Rwanda

Rwanda is known as Le Pays des Mille Collines (Land of a Thousand Hills) thanks to the endless mountains in this scenically stunning little country. Nowhere are the mountains more majestic than the Virunga volcanoes in the northwest, and hidden among the bamboo forests are some of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas. For a change of scene, the shores of Lake Kivu conceal some of the best inland beaches on the continent, while Nyungwe Forest National Park protects extensive tracts of montane rainforest, and is home to many primates. Looking for a more metropolitan experience? Kigali, the capital, is one of the loveliest cities in Africa.

Terraced fields for farming cover the hills of northwestern Rwanda.
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©Edwin Remsberg/Getty Images

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