Rwanda

Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills with amazing scenery, unique biodiversity, incredible wildlife, volcanoes and montane forests. Rwanda is renowned for its mountain gorillas which were first brought to international attention by the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey in the 1960s and 1970s. Rwanda’s gorillas have featured in many documentaries and have been visited by well-known figures such as Bill Gates, Natalie Portman, and Ted Turner, all of whom have participated in Rwanda’s annual gorilla-naming ceremony. Other famous people who have visited the Rwanda gorillas include Gianni Infantino a FIFA president, David Luiz an Arsenal and Brazil star, Didier Drogba, Maria Sharapova, Louis Van Gaal, Masai Urji, Tony Adams, Jerome Williams, Sergio Ramos Ellen DeGeneres and more. Rwanda and Uganda are presently the only two countries in the world where mountain gorillas can be visited safely. Rwanda as a country views gorilla tourism as a valuable conservation tool, and as such implements stringent rules for the habituation of, and trekking of gorilla families. Revenues from gorilla tourism provide funds to national parks and facilitate conservation activities.

Volcanoes national park is the main park which receives lots of visitors, although Rwanda has two other national parks that offer a range of wildlife and biodiversity. Rwanda attracts big numbers of business and conference travelers, mostly from the DR Congo and other neighboring countries of the East African Community. This is because of the government’s commitment to the development of tourism and promoting Rwanda as a safe destination. As well the Rwandan government has involved the private sector with policies that promote the private sector and enhance the business environment.