ESSENTIALS

Getting there & around

RWANDAIR has three direct flights a week from Gatwick to Kigali. Kenya Airways flies daily between Heathrow and Kigali via Nairobi. Ethiopian Airlines flies daily between Heathrow and Kigali via Addis Ababa. rwandair.com kenya-airways.com ethiopianairlines.com

Average flight time: 8h40m.

Self-drive journeys are perfectly feasible, but distances are long. Alternatively, hire a driver/guide as part of a package or through a local operator such as Primate Safaris or Thousand Hills. primatesafaris. info thousandhillsafrica.com

When to go

Rwanda has a temperate climate, with average temperatures ranging between 16C and 27C year-round. In April and May, forest paths can be muddy.

Places mentioned

Amakoro Songa Lodge. songaafrica.com Bisate Lodge and Magashi Camp. wilderness-safaris.com

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and One&Only Nyungwe House. oneandonlyresorts.com Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge. governorscamp.com

Singita Kwitonda Lodge and Singita Kataza House. rwanda.singita.com Virunga Lodge. volcanoessafaris.com

How to do it

RED SAVANNAH offers six nights visiting Nyungwe Forest, Volcanoes National Park and Lake Kivu, from £7,562 per person, full board, including gorilla and chimp trekking permits, land transport and return flights from London with RWANDAIR. redsavannah.com

NATURAL WORLD SAFARIS offers a five-day gorilla conservation safari, including time with the Gorilla Doctors, from £4,745 per person, and an 18-day Rwanda, Tanzania and Botswana trip from £12,520 per person. Both prices exclude international flights and gorilla permits. naturalworldsafaris.com

LEFT: A baby from the Sabyinyo mountain gorilla group eating bamboo shoots