The Land of a Thousand Hills — mountain gorillas, ancient rainforests, Big Five savannah and a story of extraordinary renewal.
Discover Rwanda
Rwanda is one of Africa's most compelling safari destinations, combining intimate mountain gorilla encounters in the Virunga volcanoes with chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe's ancient rainforest, Big Five game drives in the reborn Akagera National Park, and the emerging wilderness of Gishwati-Mukura. All of this within a country smaller than Belgium, connected by excellent roads and anchored by the spotless, cosmopolitan capital of Kigali.
Rwanda offers the most accessible gorilla trekking in Africa. The Volcanoes National Park trailheads are just two hours from Kigali, and the trek itself can take as little as one hour — putting you face-to-face with a silverback before lunch.
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is Rwanda's newest and least-visited park — a restored highland rainforest where chimpanzees, golden monkeys and L'Hoest's monkeys roam amid a conservation comeback story unlike any other.
Rwanda is Africa's cleanest country — plastic bags have been banned nationwide since 2008. It is also the only African nation where mountain gorilla populations are growing, thanks to decades of dedicated conservation effort.
Rwanda's two dry seasons — from June to September and December to February — are the most popular periods for gorilla trekking, offering firmer trails, clearer skies and more comfortable hiking conditions on the Virunga volcanoes.
Gorilla permits are available every day of the year, and trekking is possible in all seasons. The wetter months of March to May and October to November bring fewer visitors, lower permit availability pressure, and lush, atmospheric forests that are spectacular for photography.
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest is excellent year-round, though the dry season months produce the best trail conditions. Akagera National Park's savannah game viewing is strongest from June to September when animals gather at water sources and the grass is shorter.
Rwanda's high altitude — most of the country sits above 1,500 metres — keeps temperatures pleasantly mild throughout the year, with Kigali rarely exceeding 27°C.
Rwanda's compact size means you can track gorillas in the morning, drive to Kigali for lunch, and be in Akagera for a sunset game drive — all in the same day. No other country makes such diversity so effortless.
Rwanda's star attraction is the mountain gorilla. Volcanoes National Park protects around a third of the world's remaining population across ten habituated families, while the park's bamboo zone is also home to the endangered golden monkey — a playful, photogenic primate found only in the Virungas. Nyungwe Forest, one of Africa's oldest montane rainforests, shelters 13 primate species including large communities of chimpanzees, Ruwenzori colobus troops numbering over 300, and the rarely seen owl-faced monkey.
Akagera National Park completes the picture with a full Big Five savannah experience — lions were reintroduced in 2015 and rhinos in 2017, joining established populations of elephant, buffalo, leopard, hippo, zebra and a rich diversity of antelope. With over 500 bird species recorded across the country, Rwanda is also a birder's paradise, from the Albertine Rift endemics of Nyungwe to the papyrus-dwelling shoebill of Akagera's wetlands.
The legendary home of mountain gorillas — misty bamboo forests draped across the Virunga volcanoes, where Dian Fossey's pioneering research began.
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One of Africa's oldest and most biodiverse montane rainforests — home to 13 primate species, chimpanzee trekking and a stunning canopy walkway.
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Rwanda's Big Five savannah — a remarkable conservation success where reintroduced lions and rhinos now roam alongside elephant, buffalo and leopard.
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Rwanda's newest park — a restored highland rainforest sheltering chimpanzees, golden monkeys and a powerful story of ecological recovery.
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