Murabeho Rwanda!

A great sighting in Akagera

After almost 3 years it is time to say goodbye to Rwanda!  Only a remarkable and dedicated nation would reach the lofty heights that Rwanda has today after the horrors of 1994 and we stand with Rwanda in saying "Never Again".

From a wildlife point of view, the first recorded sighting of the White-crested turaco in Rwanda made by us is by far the most notable wildlife moment.  Trekking up Volcanoes NP in search of the mountain gorillas was another highlight, demonstrating yet another amazing success story by Rwanda.

The flagship conservation success story from Rwanda was also our favourite hangout - Akagera NP, which over the last 10 years has been revitalised from a heavily poached area to a Big 5 national park.  We can vouch for its remarkable wildlife through our images, including seeing all the Big 5 in one weekend.  

Best wishes Rwanda and we will be watching your continued path to prosperity.  In the meantime, hello Uganda for a few weeks on our way to Malawi!

Volcanoes NP - Gorilla action

Gorilla portrait

We arranged a last minute trip to see the gorillas as we were leaving Rwanda permanently.  It had been raining heavily the last month or so over December, but after checking the weather report for early January, it seemed as though we may get a break in the rain to visit Volcanoes NP.

Volcanoes NP - Gorillas in the mist

The Suza family

The mountain Gorillas of Rwanda is one of many success stories of this tiny little Country saddled between the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Uganda. The border of these three countries is also host to the last remaining wild mountain gorilla populations.

Akagera NP - Cats on the road

Running giraffes

We have spent quite a lot of time in Akagera in 2019 - about 8 times in the first 3 months of the year.  And it has paid off with some nice sightings of lion, a couple of glimpses of leopard, and one really good long weekend where we caught the Big 5.  

Akagera NP - A Big 5 weekend

The lions of Akagera

The jewel in the crown of an African safari is the sighting of the big 5.  However, despite Big 5 being thrown around, the reality of sighting the Big 5 are actually very rare. This is mainly because one of the Big 5 - the leopard - is just plain hard to spot anywhere despite its wide distribution. Another - the rhino - is already extinct in some of the iconic national parks in Africa. Buffalo is probably the easiest to spot in any of the African parks along with elephants. If there are lions around, you have a good chance of finding them provided you know how to track down lions.

Rwanda - land of a thousand hills

The land of a thousand hills

The Rwanda story has to start with the horrible events of 1994 but I leave you to read the various reads on this subject, without which one can never really understand the Rwanda story but all I can say is never again! What is relevant is to focus on what Rwanda is today and just how far this small little country has got to since those dark days of 1994. In a relatively short period of time Rwanda is today one of the great success stories of Africa.