Musanze, still widely known by its former name Ruhengeri, is the main town in northern Rwanda and the base for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. It sits at around 1,800m altitude in a volcanic landscape, surrounded by the Virunga peaks — Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, and their neighbours form a near-continuous wall of volcanic summits to the north and west.
The town itself is functional rather than beautiful, but it has a good range of guesthouses and a handful of restaurants catering to the steady flow of gorilla trekkers. Most visitors arrive the evening before their trek, stay overnight, and head to the park headquarters at Kinigi early the following morning. But there is more to do here than gorillas: Mount Bisoke offers an excellent summit hike to a crater lake, golden monkey trekking is a cheaper alternative in the same park, and the Karisoke Research Center where Dian Fossey conducted her famous study is reachable on a special permit. The Musanze Caves and Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village near the park entrance add further options for those spending more than one night.
The journey from Kigali takes about two and a half hours on a well-paved road through Rwanda's intensely farmed northern hills.