HOTEL RWANDA / HOTEL DES MILLE COLLINES
When one hears hotel Rwanda, they will automatically think of the 2004 movie with the same name that portrays the dark times that the country went through and the role of the then manager Rusesabagina who used the hotel’s premises as refugee for the victims. Hotel des mille Collines as portrayed in the movie as hotel Rwanda is still in existence and among the top tourist attractions in Rwanda today located in Kigali city the hotel has a number of interesting features that you will get to witness when you visit Rwanda. During the 1994 Rwanda genocide, a dark period of time where a mass assassination of the Tutsi one of the different tribes in Rwanda that the Bahutu wanted to wipe out from the history of Rwanda. The tension between the Hutu and the Tutsi started years before 1994 during the Belgian rule in Rwanda, it was believed that the tutsi were given prestigious positions in the government and the hutu were given positions of lesser importance in the government which infuriated the hutu because they are believed to have been the first people to settle in Rwanda and because of this tension there was always a rift between them.
After the assassination of president juvenale Habyarimana a hutu, there was a rumour that it was the doing of the tutsi rebel group and this triggered the 1994 Rwanda genocide which you will get to understand when you participate in the Rwanda genocide tour. One of the major highlights of hotel Rwanda is the manager Paul Rusesabagina who opened the hotel to the victims that were being hunted down by the hutu extremists. Paul provided shelter and food to the tutsi and the pool water that was used for cleaning cooking and it is believed that Paul Rusesabagina was able to save about 1200 tutsis at the hotel with the bribes he offered to the hutu military in form of alcohol, money in order to protect the tutsis from being killed by the interahamwe(the hutu militia)
Today the hotel operates with 112 rooms, a bar, three conference rooms, restaurant that offers a number of cuisines from Italian cuisines, French cuisines, local cuisines that make it quite a place to visit among the top tourism attractions in Rwanda 2022. The hotel can be visited at any time of the year but because of how famous it is It has attracted a number of tourists from all over the world to visit and witness the historical rich hotel with its amazing views 1000 hills of Rwanda that can be seen making it one of the most visited hotels in Rwanda.
Other places like hotel Rwanda/ hotel des mille Collines that can be visited to understand more about the insight of the Rwanda genocide and how it affected the people of Rwanda then you should visit a number of genocide memorial museums during your Rwanda safaris like the Kigali genocide memorial museum that will help you watch a number of confessionals from the killers and a number of heart-breaking recording f the victims running away from the killers, you will get to see the last words of family members which is quite heart breaking but also gives you hope by witnessing what the people of Rwanda went through to being one of the safest countries to visit on the African continent.
Tourists can also visit the bisesero reconciliation village where you will get to see the former victims and killers living in harmony with one another. At the reconciliation centre, you will get to see how the people lived past the genocide by forgiving each other and spreading love to one another to ensure that the events that led to the unfortunate time in the park are not repeated.
For tourists that are not interested in taking part in the heart-breaking safari which involves watching how the people survived then you can participate in a number of adventure filled safaris like the primate safaris in Rwanda like gorilla trekking in Rwanda which will give you the opportunity to understand more about the mountain gorillas in the park and their memorable features in the park. you can also hike the Virunga mountains in Rwanda to watch a number of views like twin lakes in Rwanda lake Burera and lake Ruhondo, you can also participate in chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park, still in the park you can take part in the canopy walk in Rwanda, hiking the different trails in Nyungwe national park, participate in golden monkey trekking to understand more about the Albertine endemic primate species. You can also visit Akagera national park and take part in the boat cruise on lake Ihema, the game drives in rwanda, tracking the big five animals in Rwanda and many other rewarding tourism activities that will make your Rwanda tours quite rewarding.
