Made Tour
First time on Safari?
Let’s start designing your Holiday
A new way to create your safari. African travel is opening up to the world. Create your first trip here and let us know what you think. You can trust our insightful team of travel experts to design a first time safari that experience in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda….
Highly recommended! Joseph created a fantastic, customized tour for my family. He listened to our many criteria and put together a wonderful package. He was always available and very responsive. Since we were on a safari that utilized flights within Kenya, there was no opportunity to enjoy Joseph's company (as others have commented). However, he made it a point to come to the airport at the start of our adventure and make sure we were all set. This was a small gesture that epitomized his character (I don't think this would have happened with a large tour provider). March 2023
This was our first safari and such an unforgettable experience. Communication with Joseph, the tour operator, was quick and easy. The proposed itinerary he provided was informative and we were able to easily modify it before finalizing everything. We enjoyed all the places we stayed at and there was something unique about each one. The game drives were just wow (super sawa sawa!). The tour guides/drivers (John in Kenya and Rajam in Tanzania) put in a lot of effort in finding the animals at the top of our list (leopard, rhino, calves, as well as a cheetah hunt and the most awesome selfie with an elephant). Each game drive was unique. There were so many encounters that left us awestruck—we’re still ooh ahhh-ing over our pictures and processing everything we experienced. Joseph was with us for the whole trip; he was quite knowledgeable about birds, which was a bonus. He also assisted with logistics (providing documents quickly for visas needed prior to arrival, getting us through border crossings, and arranging dinner reservations at a restaurant we wanted to go to prior to taking us to the airport). This was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had and we have White Plains Safaris to thank for that. They are reliable, prompt, friendly, and well worth the money. February 2023
Our experience with White Plains Safaris and Joseph was amazing! The service was impeccable since the very beginning: during the reservation process, Joseph was extremely helpful, flexible and very honest. After booking, he supported us in any way he could, including paying for our Visas as we had some issues doing that online by ourselves! He was also very helpful in creating the itinerary, which proved to be amazing as it offered great game drives and diversity of landscape. Things kept being perfect throughout our trip; the accommodations he had reserved were very nice and always positioned perfectly, to avoid extra driving. During the game drives he was very accommodating and always asking for our feedback to make sure we had the best time. He brought us in amazing spots thanks to his unstoppable Land Cruiser and we got to see many animals including 3 leopards from very close! We also enjoyed his company very much and he was always able to answer our questions and providing interesting insights on the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. We always felt safe and well taken care of, so I would (and will) strongly recommend Joseph and White Plains to anyone looking for a good time in Kenya and Tanzania. January 2023
White Plains Safari provided me with an incredible experience, they were really easy people to get to know and it felt like I had made another friend at the end of my trip. Their service was excellent, they were really outgoing and did their ultimate best to show us everything they could, even if it meant going out of their way in order to do so, they were very reliable and I personally had no concerns regarding their reliability. In terms of the tour itself, I would one hundred percent recommend my trip to Kenya to anyone, especially with White Plains Safaris. White Plains Safaris helped make my trip an experience I will never forget. May 2022
-
Milan Nanavati, USA
-
Esperanza Florendo, USA
-
Matteo Fogli, Germany
-
Shaun, Great Britain