--- title: Musanze, Rwanda: World’s Greatest Places 2023 description: Find out why Musanze, Rwanda is on TIME’s list of the world’s greatest places of 2023. canonical: https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-03-16T10:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-03T00:13:26.569Z article:section: World og:title: Musanze, Rwanda: World's Greatest Places 2023 og:description: Find out why Musanze, Rwanda is one of the World's Greatest Places of 2023 og:url: https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt419609b88220927e/698a3b29e6e84a6c1f2afe98/Worlds-Greatest-Places-Ruhengeri-Rwanda.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Musanze, Rwanda: World's Greatest Places 2023 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Musanze, Rwanda: World's Greatest Places 2023 twitter:description: Find out why Musanze, Rwanda is one of the World's Greatest Places of 2023 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt419609b88220927e/698a3b29e6e84a6c1f2afe98/Worlds-Greatest-Places-Ruhengeri-Rwanda.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 16, 2023 # Musanze, Rwanda ## Video: The World's Greatest Places of 2023 [Watch (HLS stream): The World's Greatest Places of 2023](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Rm1ZVsGL.m3u8) (1:46)  _Published 2023-03-16. The World's Greatest Places of 2023_ Trek with gorillas by [Sucheta Rawal](/author/sucheta-rawal/) ## Sucheta Rawal  Gorilla Naming ceremony grounds in Volcanos national park, Rwanda. Gorilla Naming ceremony grounds in Volcanos national park, Rwanda.Edwin Remsberg—VWPics/Redux Musanze is the largest city in northern Rwanda and the gateway to [Volcanoes National Park](https://www.volcanoesnationalparkrwanda.com/ "undefined")—home of rare mountain gorillas—which recently announced its expansion from 62 to 76 sq. mi. by 2027, an endeavor that will reduce human-wildlife conflict by 80%. A limited number of $1,500 daily gorilla-trek entry fees enable farmers and reformed gorilla poachers to make a living, while not encroaching on the animals’ habitats. The opening of the [Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund](http://gorillafund.org/ "undefined") and [Gorilla Doctors](https://www.gorilladoctors.org/ "undefined") campus, both of which invest in the conservation and research of endangered mountain gorillas, have brought global attention to the area. [Red Rocks Rwanda](https://www.redrocksrwanda.com/ "undefined"), an amenity-rich, nonprofit hostel, strives to bridge the gap between locals and visitors through storytelling, banana-beer making, and Rwandan dance. Private homestays, many of which include cooking lessons and pottery-making workshops, are arranged by the community-led nonprofit [Gorilla Guardians](http://cbtrwanda.org/ "undefined"). And Musanze-based tour operator [Beyond the Gorillas Experience](https://www.beyondthegorillasexperience.com/ "undefined") brings a break from all things gorilla with guided cycling and treks through Volcanoes Park. A stop at the [Inshuti Art Gallery](https://inshutiarts.com/inshuti-art-gallery/ "undefined") rounds out the experience. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/"},"headline":"Musanze, Rwanda","datePublished":"2023-03-16T10:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:13:26.569Z","description":"Find out why Musanze, Rwanda is one of the World’s Greatest Places of 2023","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/","keywords":["franchise","Magazine","World's Greatest Places","sponsorshipblock","WGPs2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt419609b88220927e/698a3b29e6e84a6c1f2afe98/Worlds-Greatest-Places-Ruhengeri-Rwanda.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sucheta Rawal","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sucheta-rawal/"}],"creator":"Sucheta Rawal","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt419609b88220927e/698a3b29e6e84a6c1f2afe98/Worlds-Greatest-Places-Ruhengeri-Rwanda.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/","name":"Musanze, Rwanda"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The World's Greatest Places of 2023","description":"The World's Greatest Places of 2023","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Rm1ZVsGL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-03-16T09:30:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Rm1ZVsGL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/","duration":"PT1M46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2023/6261838/musanze-rwanda-2/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```