Just an eight and a half hour flight away from London and with direct flights operating out of London Heathrow with RwandAir, Rwanda is a very accessible destination. I journeyed from the capital city of Kigali through to Akagera National Park in the east and on to the northwest to the beautiful Volcanoes National Park where I was lucky enough to see the incredible mountain gorillas.

Often visited for the majestic mountain gorillas, which are a once-in-a-life time experience, there is also so much more to see and do. Known as ‘the Land of a Thousand Hills’, driving through this country was a delight. Looking out at the picturesque rolling hills, the beautiful brightly coloured women’s dresses, children running home from school, cyclists carrying hundreds of bananas, I was totally captivated by the beauty of local life. 

The capital city of Kigali is a vibrant and modern city, with the cleanest streets I have ever seen in Africa. The government here enforce a policy that on the last Friday of the month every single person, including the president, goes out on to the streets to clean – and you can really see the impact of this. A safe, orderly and organised city, on the manicured tree-lined roads every motorcyclist can be seen wearing a helmet and carrying an additional one for passengers. 

Akagera National Park is also a definite must, just a three hour drive from Kigali the park offers the chance to spot the Big 5, as well as offering some of the most beautiful birdlife.

The gorillas! Trekking up through the community lands and into Volcanoes National Park, pushing past overgrown jungle and turning the corner to see the huge silverback sitting amongst the bush was the coolest experience. To have the opportunity to spend one hour in their company watching them eat, play and explore was just incredible. 

With only 14 habituated groups in Volcanoes National Park, it is definitely a privilege to be in their natural environment. The group we visited were called the Segasira group which have just celebrated their first year of being habituated and had two very young babies in the group, a 6 month and 1 year old. My highlight was watching the youngest baby move towards me with such inquisitive eyes and then crawl back on to its mum as she continued to peacefully sit there and eat through the leaves – truly something I’ll never forget.

Extend your stay to visit Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park or Lake Kivu. Although the mountain gorillas are a highlight, the country has so much more to offer, with the opportunity to spot the Big 5 as well as cheeky chimps. It’s a beautiful country, easy to travel around, with great roads and short driving distances.