Top Reasons to Go

Gorilla Trekking. Navigate your way through emerald foliage, bamboo forests, and gauzelike mists to behold the world's largest living primates on their own turf. Their sheer size and eerily humanlike interactions will leave you spellbound.

Volcanoes National Park. This slice of the Virunga Mountains may be synonymous with gorilla trekking, but its active volcanoes, caves, and grasslands offer stunning views and rewarding hikes. You can spot buffalo, hyena, golden monkeys, and some 200 bird species in its environs.

Kigali. Arguably East Africa's safest and most future-focused city, Rwanda's capital is a patchwork of palm tree–lined boulevards, artisan coffee shops, international restaurants, and a downtown dotted with new buildings.

Off the Beaten Path: You can still spot all of the Big Five in Uganda without the tourist hordes and inflated rates that characterize the more well-known safari parks in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Kampala. Uganda's capital city is regionally renowned for its dancing-till-dawn nightlife, bustling markets, and white-knuckle motorbike taxi rides. Cafés and an active National Theatre offer more low-key entertainment options.