Rwanda - Simply Africa

Explore Rwanda

Rwanda is known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’.

Rwanda feels like a secret the earth kept for itself. In the southwest, the ancient canopy of Nyungwe Forest National Park breathes with mist and birdsong, one of Africa’s oldest rainforests. Colobus monkeys move like drifting thoughts through the treetops, chimpanzees call from the green shadows, and every leaf seems lacquered by last night’s rain. Then there is Lake Kivu, wide and glassy along the western border, where fishing boats cut across sunrise waters and the hills roll down gently to meet the shore. The air smells of eucalyptus and woodsmoke, and the light here turns even silence into something golden.

To the north, the land rises dramatically into the brooding silhouettes of Volcanoes National Park, part of the greater Virunga Mountains range. These volcanoes—lush, steep, and often wrapped in cloud—are home to the mountain gorillas, moving with quiet authority through bamboo forests and thick vines. The soil is dark and fertile from ancient eruptions, and the landscape feels alive, as if the earth is still thinking. In Rwanda, forest, lake, and volcano sit close together, creating a country that feels less like a destination and more like a living, breathing ecosystem stitched tightly into the hills.

Ready to embark on your next adventure?

What you can see in Rwanda - forests, lakes and volcanoes

Parc National des Volcans

North western Rwanda was the base for the ground-breaking work of the late primatologist Dian Fossey, portrayed in the book and film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’. It has since become famous for mountain gorilla trekking safaris. Most of the habituated groups are to be found in Volcanoes National Park. The massif is home to around 400 gorillas, half the world’s precious population. Photo: D Allen

The main activity is hiking to see the magnificent Mountain Gorillas – a dramatic, thrilling and poignant wildlife experience. You can also trek to see the Golden Monkeys, Diane Fossey’s (Gorillas in the Mist) Karisoke Research Station and gravesite, and hike simply to view the volcanoes.

Akagera

A conservation success story, Akagera National Park, on the North Eastern border, is Central Africa’s largest protected wetland – swamps and small lakes – and provides the last remaining refuge for savannah-adapted species in densely populated Rwanda. The game and birdlife is profuse. The waters, low-lying grasslands and forests, backed by cultivated hills, provide striking scenery. Photo: D Allen.

Experience day and night games drives, boating and birding, visit African Parks headquarters and learn what goes on behind the scenes on this important conservation project.

Kigali

The central Rwandan city of Kigali is the country’s capital. Clean and orderly, built on hills – it offers interesting museums, markets and art galleries. You will mostly likely need overnight here before going on to a gorilla trek. We can let you know where to stay.

Fascinating city tours are available, which include a visit to the Genocide Museum which, through education and peace-building, honours the memory of the more than one million Rwandans killed in 1994.