Nathan,

Nathan,
our tour guide, driver and – seven days into a
life-affirming trip through Rwanda’s remarkable landscapes –
confidant and friend, shouts a warning: “Watch out!”

I shriek. Yesterday, hiking a canopy walkway in Nyungwe National
Park, I came one boot away from stepping on the tail of an adder.
The day before that, chasing chimpanzees through the forest, I’d
come face to face with fire ants. “Cowpat!” Nathan shouts, pointing
to my immediate left. I look, and laugh. A cowpat? I can handle
that.

We’re approaching the tail-end of a nine-night trip with Black
Tomato across Rwanda. Our final trek is to find a family of
gorillas in the famous Volcanoes National Park. It’s the part of
the trip the group has been most eagerly anticipating: a chance to
come within a few metres of the majestic creatures that top out
most people’s wildlife bucket lists. But, having met with trekkers,
guides, chefs, drivers and a whole host of Rwandans during our
adventures, it had also become clear to me that a deeper story lay
beyond these gentle giants. In Rwanda, gorilla conservation is more
than just selfies for social media and big-time TV stars’ names
splashed across research centres.

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Here, conservation equates to more than just protection. It has
become a symphony of community, sustainability and culture in the
country. Following the tragic genocide targeting the Tutsi people
in 1994, the movement to uplift the country’s iconic apes has taken
on a national importance. The mountain gorillas have united people,
and the land they live in has become a testament to resilience. In
short, the nation has transformed a tragedy into triumph, and while
the gorillas are the star attraction, the ordinary people involved
in their conservation are a supporting cast offering an equally
arresting performance.

Rwandan gorilla conservation is grounded in community
involvement. Take Umuganda, for example. The mandatory, nationwide
community initiative takes place far from the peaks and home of the
gorillas, but is wrapped up in the collective wish to preserve and
protect the animals and the habitat they live in. Every last
Saturday of the month, Rwandans participate in a mass clean-up of
public land, clearing streets, cutting grass and trimming bushes in
cities and, in rural areas, litter-picking or working on community
projects. The legally required volunteering has its roots in a
darker history, but in today’s Rwanda it has become a
representation of community engagement, and respect.

Elsewhere, I was told of the country’s 2008 plastic bag ban,
which has helped keep single-use litter to a minimum, as well as
the expansion of homegrown farming initiatives. Sustainability has
become Rwanda’s song; the role of community in that, and the pride
in protecting the gorillas through these actions, is evident. When
I spoke to the people we met on our trip – a blend of government
officials, villagers and conservationists – their voices formed a
collective heartbeat, echoing the same message: the gorillas are
our heritage and their survival is our collective responsibility.

Initiatives such as gorilla trekking allow individuals in the
country to become leading participants in preserving the landscapes
of their homeland. The night before our own foray into gorilla
conservation, we had sat by a roaring stone fire in a snug library
bar overlooking the Edenic grounds of One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and met a “Gorilla
Doctor”. The unique encounter, offered exclusively by Black Tomato,
saw us sitting fireside, wide-eyed, as we listened to the holistic
approach to wellbeing and care provided to the great apes, not only
by this small team of doctors but collectively by nearby
communities. The non-profit organisation monitors the health of the
mountain gorilla population in the area and, where necessary,
provides interventions to support the apes’ wellbeing. It became
clear, listening to this gorilla doctor recount intimate and
personal stories, that the distinction between protector and
protected was blurring as the community embraced its role as
custodians of these incredible creatures. The gorillas’ survival
had now become intertwined with the doctor’s own wellbeing.

The gorillas in Rwanda embody only a small chapter in the
nation’s story. It’s a small but weighty chapter, though, evident
through the naming ceremonies and cultural celebrations the country
enacts to pay homage to the deep cultural connection between its
people and these majestic creatures. Here, gorilla conservation
extends far beyond the realm of its animal inhabitants. The
nation’s story isn’t confined to the hills that host the apes and
conservation isn’t just a series of actions; it’s an anthem shouted
across the country, asking its people to safeguard its future.

As travellers step into Rwanda’s welcoming embrace, they step
into a complex legacy, but one that has always danced with the
country’s emblematic apes. As this progressive nation continues to
intertwine its fate with that of its gorillas, it’s not only
preserving a species but also shaping a legacy of resilience,
empathy and hope. It’s an invitation to us all to embrace the
threads of community, sustainability and culture that, when woven
together, can create a brighter future through heartfelt acts –
even if it’s just alerting your neighbour to an errant cowpat in
their path.

Discovering Rwanda: five must-do experiences