Rwanda, popularly known as 'the land of a thousand hills', is a land-locked country endowed with breathtaking landscape and diverse wildlife.

Located in east Central Africa, wrapped by Zaire, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi, Rwanda is especially famed for its large share of the world's remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas. Numbering in the hundreds, the gorillas live in  Parc National des Volcans and are heavily protected from poachers.

 Parc National des Volcans, situated in the far northwest of  Rwanda, comprises 125 square km of dense mountain forest and is home to the six  Virunga Volcanoes. The reserve was gazetted in 1925 to protect the Mountain Gorillas – thus becoming the first national park in Africa.

Parc National des Volcans stands out among other Rwanda safari destinations as it is the country's only park providing the opportunity to view the primates in their natural mountain habitats at close range.

A walk through the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes that tower up almost 15,000 feet offers captivating views of beautiful terraced hills in all directions. The picturesque peaks of volcanoes – visible through the gaps in the forest canopy – seem to beckon your ascent.

The scenery here simply bewitches you and before you know it the trail enters the national park where incredibly beautiful birds and jocular golden monkeys welcome you. At this point it dawns to you that you're already set to undertake the most poignant wildlife experience in the world: gorilla tracking.

The climb to the gorilla's natural habitat is no doubt a memorable adventure requiring you to traverse intertwining pathways littered with fresh dropping of buffalo and the rarely seen elephants. Within a short while, depending on your luck, you will encounter a mature silverback gorilla – up to three times the size of an average man. The size of the primate is without a doubt intimidating but this should not bother you as the creatures are peaceful and tolerant of human visitors.

Gorilla tracking adventures normally take anything between an hour or four hours of trekking through the dense forest. This requires the guidance of experienced trackers who have spent much of their lives living in or near the forest.

Throughout the trek, you will be rewarded by the shady bamboo forest with fantastic views in all directions. Golden monkeys can also be seen swinging jovially from one bamboo to another as well as bush duiker, buffalo and incredibly captivating bird life.

After taking your time with the gorillas, it's now time go and wipe your safari boots at Ruhengeri – a small lively town located at the entrance of the park. Located a 90-minute drive from Kigali, the bustling capital city of Rwanda, Ruhengeri has long been the base point of gorilla tracking safari. The town is placed 1,700m above sea level and is generally cold especially in in the evening. Long trousers and shirts are recommended especially when in the forest to avoid nettle stings.

Ruhengeri has a good selection of reasonably priced Rwandan hotels where you can sip a cold drink as you recount your gorilla tracking adventure. The town is  only a 45-minute drive from Gisenyi and Lake Kivu; one of the Great Lakes of Africa.

Visitors to Ruhengeri may also find it adventurous to visit the rarely visited but lovely Lakes Burera, Ruhondo and Karago which are located just a stone throw away from Ruhengeri. The town of Ruhengeri can be accessed from Kigali either by private vehicle or by public vans. Those intending to make gorilla visits are supposed to organise their own transport from Ruhengeri town to the park boundaries.

International visitors to Rwanda can fly to Rwanda with Ethiopia Airlines, Sabena, Alliance Air/Alliance Express, Kenya Airways, Air Burundi and Air Tanzania. All international flights land at Kanombe Airport which is situated 10 km away from central Kigali. While valid passports are mandatory for all visitors, visas are not required for nationals of the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The best time to take a gorilla safari in Rwanda is during the dry season usually in the months of January-March, June-September and December. Gorilla safaris as well as other tours of Rwanda can be organized through the National Office of Tourism and National Parks or through tour operators.