I visit Rwanda on 5th September 2025 for about 5 nights and 6 days. Rwanda is known for two things: its rare mountain gorillas and the devastating genocide against the Tutsis of 1994 that saw around 800,000 people murdered by the Hutu majority. While the horrific conflict is in the past, it still very much influences the country today. The government has strived for unity and reconciliation among its people.
There are no Hutus or Tutsis these days; everyone is Rwandan and while it would be facile to say that the whole country has moved on. Visitors are astounded by the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness that they witness. Visitors are astounded by the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness that they witness.
Today a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a must to understand the history and horrors of the past and to truly appreciate just how far the country has come. Today Rwanda has a broad range of interesting activities and plenty more in the pipeline.
The eye watering expensive US$1,500 price tag for gorilla trekking in Rwanda will deter all but don’t let that put you off the destination. There’s far more to see than the gorillas besides, if you absolutely must trek gorillas, it easy to hop over the border into Uganda whose gorilla permit costs US$800.
Rwanda is a tiny country that is easy to drive around. It has four National Parks which offer a bit of everything; savannah game drives, rainforest endemic birds, volcano hiking and lakes. Combine that with Kigali, unique cultural traditions and Lake Kivu’s sandy beaches and those who may need gorillas.
My first port of call was the Volcanoes National Park where hours of trekking through bamboo forests and thick jungles set tempo and scene for what was to become a life changing experience. We found the gorillas and we spent an incredible hour in their company as they went about their daily movement of grooming, chewing, breast feeding, jumping from tree to tree. Gorillas eat a lot of roughage and as such, they are really quite windy.
My best experience was when a silverback, who looked like a nightclub bouncer and easily weighed 150kg, stared at me fiercely at first, perhaps appraising if our group was a threat to his family, but our guide who knew how to speak with gorillas made a few low guttural grunts as if to say “Don’t worry. We come in peace”.
The big gorilla changed his demeanor, sidled up close to me and started twiddling my shoelaces with his big chubby fingers. He looked into my eyes and l saw gentleness and intelligence there. I am now addicted to Wild Gorilla Tours and have returned to the Virungas on multiple occasions and will continue to do so whenever I can.
You can as well visit the award winning Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Karisoke Research Center. Explore the heart of gorilla conservation, tour facilities honoring Dian Fossey’s legacy and see where cutting edge research is taking place as we work to protect mountain gorillas and support local communities.
I also visited Nyungwe National Park, a place of dense lush forest, surrounded by a sea of tea plantations. The park is home to hundreds of different kinds of birds and no less than 13 species of primates. There are no gorillas there, but instead, they have chimpanzees which are, in my opinion, as equally charming as their larger mountain dwelling cousins.
And finally, I visited the Akagera National Park, a Big Five savannah safari destination where I saw lions, leopard and elephants in a landscape of rolling plains, acacia forests, and beautiful lakes. The park has been well managed and protected thanks to a collaborative effort between conservative effort between conservation NGOs and the Rwandan Government and is therefore a really worthwhile place to visit.
Rwanda is a great all round wildlife and cultural destination, so if you are planning to go, consider spending a whole week or more; not just a few days for gorilla trekking. You won’t be disappointed.
