Rwanda Safari Destinations: Where to Go

Rwandans are formal and courteous, and a greeting before any request goes a long way. Dress modestly outside the lodges. Photographing people without asking is genuinely resented, and photographing government buildings or military is prohibited. Single-use plastic bags are banned nationwide and confiscated at the airport, so leave them at home. The last Saturday of each month is Umuganda, a national community-work morning when shops close and travel is restricted until midday.

The permits are, and the rest is more reasonable than the country's reputation suggests. Lodges span everything from simple guesthouses near the park to some of the most expensive rooms in Africa, and the mid-range options around Musanze are good value. Food, transport and internal travel are inexpensive. Because the country is small and no internal flights are needed, the total cost of a three or four-day gorilla trip is often lower than a comparable trip elsewhere despite the permit price.

Genuinely excellent, and it is one of the country's quiet advantages. Rwanda has some of the best-maintained tarmac in the region, so the drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park takes two and a half comfortable hours and Nyungwe is reachable in a long but easy day. There are no internal flights on a standard itinerary and no need for any. Roads are winding through the hills, so allow for slower average speeds than the distances suggest.

As early as you reasonably can, and certainly before you book flights. Only eighty gorilla permits are available per day across the whole park, and June to September and December to February sell out many months in advance. The permit is issued for a specific date, so everything else in the itinerary is built around it. We hold and confirm permits at the time of booking, and a permit is only secure once it has been paid for.

Rwanda made a deliberate policy choice: a high permit price with strictly limited numbers, rather than volume tourism. The revenue funds conservation and a defined share goes directly to communities around the park, which is what has made local people the gorillas' strongest advocates. Whatever you make of the price, the mountain gorilla is the only great ape whose numbers are increasing, and this model is a large part of why. Uganda offers the same experience for considerably less if budget is the deciding factor.

Rwanda for convenience and comfort: a short drive from an international airport, generally easier terrain, and outstanding lodges. Uganda for value and variety: much cheaper permits, and the chance to add chimpanzees and a classic savannah safari in the same trip. If you have three or four days, choose Rwanda. If you have ten days and want a full East African journey, choose Uganda.

Moderately fit. Treks in Volcanoes National Park last one to six hours on steep volcanic slopes at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,000 metres, where the thin air is felt. Groups are allocated on the morning by the park based on fitness and preference, so tell the warden honestly what you can manage. Porters are available at the trailhead, cost very little, and hiring one supports a former poacher turned guide — take one even if you think you do not need one.

Three days covers a gorilla trek comfortably: arrive in Kigali, transfer to Volcanoes National Park, trek the following morning, and return. Five days lets you add golden monkey tracking and Lake Kivu. Eight to ten days covers the whole country - gorillas, the chimpanzees and canopy walkway of Nyungwe, and Akagera for the savannah wildlife. The size of the country means very little of that time is spent in transit.

More than the price of the permits suggests. Golden monkey tracking in the same park is a fraction of the cost and enormously entertaining. The Dian Fossey memorial hike climbs to her research camp and grave. Nyungwe has chimpanzees and the canopy walkway. Akagera offers a full Big Five game drive and boat safaris on Lake Ihema. Lake Kivu has kayaking and coffee tours, and Kigali has the best food and art scene in the region.

It is one of the best two-country trips in Africa and easier than most people assume. Direct flights connect Kigali with Kilimanjaro and with Nairobi, so a typical itinerary runs a northern-circuit Tanzania safari, flies to Kigali, and finishes with two or three nights for gorilla trekking. Twelve to fourteen days covers both without rushing. We arrange the permits, flights and both visas as a single booking.

Rwanda is consistently ranked among the safest countries in Africa for visitors, with very low crime, excellent roads and reliable infrastructure. Kigali is clean, orderly and comfortable to walk around. The country's history is recent and present — the Genocide Memorial is a serious and worthwhile visit — and Rwandans are generally open about it. Ordinary travel precautions are sufficient.