Rwanda

A tiny, landlocked republic in Equatorial Africa, Rwanda lies on the eastern rim of the Albertine Rift and the watershed between Africa’s two largest river systems, the Nile and the Congo. Often called the ‘land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda is a mountainous country with a moist, temperate year-round climate. It is the most densely populated country in Africa. French, English and Kinya-rwanda are the most widely spoken languages and the population of approximately 10 million is largely Christian with some Muslim communities.

Sadly Rwanda is most infamous for the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 people were murdered in one of the most brutal episodes in African history. However peace and stability have now returned under President Kagame and many Rwandans have come back. Local elections were held for the first time in 35 years in 2001 and the Rwandan government now insists on its citizens being called Rwandan as opposed to Tutsi or Hutu. The future looks good for this beautiful country.

It is also home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla berengei), now down to approximately 350 in Rwanda. This population is one of only two on the Continent, the other being in Uganda’s Impenetrable Forest. The plight of the Rwandan mountain gorillas was made famous by the research carried out by George Schaller and Dian Fossey and immortalised in the film, ‘Gorillas in the mist’. Rwanda is not just about gorillas though and in parks like Nyungwe it has some of the greatest diversity of primate and plant life in Africa. The capital, Kigali is one of the most vibrant in the region.

While a full destination in its own right, Rwanda works spectacularly well when combined with an East African safari.