Lady’s Guide to Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

When most people travel to Rwanda, they go for one thing: gorillas. Rwanda is one of the only places in the world where these primates can be seen in the wild, and where humans can get up close to them. I’ve traveled from London to see them, but what I discover is that there’s a lot more to my trip—and the country—than just gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

I’m in east Africa as a guest of Uber Luxe Safaris, which has flown me to Kigali via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines for a five-day trip to Rwanda.

I get a visa on arrival—the authorities don’t bother to check for my mandatory yellow fever vaccination certificate (apparently they rarely do)—and then I’ve officially entered my 101st country.

It’s an important country for me, too, as learning about the Rwandan genocide in high school was what led me to study International Relations when I went to college.

I’ve wanted to visit Rwanda since I was 17, and arriving feels like part of my life has come full-circle.

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

The first thing on my itinerary is the famous gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Rwanda is one of three neighboring countries in Africa where it’s possible to see mountain gorillas in the wild—the other two being Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—and is a well-known travel destination for it.

After a half-day drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park, I arrive at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge. It’s more on the basic side than the luxurious, but the staff is amazing and the food much better than I expected.

On top of that, the grounds are lush and there are great views of Mount Sabyinyo.

Rwandan Cultural Show

I start my stay with a visit to a cultural village and show. It’s put on by former poachers that now earn a living educating visitors about traditional and historic Rwandan customs.

Poaching was once a big problem here, but the country has worked hard to stop it. And thankfully so, as the gorillas are not only amazing animals, but also a better long-term economic opportunity for the country when they’re alive.

Gorilla Trek in Rwanda

I wake up at 6am the next morning to start gorilla trekking in Rwanda, excited to see which group I’m assigned to (they do the assignments right before the trek, dividing people up based on physical fitness and other factors).

My driver takes me to a central meeting point where all of the guides and visitors congregate.

Soon I learn that I’m going to see the Titus group with Francois, the most famous gorilla trekking guide in Rwanda. Francois is somewhat of a legend, having worked with Dian Fossey and been a guide for years.

He’s animated and energetic, and really brings the experience alive for me.

Not long later we’re off on a surprisingly steep, rocky climb through green terraced farmland and beautiful fields full of yellow and white flowers.

The scenery is as stunning as the hike is challenging, and as the morning cool cedes to afternoon heat, I spend two hours making my way to the entrance to the national park.

From there the trail gets muddy and overgrown, and I’m glad I have sturdy hiking boots on (and wish I had brought snacks!). An hour later, the Titus group materializes in a small clearing off the trail, making my efforts worthwhile.

Seeing the Rwandan gorillas up close is both surreal and emotional. We’re so close we can almost touch them, and while they acknowledge our presence, they don’t seem bothered by us.

Francois and the other guides know the troop well, and make sure to keep the males in check when they come at us beating their chests.

For years I’ve been somewhat nervous about gorilla trekking in Rwanda because I haven’t been sure of how safe I would feel, but the guides put me at ease and I focus on the primates.

The gorillas are amazing to watch. The group of six is a mix of silverbacks, adult males and females, and a baby. The young one is playful and excited, trying to rouse the sleeping adults to entertain it.

The adults aren’t thrilled by this, but occasionally get up to play. It’s amazing to watch them interact and witness their social structure firsthand.

An hour later, we’re heading back down the mountain (gorilla trekking in Rwands is highly regulated, with each troop only getting eight visitors per day for one hour).

Our trek takes around six hours in total, including the time with the gorillas.

Gorilla Trek Debrief

When we’re back at the lodge, we compare notes with the others in our group, who saw a different troop in another part of the park.

Their hike was supposed to be a quick, easy one, but ended up being much longer and more challenging because the gorillas had moved.

We all agree that the gorilla trekking required a higher level of physical fitness than we’d anticipated, even for those who’d hired porters to help carry their bags and make sure they got up and down the mountains safely.

We also agree that gorilla trekking in Rwanda will always be one of the best travel memories we’ve ever had.

Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda

But our trip to Rwanda doesn’t end there. After seeing the gorillas, we spend a day driving from Volcanoes National Park to Nyungwe National Park, which is home to a rare primary growth rainforest in the southwest of the country.

It’s the largest mountain rainforest in Africa, and the true source of the Nile.

Along the way, we drive past Lake Kivu, which is stunning with all its inlets and islands.

We drive through more hills—Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills for good reason—past waterfalls and alongside the greenest landscapes I’ve ever seen.

On the way, our driver, Patrick, tells us about the country and answers our questions. He’s a great source of knowledge about everything from the national parks to gorilla trekking in Rwanda, and he brings the country alive for us.

We see many people walking along the side of the road, carrying everything from bananas to sweet potatoes on their heads, going to big produce markets to sell them.

We also drive through valleys with green patchwork quilts of farmland growing everything from rice to avocados.

Seven hours later, we arrive at Nyungwe Forest Lodge, one of the most beautiful luxury hotels I’ve ever stayed in.

Nestled among the leaves of the Gisakura tea plantation, the lodge is right outside the entrance to the park and has amazing views to prove it.

Monkeys run through the trees outside our rooms, and I feel like I could spend the rest of my life sitting on the balcony soaking up the natural surroundings.

Away from my room, I enjoy good meals at the restaurant and learn all about the local tea in a special demonstration ceremony at the hotel.

There are also two hikes planned in the rainforest, and I can’t wait to get walking.

As with the gorilla trekking in Rwanda, the hikes are steep and challenging, but rewarding.

The trails offer misty views of the forest canopy, more monkey sightings, and little pink and purple impatiens leading the way down the paths like so many colorful fairy lights.

Waterfalls abound, including one of the most powerful falls I’ve seen in all my travels, and there’s even a canopy walkway suspended high over the forest floor.

If Volcanoes National Park was special for its gorilla trekking, Nyungwe is for its diversity of wildlife and flora.

By the time I leave, I feel healthy from all the hiking and amazed that despite how much I’ve eaten on the trip, I’ve actually lost weight. This might just be the perfect trip.

Kigali, Rwanda

The last stop on my Rwanda itinerary is Kigali, the capital. A six-hour drive brings us from Nyungwe National Park to the outskirts of the city, going via baboon-filled streets and lots of colorful villages.

Each town we pass convinces me more and more that Rwanda is the cleanest country in the world; I’ve seen less garbage on the roadside than I’ve seen anywhere else. It fits with the country’s natural beauty.

Once in Kigali, I spend a night at the Kigali Serena Hotel—they’ve overbooked it due to a major soccer tournament in the country, so three of us share the presidential suite and the other two are taken to a nearby accommodation.

It’s the only snag in the trip, but they handle it with grace (and I’m never going to complain about staying in the presidential suite). It’s one of the most luxurious hotels in Kigali, too.

While in Kigali we visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a powerful museum dedicated to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It’s very well done, and I’m blinking back tears for most of my tour through the museum, graves, and gardens.

Afterwards I stop by the city’s biggest produce market, Kimironko, to take a look at the local fruit, vegetables, and fish, and to browse the stalls of handicrafts for sale.

It’s a bustling place full of life and color, and a great way to get a glimpse of local life in Kigali. It also has some of the most reasonably priced souvenirs in Rwanda.

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda and Beyond

When it’s time to travel back to London I can hardly believe I have to go. I’ve fallen in love with Rwanda, from its impossibly green hills to its welcoming locals, beautiful flora and fauna, and gorillas.

And I haven’t even seen the whole country. Over by the border with Tanzania, for example, there are safari parks where visitors can see lions and the rest of the traditional safari animal set.

But above all, I’ve seen a completely different side of Rwanda than the one I spent so much time reading about in political histories and accounts of the genocide years ago.

It was a moving experience to visit a country that influenced my life at a critical juncture in my studies and my plans for the future, but even more so upon discovering a lovely world so different from the one described in military terms and memoirs.

It’s a safe, peaceful place to visit, and gorilla trekking in Rwanda is just one of the reasons to come.

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