DISCOVER RWANDA WITH RWANDAIR

Experience the gorillas and national parks of Africa’s hidden gem with its flagship airline

W elcome to Africa’s bestkept secret. A land where mountain gorillas are bouncing back from near-extinction, where wild and wonderful national parks offer unforgettable safaris, and where a wealth of rivers and rainforests are ripe for exploring. Away from the crowds, untouched and real, Rwanda remains blissfully under the radar. Yet thanks to new flights with Rwandair, it has never been easier to reach.

WILD TIMES AHEAD

Rwandair already flies direct from London Gatwick to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital and Africa’s cleanest city, three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), but will add an additional service (Fridays) from 14 December until 11 January 2019. With a travel time of eight hours and 40 minutes, and a choice of Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class seats (complete with wifi and lie-flat beds), Rwandair’s flights are quick and comfortable, so you can start your adventure with plenty of energy.

And you’ll need it, because Rwanda is full of wild escapes. In Akagera National Park, you’ll find the Big Five thriving, thanks to the recent reintroduction of black rhinos from South Africa, while there are giraffes, elands and impalas in abundance, too. In Nyungwe National Park, trees bustle with chimps, colobus monkeys and olive baboons – a dozen primate species in total – and hundreds of bird species.

But Rwanda’s main wildlife draw is, of course, the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park – the ultimate destination to get up close with these apes. Thanks to fervent conservation efforts, there are over 1,000 mountain gorillas in this area of cloud-grazing mountains and steamy rainforests now, as well as rare golden monkeys.

PLANNING A TRIP

While Rwanda can be blissfully wild, it’s also reassuringly safe: in 2017, it was ranked the 11th-safest country in the world by the Gallup Global Law and Order report, as well as being the second-safest country in Africa.

Meanwhile, Rwandair featured in the top ten ‘World’s Most Improved Airlines’ in the 2018 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, with the average age of its fleet just five years, including two Airbus A330s – designed for long-haul flights. Its frequent flyer programme (Dream Miles) is also a boon, with its Kigali hub now serving 26 cities all over Africa as well as the Middle East, Asia and Europe. There’s never been a better time to discover Rwanda, or explore the world with its flagship airline.

Leading the pachyderms Take a Premium Economy ( topright) or Business Class flight ( bottom right) to see Rwanda’s elephants and mountain gorillas