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