Rwanda
Two places I explored, two routes that actually work, and the practical page. I wish someone had handed me that the first time.
Updated September 2026
What nobody tells you before you land
Rwanda is small, green and startlingly orderly — a country of a thousand hills that most people picture only through 1994. The genocide is part of why you come: the memorials here are not a spectacle but a quiet, honest reckoning, and the country asks you to sit with that history rather than look away from it.
But it is also one of the safest, cleanest places I've walked, and the door to the mountain gorillas. So the routes below are short and deliberate: give Kigali the time it deserves, then climb into the volcanoes for the hour with the gorillas that everyone comes for.
Fact sheet
Everything practical, on one page
Itineraries
Two routes that actually work
Three days is enough for Kigali and its history. Seven adds the volcanoes, the gorillas and the calm of Lake Kivu.
The clean hillside capital at its own pace: the Genocide Memorial, the markets, the café-and-moto rhythm of the city, and a first, honest reckoning with the country's history.
Kigali first, then up to Volcanoes National Park for the gorilla trek, and down to the quiet shores of Lake Kivu to breathe before the flight home.
City guides
Two places, walked one street at a time
Kigali
The clean hillside capital — the moving Genocide Memorial, the cafés, and a city that feels startlingly safe.
2–3 days · Coming soonVolcanoes NP
The forested volcanoes above Musanze — the base for the hour with the mountain gorillas.
2–3 days · Coming soonAsked every week
Questions I get about Rwanda
How many days do I need?+
Three days is enough for Kigali and the Genocide Memorial. Seven lets you add Volcanoes National Park for the gorillas and a couple of quiet days on Lake Kivu without rushing.
Is the Genocide Memorial worth it, and how should I approach it?+
Yes — the Kigali Genocide Memorial is one of the most important places you'll visit here. Go slowly, give it a few hours, and treat it as a place of mourning rather than a sight: it's quiet, unflinching and deeply moving.
How do gorilla permits work?+
A permit for Volcanoes National Park costs US$1,500 per person and buys one guided hour with a habituated gorilla family. They're limited daily and sell out in high season, so book months ahead through the Rwanda Development Board or a reputable operator.
Is it safe?+
Rwanda is one of the safest countries I've walked. Kigali is clean and calm, petty crime is low, and moving around is easy. Take the usual sensible precautions and you'll feel at ease.
The podcast
I walked this before I wrote it
Every guide starts as an episode. Listen to the Rwanda introduction — the context, the history and the honest bits — then come back for the routes.