Rwanda
Rwanda, aptly called the land of a thousand hills. Rwanda with its multiple lakes, rivers and mountains is also home to the rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), the largest living primate on earth, that inhabits the lower slopes of the Virunga volcanoes protected by Volcanoes National Park.
Down south close to the border with Burundi, Nyungwe Forest National Park, a true nature lovers’ paradise, is the largest remaining stretch of montane forest in East and Central Africa; breathtaking scenery, forest hikes/nature walks on its steep slopes, a thrilling Canopy Walk in a real postcard location as well as thirteen species of primates are just more of Rwanda’s rare and unique attractions while Lake Kivu, together with her 7,000 square kilometres catchment area, multiple islands and surrounding hills, is just plain gorgeous. You can boat ride, surf, kayak, hire a boat and visit the local fishing islands/villages or simply lie on the beach and be mesmerized.
In the evenings from Gisenyi, visitors can gaze at the red glow atop the nearby Nyiragongo volcano across the border in the DRC. It is still active!
There are numerous other lakes around the country, notably Burera, Ruhondo, Muhazi and Mugesera,
some with strangely erratic shapes in the contours of the steep mountains enclosing them. Back north, Akagera National Park is big game country, totally off the beaten track; herds of elephant and buffalo, lucky visitors might stumble across a leopard, a spotted hyena, even a stray lion. Giraffe and zebra haunt the savannah amongst more than a dozen types of antelope. In the picturesque lakes, pods of more than fifty hippo grunt and splutter while outsized crocodiles soak up the sun with their vast jaws menacingly agape. Lining the lakes are some of the continent’s densest concentrations of water birds.