Rwanda has been described as 'the Land of a Thousand Hills' and is now fast becoming renowned as one of the wildlife ‘must-sees’ for its accessibility to the spell binding Mountain Gorillas. Lying at the heart of Central Africa, Rwanda is surrounded by Uganda in the north, Tanzania in the east, Burundi in the south, and Zaire to its west and northwest.
A strong conservation ethos, a desire to move forward and being blessed with incredible natural surroundings mean Rwanda is now one of the most rewarding and safest countries in Africa to visit.
Rwanda holiday highlights
• Kigali: Flowing along and down the sides of a ridge in what appears to be the exact centre of Rwanda is the country's capital, Kigali. The city is small but pretty and is dotted with a wide variety of colourful flora.
• Nyungwe National Park: Is the largest stretch of mountain forest in Eastern and Central Africa where colourful orchids, giant lobelia and over 200 different types of tree can be found. It also attracts 13 species of primate, with troops of up to a hundred using the forest as their adventure playground.
• The Volcanoes National Park: Bamboo and rainforest cover the slopes of the seven volcanoes that tower through the mist here. Tracking the gorillas here is arduous but is truly an experience not to be missed. Trekking normally takes between one and four hours.
• Lake Kivu: Is the largest lake in Rwanda and the towns of Kibuye and Gisenyi offer fantastic views cross the lake as well as being the playgrounds of the country’s rich and famous.
Rwanda travel articles
• In our My Rwanda feature, Joseph Birori, from Primate Safaris, inspires us to travel to Rwanda and meet the mountain gorillas.