Rwanda
Land of a Thousand Hills
Less than half the size of Scotland, Rwanda is a mountainous country lying on the eastern rim of East Africa's Albertine Rift Valley.
With a rich cultural heritage, Rwanda is now a peaceful nation which offers a variety of experiences with volcanoes, forests, lakes and savannah. A highly cultivated land, Rwanda's hillsides are a patchwork of tea bushes and coffee trees. It is also one of Africa’s top birding countries, with an impressive 670 species.
Rwanda has three main conservation areas - Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera National Park. Each protects a very different eco-system and variety of fauna. Unsurprisingly though, gorillas remain the major lure for travellers. Roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas live on the Rwandan slopes of the Virunga mountains, and watching these creatures is arguably the most exhilarating wildlife experience in Africa.