Musanze

Musanze — formerly Ruhengeri — is the gateway town for Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, set in a valley between the Virunga volcanoes and serving as the overnight base for the vast majority of gorilla trekking visitors. The Musanze Caves, an extensive lava tube system carved by an eruption estimated at over 65,000 years ago, shelter large bat colonies and the bones of animals that fell through roof collapses over millennia. Twin Lakes Burera and Ruhondo, connected by a narrow channel north of the town, offer canoe excursions through papyrus and terraced hillside scenery.