Gorilla and Chimp Trekking in Rwanda

Between steep valleys and thickly forested ridges, Kigali flourishes, an ever-building drumbeat of flash boutiques and flowery cafes. A gateway to the national parks, there is much to discover here before escaping to the jungle: a pulsing party scene, and places of quiet reflection to better understand the country’s past, notably at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a haunting tribute to the lives lost in the 1994 atrocities. 

Hear the howl of olive baboons, spot the graceful, black-and-white coats of Colobus monkeys and catch a flash of white as vervet monkeys swing through the trees; Nyungwe Forest is a primate playground, where amongst the hiking trails and waterfalls, troops of numerous species of monkey have made their home. Chimpanzees are the main draw here, with ample opportunity to track these fascinating, highly complex creatures.

Even if landlocked Rwanda had hundreds of miles of its own coast, its people would still flock to the beautiful, sinuous shores of Lake Kivu. One of East Africa’s most spectacular lakes, it has golden beaches and lush islands that rise from the water like the eyes of a curious hippopotamus, while fishermen drop their nets into the lake’s rich, emerald depths.

Some of Africa’s most spellbinding scenery can be found in Volcanoes National Park; Rwanda’s calling card, this is the jungle of every explorer’s dream, where the sky crowns the green Virungas (volcanoes) with halos of cloud and hiking trails twist deep into forests ringing with birdsong. It also promises glimpses of some of Rwanda’s most enigmatic species: the elusive golden monkeys, and around half of the world’s population of majestic mountain gorillas.