Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park (Parc National des Volcans) on the Virunga volcano chain, two hours north-west of Kigali, holds roughly a third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas and is the world's most accessible gorilla-trekking destination. A permit — priced at a premium set by the Rwanda Development Board, so check the current rate before booking — allows one-hour observation of a habituated family of around a dozen gorillas including a silverback; trekking starts at the Kinigi park headquarters and takes 1–8 hours of forest walking depending on which family the rangers find. The park's habituated families include Susa (Dian Fossey's original group), Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Hirwa and Karisimbi. Year-round but best in the dry seasons (June-September and December-February); permits should be booked months ahead.

Nyungwe Forest National Park, a 6-hour drive south-west of Kigali, is one of the largest mountain rainforests in Africa — 1,019 km² of ancient forest with chimpanzee tracking (permit fee set separately from the gorilla trek — check the current rate, troops habituated at Cyamudongo), 13 primate species in total (including L'Hoest's monkey, the Angolan colobus and the Rwandan diademed monkey), the famous 160-metre canopy walkway suspended above the forest, and waterfall trails (Kamiranzovu, Isumo). The Cyamudongo coffee region around the park grows some of Rwanda's best speciality coffee. Best in the long dry season (June-September); accommodation at One&Only Nyungwe House, Nyungwe Top View Hill, Nyungwe Forest Lodge and the Gisakura Guest House.

Akagera National Park, on the Tanzanian border 2.5 hours east of Kigali, is the country's only Big Five park — fully restored by African Parks since 2010 with reintroduced lions (2015 from South Africa) and Eastern black rhinos (2017 and 2019 from South Africa and Czech Republic). The 1,122 km² of acacia-savannah, lakes (Akagera, Ihema, Shakani) and papyrus wetlands hold zebra, giraffe, hippo (one of Africa's largest concentrations), crocodile, leopard, elephant and over 480 bird species. Standard format combines morning game drives, afternoon boat cruises on Lake Ihema and night drives. Camps include Magashi (Wilderness, top-end), Ruzizi Tented Lodge and Akagera Game Lodge. Best in the dry season (June-September).

Lake Kivu — the cleanest of the African Great Lakes — runs Rwanda's western border for 90 km, with three main lakeside towns: Gisenyi/Rubavu in the north (across the border from Goma in the DRC, with the Serena Kivu, Hotel Lac Kivu Serena and beach hotels), Kibuye/Karongi in the middle (the prettiest of the three, with the Cormoran Lodge, Hotel Mantis Kivu Marina and Bethanie Guest House on the headland) and Cyangugu/Rusizi in the south (the gateway to Nyungwe). Day trips to Napoleon Island (with its colony of fruit bats), Amahoro Island and the coffee plantations of Cyimbili. The Congo Nile Trail — a 227-km hiking and mountain-biking trail — runs the entire lakeside.

Kigali is widely considered the cleanest and safest capital in Africa, with monthly Umuganda community-cleaning Saturdays (last Saturday of every month, 8-11 a.m., when the entire country joins in voluntary cleaning and minor public works) and the strict 2008 ban on plastic bags. The Kigali Convention Centre dome on Kacyiru hill is the modernist landmark; the Inema and Ivuka contemporary art centres are anchors of the strong Kigali art scene; the Caplaki crafts market and the Kimironko market are good for shopping; the Nyamirambo Women's Center runs an excellent community walking tour through Rwanda's most multicultural quarter; and Kigali's specialty-coffee scene (Question Coffee, Bourbon Coffee, Kivu Noir, Inzora) is one of Africa's best. The Kigali Genocide Memorial on Gisozi hillside, operated by the Aegis Trust, is the principal national site of remembrance and is operated to world-class museum standard.

Beyond the parks, Rwanda has a distinctive cultural depth. The Iby'iwacu Cultural Village near Volcanoes National Park stages Intore traditional dance, banana-beer brewing, traditional medicine, archery and the umuganura harvest ritual; the Ethnographic Museum in Huye (the principal city of Rwanda's Southern Province) holds the country's principal collection on Tutsi, Hutu and Twa cultural heritage; the Royal Palace at Nyanza preserves the reconstructed Tutsi king's residence with its long-horned Inyambo cattle. The imihigo culture — communal performance pacts at every level of public administration, where leaders publicly commit to specific delivery targets each year — defines the modern Rwandan state. The country is also a serious specialty-coffee producer (Bourbon Mibirizi varietals from the Cyimbili and Karongi hills, Question Coffee's training programme for women farmers, the Crop to Cup Coffee Tour) and Africa's leading-edge cycling country (the Tour du Rwanda each February).