Rwanda is the perfect destination to unravel the remote wilderness and wildlife areas in central Africa. Treat yourself to an exclusive getaway where you can have a rare glimpse of the mountain gorillas within the thick density of the exotic forestlands. Rwanda has a rich trove of ecological treasure that accommodates uplands, fertile plains, swamps, grasslands, river valleys and lakes, Lake Kivu being the most prominent of them all. The country is aptly crowned as “Pays des milles collines” meaning the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’. The terrain of Rwanda also nestles a chain of volcanic hillocks that extend from southeast to the northwest of the country. Moreover, being situated close to the Equator, this Central African nation suffers scorching temperatures in most of the time of a year. Rwanda is also considered the ‘lightning capital of the world’, due to intense daily thunderstorms it experiences during the rainy seasons.
Historically, the Twa, a Pygmy tribe, were original inhabitants of Rwanda who were later followed by Hutu and Tutsi peoples. Rwanda, which became a part of German East Africa in 1890, was occupied by Belgian troops after First World War. It became a Belgian League of Nations mandate and was granted the status of a UN trust territory in 1946 under the previous name of Ruanda-Urundi. Rwanda emerged as an independent nation on July 1, 1962.