Why you end up here
If gorillas are on the itinerary, Musanze is where you sleep. The park briefing point at Kinigi is a short drive up from the town, and every trek in Volcanoes National Park starts from there at first light. Accommodation runs the full range from budget guesthouses in town to high-end lodges scattered across the hills between Musanze and the park boundary.
The setting
Musanze is one of the best-sited towns in Rwanda. Three of the Virunga volcanoes are usually visible from the streets, the surrounding farmland is intensely terraced, and the light in the early morning is the reason photographers stay an extra night. The town itself is busy and unpretentious, with a large market that is worth walking through.
What to do on a non-trekking day
More than most people expect. The market and cooking session and the cultural village at Kinigi are the two obvious half days. Beekeeping, banana beer brewing and banana bark art are all short and local. For a full day, take the Lake Burera island visit or climb Bisoke. The Musanze caves and the twin-lake road round out the options.
Getting there and onward
Roughly two hours from Kigali on good tarmac, and about the same again west to Rubavu on Lake Kivu — which is the standard next leg of a northern circuit. See transport and accommodation.