In the heart of East Africa lies a country that captivates the soul with its breathtaking landscapes and warm hospitality – Rwanda. As a group of young Danes traveling in Africa, we really had no idea what to expect traveling to Rwanda. A country we frankly didn’t know much about before going there. ALSO READ: Denmark to open embassy in Rwanda But traveling to Rwanda, you really don’t need more than just a couple of hours to understand what makes this country naturally unique and beautiful in what is totally its own way. This astonishing nation is not only easy to remember for its natural beauty but also for the radiant warmth of its people. In this article, you will join us as we dive into their enchanting experience, discovering the hidden treasures and limitless joy that Rwanda has to offer. During our stay, we lived in the heart of the capital, Kigali. We visited the Kigali genocide memorial, which is a must when you visit Rwanda. It really gave a melancholy insight on the incredibly sad and recent history of Rwanda, and you can’t help but praise the incredible work President Paul Kagame, and the nation as a whole has put into adjusting the country bag on its legs in such a short period of time. In Kigali, we spent a lot of time just walking around, and experiencing the local culture, and this was also where we truly discovered the incredible hospitality of the Rwandan people. Denmark is an extremely reserved country, and Rwanda is quite the opposite. Everyone greets you when you are walking around small local societies, and you can take a break and have a conversation about almost everything between heaven and earth with just about everyone. The Rwandan people are good listeners as well as good storytellers, and they for sure also know how to have a good time! This was especially significant when visiting local sport-pubs during the day and evening. We were lucky enough to visit Rwanda in February, which was during the African cup of nations, which is only held every two years. Although the tournament took place in Ivory Coast, we had a great time watching the games live in a local pub called ‘Dolce’. At Dolce, we enjoyed some incredibly passionate and amusing football, with a lively and extremely welcoming crowd, including the owner of the pub. The euphoria of passionately celebrating a goal by a team you hardly know of, surrounded by people you hardly know is such a weird feeling when looking back in hindsight. You rarely get that in the very judgmental and self-conscious northern europe. Something Rwanda really taught us in the relatively short time we spent there is that individuals don't necessarily have to have a lot of character traits in common to have a good time in each other's company. Sports in general is a really binding and defining factor when describing theRwandan culture. Local football matches are tons of fun to attend, as the passion and love for the game, really overshadows the hatred between the fans of opposition teams. The owners are often sat amongst the crowd, and it’s always a great laugh to hear them disagree about every single decision or play during the ninety-minute matches. Luckily enough, we also managed to be in Rwanda during the annual ‘Tour du Rwanda’ bike race, which we watched in Kigali and Rubavu. Thousands were assembled on the roads to cheer for their favorite teams and/or individual bikers. Apart from the fantastic atmosphere around the race, what really made Tour du Rwanda special was the beautiful landscapes in which the race took place. The endless hills and never flat landscape was almost as if made for a biking race. As a spectator, you get to enjoy the intense race, as well as the beautiful nature all in one. After our first couple of days in the capital, we decided to travel up north to the border town, Musanze, for the weekend. A very unique and idyllic town, bordering both DR Congo and Uganda. Musanze is a calm and laid back town, with exquisite nature and wild-life, which gives you endless opportunities for beautiful and deeply amusing activities and tours. ALSO READ: Musanze listed among TIME's world's greatest places in 2023 While there, we managed to climb the 3711 meter tall Mount Bisoke, from where we had a sensational view of the landscape. On the 7 hour hike, we managed to see Buffalos, Antilopes, and even the beautiful and majestic gorillas, which you can only find in the wilderness of Central African countries. Standing at the top of Mount Bisoke, you can look into both DR Congo and Uganda while patting yourself on the shoulder, for completing a straight upwards 4 hour walk-and-climb. We also went on a relaxing canoe trip through the many rivers of Musanze, and on the last day we even managed to get ourselves up on an early ‘Golden Monkey hike’ where we had tons of fun with the cute and playful Golden Monkeys. Afterwards, we went to one of the most beautiful places in Rwanda, which says a lot: Nyungwe. We drove there ourselves, it was a lovely 7 hour road trip where we got used to the intense and amusing Rwandan traffic, which it’s safe to say, is really different from our traffic back at home. In Nyungwe, we hiked in the lush and eccentric jungle, where we saw chimpanzees, mountain antelopes and silver monkeys. After thinking that was more than enough adventure for us, our minds were blown once again when hiking to the Isumo Waterfall, which was no doubt one of the most, if not the most, beautiful as well as peaceful natural phenomenon we had ever come across. What felt really amazing and eccentric about it, was the fact that we had this sight entirely to ourselves, as this was ten times more beautiful than a lot of tourist attractions across the world, that is way overpriced, and is way too crowded to even enjoy. After a solid night's sleep, we headed out for our last adventure in Nyungwe: A hike on a local tea plantation Here, we got a good insight into the process behind tea production in Rwanda, and were even allowed to pick and mash tea leaves from the field ourselves. In the end, we visited a kindergarten in the local area and made a lot of little new friends who were super happy to get a visit. We then moved on to the last road trip of our time in Rwanda. This time the trip went to the border town of Rubavu , which is right next to the Congolese border town of Goma. Up here we enjoyed walks by the monstrously beautiful Lake Kivu. We also went on a somewhat challenging, but really cool 30km bike ride in the area where we first went down to visit the border to Goma, and then really got to test our strength with an aggressive mountain stage that gave sweat on the forehead. In the evening we also allowed ourselves to explore the Rwandan nightlife at Saga Bay. Here we got a so-called Zombie Juice cocktail which lived up to its name to the extent that you felt like a Zombie in the morning after drinking a couple of them. But we had a great night out, and overall a great time in Rubavu, which once again supplied us with great service, friendly faces, and excellent guides and service-workers who made us feel welcome and safe, even though there is a terrible civil war going on just on the other side of the border. As our time in Rwanda came to an end, there was one more thing we had to try. A traditional African wedding. We were lucky enough to have some contacts and pulled some strings that made it possible for us to attend a wedding in Kigali during our final days in the country. Having experienced the colorful and expressive civil culture of Rwanda, we had high expectations for how they would portray the loving and euphoric tradition that we know as the wedding. As we soaked in the vibrant energy of the celebration, it wasn’t just the wedding that left an impression, it was the spirit of Rwanda itself. Their non-judgmental nature, paired with the country's breathtaking landscapes, made Rwanda a destination unlike any other. While tourist hotspots in general often feel crowded, commercialized, and sometimes disconnected from their true essence, Rwanda offered something far more authentic. The experience felt deeply personal and connected to the land, as if Rwanda itself was sharing its beauty with us, rather than putting on a show for the sake of tourism. Leaving Rwanda, we felt that this trip wasn’t just about visiting another country. It was about learning from a place that values community, health, and happiness in the simplest, most genuine ways. Yes, Rwanda is not a perfect country by any means. Very few countries are. But experiencing a culture with such a different moral code, and source of happiness and enjoyability, was such a breath of fresh air in a progressively superficial and commercial world. Rwanda is a country where the beauty of its hills is matched only by the beauty of its people’s spirit—a place that stands as a testament to how a healthy and vibrant culture can thrive. It left us with not only incredible memories but a newfound appreciation for a different kind of tourism—one that goes beyond sightseeing and leaves a real mark on you personally.
