They call Rwanda ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills’. From the moment you arrive, it’s easy to see why. Kigali International Airport is perched somewhat precariously atop one, right in the capital's centre.
Upon descent towards the slender single runway, one can see the city tumble sharply down the slope on either side of the aircraft, making the approach a little more dramatic than I had anticipated. If there’s one way to sharpen the senses after an overnight flight from London to East Africa, that was it.
The first thing I noticed about Kigali itself was the roads. Mile after mile of impeccably smooth tarmac put the ones we have here to shame. I had, perhaps somewhat unfairly, been expecting far less from a nation with such a turbulent recent history, even in the capital. Still, investment in infrastructure – both by the government and outside parties – has been strong and is focused on making Rwanda an attractive place to visit and invest in even further. That small city centre airport will soon be replaced by one with more than triple the capacity, about 20km outside of town – 60% of the funding has come from Qatar Airways.
After the impressive engineering of the roads, it was the turbulent history that hit me square in the face. When I arrived, Rwanda was in the process of marking the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide; our first stop after dropping bags at the hotel was at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the largest of hundreds of spots around the country dedicated to ensuring the atrocity is never forgotten. It’s a sobering experience. The numbers are barely comprehensible – more than one million killed, 250,000 of whom are interred at the memorial site – and the steady plod through the museum, learning the history of the tensions that led to the killings and the lasting impact they still have on Rwandan society, is difficult. It’s also wholly necessary, as so much of your visit to the country will hark back to what happened. I lost count of the number of smaller memorials we passed on the roads, and many conversations contained the words “…and then in 1994 was The Rwandan Genocide – have you heard of it?” at some point. Absolutely everything and everyone here was changed by the events of those 100 days, and having them front and centre is a crucial part of the continuing healing process.
After a night in the city came a long drive towards the mountains. I came to Rwanda, as many do, in the hope of visiting some mountain gorillas. There are only around 1,000 of these incredible animals in the world and they live exclusively in the forests which connect Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their rarity means access to them must be strictly controlled and monitored, lest we do more damage to their population than we already have, making an encounter a privileged reward for overcoming a challenging journey.
A 5am wake-up call will usually begin that journey, followed by a drive to collect your pass and be assigned to a trekking group of eight. Choose an easy, medium, or difficult path before being introduced to your guide for the day who will explain how to behave around the gorillas and what to expect from them. Another drive of about 60-90 minutes – up easily the most rocky and steep “road” I’ve ever seen, which looked and felt more like a dried-up river bed – brings you to the hike's starting point, where porters and another safety briefing await. The climb from here is on foot, and challenging. How long it will take now depends on the gorillas themselves. Trackers set out each morning to follow each family from the previous night’s shelter (they never sleep consecutive nights in the same place) and will be in touch with your guide via radio to give a heading. Once you find them, a strictly observed 60-minute clock starts ticking.
The next hour was the most surreal of my life so far. We interacted with a total of 14 gorillas, from a larger group of about 30, including a very assertive silverback and an adorable infant, still clinging tightly to its mother’s back. Early on, the leader let his visitors know who was boss with a chest beat and swift charge (terrifying), but once he was satisfied we were aware he was in charge we were free to mingle and marvel and photograph as we pleased. The rest of the gorillas’ reactions ranged from mildly curious to completely non-plussed, so comfortable are they now with (respectful) visits from humans. We were instructed to leave the carved wooden staffs used to aid our climb with the porters, as they look a bit too much like poachers’ spears for the gorillas to be comfortable seeing them, and would have resulted in a very different reaction and interaction, but as it was our visit was peaceful. Watching these incredible animals roam and feed; observing their family unit and how much their society operates like our own, was simply astonishing. The price for a pass is almost as steep as the climb up to use it – $1,500, with only 96 issued per day – but the experience is worth every penny.
Our accommodation while in the Volcanoes National Park was at Virunga Lodge. As well as providing the perfect experience for the gorilla trek – my 5am wake-up was the butler gently singing outside my door as he brought me a cafetiere of piping-hot Rwandan coffee; when I got back he immediately commandeered my hiking boots and returned them cleaner than they have ever been – Virunga Lodge is a great place to discover other aspects of Rwanda.
Their connection with the local community is strong, allowing for a guided visit to the rural village and school just a little way down the hill. The land around the property is breathtaking, and the people who live and work there warm and friendly. The spirit of togetherness extends to fellow guests as well: there are only ten rooms, and all occupants eat together (and drink together round the fire) around one big table every evening. The opportunity to exchange trekking and safari stories builds a camaraderie not found at regular hotels, and brings the benefit of different perspectives on the whole experience.
While they may be the most famous, mountain gorillas are not the only animals which can be seen in Rwanda. From Volcanoes in the northwest, we drove to Akagera National Park in the east, discovering a completely different landscape and equally different wildlife. Lions, rhinos, buffalo, hippos, giraffes, hyenas, all roam the area, but not in the numbers they once did. These days, there is an active and successful anti-poaching unit operating in the park, working with locals to educate them on why conservation is important and how to live peacefully alongside the wildlife so poaching is no longer necessary. Thirty years ago, that was not the case. Almost all of the animals in the area were killed by illegal hunters as the government department in charge of maintaining the National Parks simply ceased to exist overnight (“because we had The Rwandan Genocide, maybe you’ve heard of it?”) and the long, difficult process of reintroduction is still ongoing. White and black rhino have been introduced from South Africa and acclimatised well; lions and leopards have begun to flourish once more thanks to the resurgence of their prey. Regular patrols for poachers are still necessary, though, and the team has a vast collection of seized machetes, motorbikes, and boats on display as evidence of the hard work that still lies ahead.
Nick Hendry
After a week of exploring this tiny country (it’s about a third of the size of Scotland) it becomes apparent the nickname is misleading – there’s way more than 1,000 hills. Rolling up and down them from city to savannah to jungle and back again (often painfully slowly, stuck behind a struggling lorry) gives a lot of time for reflection. There are obviously issues, and a long way to go before the nation is truly healed, but there are also a great many things to be proud of, and worth visiting.
Book-ending a wildlife visit with time in Kigali is highly recommended, not just a few cursory hours before and after flights, but a decent period in which to properly explore. There is fantastic art to be found in galleries like Inema Art Center, and more displayed and sold in the incredible restaurants that pepper the hillsides and suburbs.
The cuisine here involves a lot of roast meats, rice, and potatoes (both sweet and ‘Irish’ – it took me a few days to realise ‘Irish potatoes’ were just, well, potatoes), with spices which bring some of the most intense and delicious flavours I’ve ever encountered. Meza Malonga in the Rebero district was the best meal I had in 2024; lunch at Eagle View Lodge comes with breathtaking views over the city, as do the rooms there. There are craft shops and bars, museums and events spaces, and bustling local markets to wander around. Extending any gorilla trek or safari trip with a few nights to explore the capital is the only way to say you’ve truly visited Rwanda.
There is still a lot of hurt in this country, and many of Rwanda’s scars remain raw and visible. What they are not is all-consuming, and anyone who comes here will find a nation full of colour, energy, and life. Kigali is a vibrant, intriguing capital, and the perfect contrast to the serenity of the rural areas. Come to visit the gorillas, but make sure you stay long enough for the full Rwandan experience.
Nick Hendry was a guest of Visit Rwanda. RwandAir operates daily direct flights from Heathrow to Kigali from £588 in Economy or £2,230 in Business; book at rwandair.com. Virunga Lodge offers all-inclusive from £845 per person per night. Book at volcanoessafaris.com
