The only way to get around Rwanda is by car, along winding two-lane roads through the hills. Watch out for pedestrians: They are everywhere along the shoulders of the roads, at all times of the day and evening.

Rwanda has a temperate climate, with a rainy season that ends in April and days that grow progressively warmer thereafter. If you go gorilla trekking in the northern province, bring a fleece jacket, a rain poncho, hiking boots, and thick work gloves to protect your hands from thorns and nettles as you climb.

The country code for Rwanda is 250. Prices quoted are for September 2008.

Lodging

The most famous hotel in Kigali is the Milles Collines, of Hotel Rwanda notoriety; it has a bustling lobby and a pretty pool area but has not been refurbished of late (576-530; doubles, $310). The capital's most comfortable hotel is the Kigali Serena; ask for a room overlooking the garden and pool (597-100; doubles, $303).

On your way to see the gorillas in Musanze (a.k.a. Ruhengeri), the beautifully situated Lake Kivu Serena, in Gisenyi—with its views over the sixth-largest lake in Africa and the hills of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—makes for a good stopover (541-101; doubles, $194).

Trekking

Our custom gorilla trek, organized by Premier Tours (which doesn't yet do package tours to Rwanda), included guides, trekkers, and a pre-trek briefing by members of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Permits—$500 per person—must be arranged at least nine months ahead (800-545-1910; info@premiertours.com; two nights, $1,495 per person). It included the luxurious Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, spectacularly situated with views of the Karisimbi volcano. It has en suite fires at night, and beautiful red-clay baths with deep tubs (254-20-273-4000; doubles, $740–$1,726).

Reading, etc.

The essential guidebook is two years old but substantially up-to-date: Rwanda, from Bradt Travel Guides ($24).

The film Hotel Rwanda is of course recommended, as is Sometimes in April, a great, wrenching HBO film available on DVD (hbofilms.com).

Essential reading includes Philip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families (Picador, $15); Roméo Dallaire's Shake Hands with the Devil (Da Capo Press, $18); and A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali, a novel by Gil Courtemanche (Knopf, $14).
–Klara Glowczewska