Known as the “land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is a tiny landlocked country in the heart of East Africa. Here, at the center of the Albertine Rift, where deep volcanic forces are pressing the continental plates apart, you'll discover a world of exquisite beauty and unsurpassed biodiversity.

Rwanda is the bridge between the forest ecosystems of the Congo basin and the great rift valleys of the east. It shares in the biological riches of both worlds, offering a concentration of biodiversity found nowhere else in Africa. It’s here that Dian Fossey did her groundbreaking research on the highly endangered mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei) of which only about 700 individuals remain. No mountain gorilla has ever survived in captivity; therefore it’s critical to preserve their habitat in the volcanic Virunga Mountains. Visitors can enjoy the thrilling experience of visiting these gentle giants in the Parc National Des Volcans.

Other attractions in Rwanda include Akagera National Park, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe Forest National Park, which is home to a large number of primates. The capital, Kigali, is a small friendly city home to the moving Genocide Memorial Centre, commemorating the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide.