November 2011: As part of a two-week journey that included Congo and Tanzania, I spent four days in Rwanda traveling with my friend Sterling, along with a car and driver. Our visit had two main objectives:
- To visit sites where some of the worst atrocities of the 1994 genocide took place.
- To explore Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda’s largest rainforest, in search of wild chimpanzees.
Rwanda also served as our transit point into the Democratic Republic of Congo, but what truly surprised me was how far the country had come since its devastating past.
Despite the unimaginable horrors of the genocide, Rwanda has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as one of Africa’s cleanest, safest, and most rapidly developing nations. The level of reconciliation, stability, and progress the country has achieved in just a few decades is nothing short of astonishing.
My route in Rwanda
No visit to Rwanda is complete without confronting the reality of its genocide. To truly understand the world, one must first understand its history—and in Rwanda, that history is impossible to ignore.
The genocide of 1994 wasn’t a random outbreak of violence; it was the culmination of decades of deep-rooted tensions. It began with Belgian colonization, during which the colonial government favored the Tutsi minority, granting them key positions in administration and governance over the Hutu majority. This imbalance in power bred generations of resentment, and when Belgium withdrew from Rwanda, the country was left with a dangerous divide between its two largest ethnic groups. Years of tension erupted into mass killings in the streets.
In 1994, over one million people—Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers—were systematically slaughtered in a meticulously planned extermination campaign. The Hutu-led government, the Interahamwe militia, and other extremist factions orchestrated massacres across the country.
One of the most harrowing sites of genocide is this university, where 48,000 Tutsis sought refuge after being promised protection by the government. It was a cruel deception—instead of safety, they were trapped and butchered in a single day.
Today, the site has been transformed into a memorial museum, a somber reminder of the atrocities that unfolded here. Walking through the museum, I met the curator, a man whose heavy heart was evident in his every word. Despite the tragedies he had witnessed and the losses he had endured, he spoke with hope—hope for a new Rwanda, a country that has worked tirelessly to rebuild and move forward.
But as much as Rwanda has progressed, the pain of 1994 still lingers in the eyes of those who lived through it. Many of the Tutsis we met had lost entire families—their grief, though unspoken, was palpable.
The genocide may be part of Rwanda’s history, but for those who survived, it is still very much a part of their present.
My Rwanda Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Rwanda & Journey to Nyungwe National Park
- Flight: Nairobi → Kigali, Rwanda
- Drive: Kigali → Nyungwe National Park (Chimpanzee Reserve)
- Accommodation: Hotel near Nyungwe National Park
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking & Genocide Memorial
- Activity: Track wild chimpanzees in the jungle of Nyungwe National Park
- Visit: Murambi Genocide Museum, a powerful historical site
- Travel: Drive to Gisenyi, a scenic town on Lake Kivu
- Accommodation: Stay at a resort on Lake Kivu
Day 3: Crossing into the DRC & Nyiragongo Volcano Climb
- Border Crossing: Gisenyi → Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Adventure: Begin Volcano Nyiragongo climb, one of the world’s most active lava lakes
- Overnight: At the volcano summit
Day 4: Return to Rwanda via Uganda
- After a week in the DRC, travel back through Uganda
- Border Crossing: Return to Rwanda via Uganda-Rwanda border
- Accommodation: Stay at a hotel in Kigali
The Countryside
Rwanda is one of Africa’s most densely populated countries, yet its rich, fertile volcanic soil makes it an agricultural powerhouse. The country is renowned for producing some of the world’s finest coffee and tea, cultivated on the lush, rolling hills that define its landscape.
As we drove through the countryside, we passed endless tea plantations, their vibrant green fields stretching across the hillsides. We often stopped our vehicle to chat with friendly locals—farmers working in the fields or walking along the road, heading to or from their plantations.
Unlike in some places where people shy away from cameras, everyone we met was open and welcoming, happy to be photographed as they carried out their daily routines. Their warmth and hospitality only deepened my appreciation for Rwanda’s incredible spirit of resilience and community.
Tea plantations
Backbreaking work picking tea
Village boy
Girl I met along side the road who let me take her photo
I saw this cool cat with a pipe and had to take his photo.
Genocide
Visiting Rwanda’s genocide sites was an experience I knew I had to face. I needed to see, with my own eyes, the evidence of the unspeakable horrors that humans are capable of inflicting on one another.
But there is only so much one can endure. I quickly realized that one day of visiting these sites was as much darkness and evil as I could process.
We visited two key massacre sites, but the most harrowing was the Murambi Genocide Center, a former university where 50,000 Tutsis, including infants, were slaughtered. The Hutu militias lured the victims there by promising sanctuary, only to trap them inside and unleash mass murder.
The scale of savagery is something I will never be able to forget. And to make the horror even more visceral, the site preserves thousands of bodies in lime, their remains left inside the very rooms where they perished. Walking through these spaces, surrounded by frozen evidence of atrocity, made the weight of history inescapable.
Murambi genocide Center
Inside these buildings, thousands of lime-preserved bodies serve as a haunting testament to the genocide’s brutality. Their mortal wounds—deep knife gashes in skulls, shattered bones, and fractured remains—are still evident, a chilling reminder of the violence that ended their lives.
The stench of lime mixed with decomposing flesh lingers in the air, an unmistakable, unforgettable scent that clings to the walls and floors. But the most harrowing sight of all was the infants, their tiny bodies lying motionless on tables, preserved in a grotesque stillness that defied comprehension. It’s an image that will stay with me forever.
Skeletons preserved with lime-victims of genocide
Tragically, thousands of Tutsis sought refuge in this church during the genocide, believing it to be a place of sanctuary. Instead, they were betrayed by the very person they trusted—a priest who handed over their names to the government, which in turn sent death squads to carry out the massacre.
Thousands were slaughtered within these very walls, turning a place of faith and worship into a site of horror and despair.
Yet, even in the face of betrayal, there was one act of defiance and sacrifice. A Catholic nun, refusing to remain silent, gave her life trying to stop the killings. She pleaded for international intervention, desperately trying to bring attention to the unfolding genocide. For her courage, she was knifed to death by the militia, silenced but not forgotten.
Even in Rwanda’s darkest hour, there were those who stood against evil, though it cost them everything.
Through the window of the church, where so many were senselessly butchered, I saw a cross. I couldn’t help but see the irony in that image—the very symbol of faith, salvation, and refuge standing untouched in a place where sanctuary was betrayed and where the cries of the innocent went unanswered.
Another sad site where children were hidden only to be discovered by the murderer’s and killed-This spear is left on display because it was used to impale victims –
left over clothing from genocide victims
Among the bloodstained and soiled clothing of the genocide victims, a single shoe lay on the ground—a haunting remnant of a life that once was.
It likely belonged to one of the thousands of Tutsis or Hutu sympathizers who had sought refuge within this church, believing its walls would offer protection from the slaughter outside. But sanctuary turned to death when the doors were blown open by grenades, and within moments, a violent mob of machete-wielding Hutus flooded in.
What followed was a bloodbath. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide—only terror, screams, and the sound of blades hacking through flesh.
Now, this shoe, along with the tattered clothes left behind, serves as a mute testament to the horror that unfolded here. A chilling reminder of the innocents who never walked out.
Articles of clothing from the dead where left in the church as a memorial
Blood stained walls
These flowers were placed on top of this mass burial tomb at the church were the victims were murdered. Inside thousands of skulls and bones were placed in rows inside glass cases.
We couldn’t afford to stay at the famous luxury hotel, but we did have dinner and drinks at the Hôtel des Mille Collines—better known as Hotel Rwanda from the film that depicted its role in the 1994 genocide.
During those dark days, the hotel’s Tutsi manager, Paul Rusesabagina, became an unlikely hero, using bribes, diplomacy, and sheer courage to shelter Hutus and Tutsis alike from the marauding kill squads outside. Sitting in the elegant dining area, it was hard to imagine that this same place had once been a lifeline for hundreds of people desperately trying to survive.
Despite its history, the hotel today exudes nothing but luxury and tranquility—a stark contrast to its past. However, one element stood out in the bar: it was full of prostitutes, and they were relentless.
One particularly persistent woman refused to believe that I was unavailable. No amount of polite refusal seemed to work. Finally, while I was on the phone with my girlfriend, I handed the phone to her and had my girlfriend explain it directly. Even then, I wasn’t sure she was convinced.
Hotel Rwanda
Sterling and I in the Hotel Rwanda, where a group of foregners and Tutsis hid during the genocide from murderous gangs.
Today, Rwanda is thriving, a country on the rebound from tragedy. Though the bitter scars of genocide still linger, they are healing under the leadership of Paul Kagame—a man often described as a strong-handed leader, but one who has undeniably steered Rwanda toward stability and progress.
When I asked my Rwandan friends whether they were Hutu or Tutsi, they would usually respond with:
“We are Rwandan.”
This response reflects a deliberate national effort to move beyond tribal divisions and focus on a shared identity. Rather than dwell on the past, Rwanda has chosen reconciliation over retribution.
While the main perpetrators of the genocide have been arrested and imprisoned, many others fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo. For most, however, the government has chosen not to reopen old wounds by prosecuting them, opting instead to focus on development, unity, and national rebuilding.
To reinforce this unity, any open discussion of ethnic divisions is banned by law. Additionally, neighborhoods across the country are required to hold monthly community meetings, where residents gather to discuss local issues, resolve conflicts, and promote cooperation.
I happened to be in Rwanda on one of these mandatory meeting days, and everything shut down for the day—a reminder of how seriously the government takes its vision of unity. While controversial, initiatives like these seem to be working, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and preventing past divisions from resurfacing.
Rwanda’s journey from genocide to prosperity is nothing short of remarkable, and while its approach may not be without criticism, the results speak for themselves.
Tracking Wild Black faced Chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park
We spent the night in a guesthouse on the outskirts of Nyungwe National Park, ensuring we could get an early start the next morning for our chimpanzee tracking expedition with the rangers.
Finding the chimps is no easy task. Before dawn, a team of advance rangers sets out ahead of the tracking groups, scouring the dense rainforest for fresh chimp nests from the previous night. Once they locate them, they radio the coordinates to the ranger accompanying us, giving us a better chance of an encounter.
Since chimpanzees build a new nest every night, they are constantly on the move, making the efforts of the tracking team essential. Without them, the chimps would be almost impossible to locate in the vast expanse of the forest.
The chimps here are partially habituated, meaning they have some familiarity with humans, mainly through interactions with scientists and rangers over the years. However, they still maintain their wild instincts—unlike chimps in sanctuaries or reserves, they are completely free to roam, hunt, and behave as wild chimps do.
The anticipation of trekking through the rainforest, listening for calls, and finally glimpsing these incredible primates in their natural habitat made for an exciting night ahead.
Nyungwe Forest
Sterling and our ranger trackers
Giant Rhino beetle
Big male chimp
Huge male chimp sneakinging up on me
Unbeknownst to me, a rather ripped chimp had snuck up behind me. I was completely unaware until Sterling frantically tried to get my attention, his urgent gestures making me think there was a snake coiled under my feet.
I spun around, bracing for the worst—only to find myself face to face with a wild chimpanzee, standing just 10 feet away on the trail.
For a moment, we locked eyes. I fumbled for my camera, but before I could even lift it, the chimp bolted into the forest, vanishing into the dense foliage.
As he disappeared, he slammed his fists against a tree trunk, a clear display of dominance—a final reminder of who truly owned this jungle.