Rwanda is amongst the smallest countries in Africa, and a populous one at that.  Amidst the small-holder farms, villages and towns, it’s hard to imagine that there’s much to attract the interest of a leisure traveler.  And yet, Rwanda offers an experience that appears on many a bucket-list – the chance to come face to face with a mountain gorilla.  While this is a physically demanding trek through the sloping forests of the Virunga Mountains, few people leave unaffected by the experience, and many describe it as life changing.  The guides and porters in the Volanoes National Park are consummate professionals, which is one of the reasons we like coming here, and they will go the extra mile to make sure people get to see the great apes.  We have even had those who have struggled with the terrain carried to within a hundred yards of them in a litter.  Allowing for two days of trekking ensures the best chance of seeing these extraordinary animals.

While it is looking forward to a brighter future, Rwanda has had a wrenchingly sad past.  A visit to the genocide museum is a powerful and humbling experience that no visitor to Rwanda should avoid.  It is a reminder of the fallibility of civilisation and a call to ensure that the horrors that occurred here never do so again.

On the way to or from the gorillas, it’s worth enjoying the views over Kigali from the restaurant at the Hotel des Mille Collines, the setting for the film Hotel Rwanda.  Not to give away any secrets, but we also relish the chance to eat at the superb Kasha Khazana if time allows.