It was nicknamed the 'Land of a Thousand Hills' in the colonial times. This was because of its rolling mountainous landscape. After it became independent, it shot to fame as the home for gorilla trekking. It was an adopted home for the rare mountain gorilla and its most important refuge. In the 1980s Rwanda was a very famous tourist attraction centre. It has a booming tourist industry that greatly boosted the economy of the State. The premier attraction was gorilla tracking in the Virungas. Game viewing in the Akarenga National Park is also famous.
There is a diverse life in the Nyungwe rainforest and in the mountain ranges. Lake Kivu is also very beautiful and a tourist attraction centre. The 1994 genocide totally destroyed the tourist industry but is has since revived to its former glory. It is also one of the top birding destinations in Africa. It has over 650 bird species. Over 650 bird species are found in an area as small as the Wales.