Hot Air Balloon Tours in Rwanda: Royal Balloons began its inaugural hot air balloon flights in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park on January 17, 2022. Royal Balloon Rwanda is excited to announce the commencement of its operations in Rwanda by giving the country’s first hot air balloon experience in Akagera National Park in conjunction with the Rwanda Development Board and Akagera Management Company.
Royal Balloon Rwanda operates two hot air balloons that can accommodate four to six passengers each. The Hot Air Balloon flies to heights of up to 1000 meters over the park’s spectacular savanna-covered landscapes, which are home to the big five – elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and buffaloes – as well as other different creatures.
Hot air balloon tours to Akagera National Park are another exciting addition to Rwanda’s adventure tourist options. It also gives Rwanda the opportunity to continue forging new partnerships and increasing investments in the tourism sector in order to meet the demands of tourists while also contributing to conservation in a sustainable manner.
Atilla Turkmen, Managing Director of Royal Balloon Rwanda, was pleased to team up with Akagera Management Company to start hot air balloon trips in Akagera National Park. The activity is a wonderful example of how conservation can benefit both the natural environment and the lives of those who live nearby.
Hot air balloon flights in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park will provide visitors an exciting new perspective on the park’s spectacular and diverse landscapes while also contributing financially to the park’s conservation. In addition, the activity has produced new jobs and cash streams in the surrounding areas.
Royal Balloon Rwanda is a tourism organization that has been in operation for over 30 years. It operates hotels in Turkey and hot air balloon flights in a variety of natural areas around Eastern and Southern Africa. Countries have embraced this technique in order to diversify tourism itineraries and extend visitors’ stays.
What Hot Air Balloon Tours in Rwanda Look Like.
Your journey begins when you reach at the take-off location in Kayitaba, which is only a 5-minute drive from the South Entrance gate of Akagera National Park.
Visitors doing the hot air balloon trip in Akagera National Park should arrive at the take-off location at 5:15 a.m. (this time will be altered depending on dawn time). As you witness the hot air balloon being readied, workers from Royal Balloon Rwanda will greet you and give information. While you enjoy your early morning coffee and snack, our professional pilots begin to inflate the balloon, giving you the opportunity to take magnificent images.
Conclude your Rwanda Hot Air Balloon Experience in Style.
As is usual with hot air balloons, the experience culminates with a champagne celebration after landing and the receipt of a flight certificate signed by our pilots as a souvenir of this incredible day. Guests are encouraged to wear covered shoes and to bring a coat due to the chilly weather.
Top Things to do during Your Stay in Rwanda.
Visit Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
It’s difficult to believe that just a few decades ago, Rwanda was in the throes of a brutal genocide that killed over 800,000 people in just 100 days. The country has gone a long way since the tragic slaughter, but the influence of this recent history has left its mark on the lives of ordinary people and future generations.
Trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
The most popular activity to do in Rwanda is gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park. This Rwandan national park, which shares a border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is home to an increasing number of critically endangered mountain gorillas. Experts believe that there are over 600 gorillas in the park, a huge increase from the 240-250 animals that were present in 1981.
To see one of the 18 habituated mountain gorilla families, you must purchase one of the restricted number of day hiking permits for $1,500. The most convenient option is to use a reliable tour operator, who can also organize transportation from Kigali to the park headquarters.
The walk normally lasts four to eight hours, with the most of the time spent traveling through mysterious bamboo woods, untamed meadows, and marshy places. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National park service guides will finally introduce you to one of the habituated gorilla families. You’ll spend an hour watching the animals feed, care for their young, and interact with one another.
Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of Africa’s most significant forest conservation regions, is home to a stunning array of biodiversity, including 1,068 plant species, 322 bird species, and 75 animal species. The majority of visitors come to this rainforest to monitor chimps that park rangers have acclimated to people. This animal encounter is less expensive than gorilla trekking but no less amazing.
Canopy Walk in Nyungwe National Park.
The park also has East Africa’s only canopy walk, which is about a 90-minute hike from the Uwinka Visitor Center. You’ll stroll across a 91-meter-long suspension bridge that dangles more than 50 meters above the lush rainforest, giving you a dizzying perspective of the far trees and mountains.
Wildlife Viewing in Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park, located two and a half hours from Kigali, may satisfy tourists’ desire to go on safari. Akagera and its wildlife have achieved a remarkable rebound from near extinction during the Rwandan genocide, thanks to the African Parks organization. The 1,140-square-kilometer area (one of Central Africa’s largest protected wetlands) currently supports all five Big Five species, as well as a plethora of birds and antelope.
You’ll need a lot of luck to spot a lion or rhino—conservationists are still striving to increase their numbers, and there aren’t many at Akagera right now. On a self-drive safari, you’ll have no problem spotting zebras, hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, and giraffes.
The terrain is as beautiful as the creatures that dwell here. You’ll notice the environment change dramatically from savannah plains to wetlands and lakes.
Explore Lake Kivu
After all of your outdoor excursions, you’ll be ready to unwind, and there’s no better location to do so in Rwanda than Lake Kivu. Rwanda’s biggest lake is a 2,700-square-kilometer emerald-green sanctuary surrounded by foggy mountains.
Take it all in from Rubavu, a tourist town on Lake Kivu’s northern coast. It boasts a vibrant waterfront, a sandy beach, and beautiful resorts. With Explore Rwanda Tours, you may go even closer to the landscape. We can organise a spectacular sunset kayak excursion on Lake Kivu with singing fisherman, as well as multi-day paddling expeditions that will take your breath away.
In Short; visitors can always combine a hot air balloon tour in Rwanda with any of the above mention activities in the various national parks in the country. In case you are looking to do gorilla trekking in Uganda from Kigali, you can directly contact us via email at gorillatrekkingugandafromkigali.com