Philip Briggs

Bradt Travel Guides: Rwanda Philip Briggs

Now into its seventh edition, and written by Philip Briggs, the world's leading writer of guidebooks to Africa, Bradt's Rwanda has been the go-to guide for visitors to this historical and resurgent `land of a thousand hills' for nearly two decades, and it continues to be in a class of its own when it comes to in-depth information on this emerald slice of Central Africa. With freshly researched and updated details on developments across the country, Bradt's Rwanda includes information on the ongoing revival and rhino repopulation of Akagera National Park, up-to-date maps of rapidly modernising Kigali, and a newly expanded chapter on excursions into the neighbouring DRC. In this new edition are extensive and recently updated maps and natural history information, details of kayak and canoe excursions on Lake Kivu and the Mukungwa River, all you need to know about tracking not only mountain gorillas in Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park but also lowland gorillas in Congo, and information about overnight stays on a tea plantation at Sorwathe or Gisovu. Also covered are Nyungwe Forest National Park, where a wealth of endemic birds and primates inhabit the largest surviving montane forest in East Africa; Nyanza, where the hilltop Rukari Palace Museum marks the site of the old Mwami's (King's) palace; and the National Museum of Rwanda, the top cultural site in Rwanda's second city, Huye. Coverage of nearby cities and national parks in the neighbouring DRC has been expanded since the last edition, providing all the necessary information to take a thrilling and increasingly popular excursion into Rwanda's enormous and poorly understood neighbour. Rwanda continues to change and develop at an unprecedented pace, and there's hardly a more accessible slice of Africa to be found anywhere on the continent. It's no less intriguing for the convenience, however, and Rwanda's superlative natural attractions seem to improve by the day.