Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park, which runs along the border with the DRC and Uganda, is home to the Rwandan section of the Virungas. Comprising five volcanoes, the Virungas are utterly spellbinding and few would argue that this is not one of the most exciting national parks in Africa. We probably needn't remind you, but of all the extraordinary sights and attractions around the Virungas, the one that really draws people here are the famous mountain gorillas.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is Rwanda’s most important area of biodiversity and has been rated the highest priority for forest conservation in Africa. Despite its huge biodiversity, Nyungwe is little known outside of East Africa. Nyungwe's strongest drawcard is the chance to track chimpanzees, which have been habituated over the years to human visits. Another highlight is the simple pleasure of hiking along well-maintained trails over the lush, green valleys of the equatorial rainforest.

In the span of 100 days, an estimated one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically butchered by the Interahamwe army. This memorial honours the estimated 250,000 people buried here in mass graves and also has an excellent exhibition that tries to explain how it was that the world watched as the 1994 genocide unfolded. This is an intensely powerful and moving memorial for which you should dedicate at least half a day.

This outstanding museum was given to the city as a gift from Belgium in 1989 to commemorate 25 years of independence. While the building itself is certainly one of the most beautiful structures in the city, the museum wins top marks for having one of the best ethnological and archaeological collections in the entire region. The seven exhibition halls contain some very interesting items and everything is unusually well lit and presented.

Be prepared to fall on your knees in awe: spread across a series of tongues jutting into Lake Kivu, Kibuye (Karongi) is one of the most scenic cities in Rwanda. The steep hills that fall into the deep green waters and the indented shoreline with a smattering of islands nearby make it extremely picturesque. It's also, even by Rwandan standards, a very clean and green little town where nothing much seems to happen in a hurry. In short, if you're after a mellow place to decompress, Kibuye is your answer.

Akagera is Rwanda's answer to the savannah parks of Kenya and Tanzania, and is utterly different in landscape to anywhere else in the country. Prior to the genocide, when much of the wildlife was slaughtered or driven over the border, this was considered one of the better parks in East Africa. Today, thanks to outside investment, wildlife numbers are increasing and most people get to see zebras, impalas, topis, giraffes, masses of hippos and crocodiles and even elephants, lions and rhinos.

Gisenyi (Rubavu), right on the border with the DRC, is one of Rwanda's loveliest spots and the closest this landlocked country has to a beach resort. With some attractive stretches of sand fringed with all manner of tropical vegetation along Lake Kivu's long shore, Gisenyi is unsurprisingly a popular destination for wealthy Rwandans, expats and independent travellers alike. The town itself projects a languid air of some forgotten upcountry backwater, and that's part of its appeal. If you need some action, go on a boat tour, take a kayak excursion on majestic Lake Kivu or hit the Congo Nile Trail on foot or bicycle. One of the Great Lakes in the Albertine Rift Valley, it has a maximum depth of nearly 500m and is one of the 20 deepest and most voluminous lakes in the world.