Musanze

Musanze, formerly known as Ruhengeri, is the third largest city in Rwanda and serves as the capital of the Musanze District in the Northern Province. Located at approximately 1°30′S 29°38′E, it is situated near the picturesque twin lakes of Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo. The city is a crucial gateway to the Volcanoes National Park, renowned for its endangered mountain gorillas and the Virunga volcanoes. The area's elevation is around 6,178 feet (1,883 meters).The region around Musanze offers a diverse range of activities and natural attractions. Visitors can engage in gorilla tracking and golden monkey tracking within Volcanoes National Park, or hike one of the five volcanoes: Karisimbi, Bisoke, Gahinga, Muhabura, and Sabinyo. Other notable sites include the grave of primatologist Dian Fossey, the ancient Musanze Caves which are over a million years old and were used as shelters by Rwandan kings, and the Buhanga Eco-Park, a sacred forest where Rwandan kings were traditionally crowned. The twin lakes provide opportunities for canoeing, birding, and village tours. Culturally, the Iby'iwacu Cultural Village (now Gorilla Guardians Village) showcases Rwandan traditions and offers insights into local life.Musanze itself, while not as congested as larger East African cities, provides essential administrative and commercial services for the Northern Province. It is home to institutions like the Institute of Applied Sciences (INES-Ruhengeri) and is served by Ruhengeri Airport. The city's climate is generally temperate, with average daily temperatures around 18.0°C (64.4°F) and significant rainfall, particularly from March to May and September to November. The city's renaming from Ruhengeri to Musanze is part of a national policy to foster new administrations and move past historical memories.