Rwanda Holidays: an Overview

The Rwandans have put civil war and genocide behind them and, united as a nation, they are keen to show visitors the beauty of their tiny landlocked country. Although smaller than Lake Victoria, Rwanda has the largest remaining single tract of montane forest anywhere in East and Central Africa and three national parks, Akagera, Nyungwe and the Parc National des Volcans. The last is home to the mountain gorillas. With their very existence under threat, it is one of the greatest privileges to see them in the wild in the vast volcanic Virunga conservation area that stretches into Uganda and Congo.

Louise Fitzgerald, Ra and Charlotte are here to help give you the inside track.

Why we think you’ll love it

Due to new flight routes, the primates of Rwanda can now be easily reached from the Masai Mara and the Serengeti.
Why not combine a Big Five safari experience with the gorillas in Rwanda, our closest cousins in the wild.

From the gallery

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Travelling to Rwanda: the Detail

Original Travel has in-depth knowledge of the hugely significant Virunga conservation area, one of the few remaining places to see mountain gorillas in the wild. It is worth noting that a certain level of fitness is encouraged so that you can trek up over 7,500 ft - in sometimes muddy conditions - to find the gorillas.

Meanwhile the legacy of the genocide is always around, and those who wish to understand Rwanda's troubled past can visit the memorials, a moving and humbling

Did you know

Rwanda is known as the 'land of thousand hills'
The currency is Rwandan Francs
The main languages spoken in Rwanda are Kinyarwanda, English, Kiswahili and French