Awake before the 3.50am alarm - recent holidays have had an abundance of really early starts - bears,bats and now chimpanzees! A thunderstorm was passing over head and there was torrential rain falling - oh no! The great staff at the hotel appeared with umbrellas which made for a dry walk to the main building and a much needed cup of Rwandan tea. We collected our packed breakfast and headed off, with Charles, to the park HQ to meet our guide Daniel. An hours car ...

Today after a less than awe inspiring breakfast but a good nights sleep we left the warmth of Butare for the cooler climes of the southern mountains and Nyungwe Forest - the largest in tact rainforest in Africa. Enroute we watched people going about their daily lives ( today's photo) - produce was being taken to the market and people were coming from all directions to get there along with their produce and livestock - we saw several pigs most being walked there ...

We left Kigali after our 24 hours of luxury at the Serena, another session in the gym and an extensive breakfast buffet which left you wanting for nothing! Today was culture and history focused with our first stop in Nyanza to visit the Kings Palace - and learn about the Rwandan monarchy which ended in 1959. On the site of the most recently inhabited palace, which was lived in from 1931 to 1959, they are had also constructed a traditional and impressive papyrus...

Today we left Akagera and headed to Kigali for one night before heading south. As we left the park we saw a female oribi - a small antelope but with a distinctive black spot under her ear and a grey bird which initially looked like a hawk but with binoculars and our bird book we worked out it was a common cuckoo - which isn't quite that common! Next stop Kigali - we passed through hills and dales and watched people going about their daily business - bicycles ar...

We were up early again - cloud shrouded the sunrise and it only peeked through for a few seconds before disappearing. Nonetheless it was a great way to start the day - looking out over the calm lake - the darter set off for a days fishing, two hippos came in from the lake to our right to assume their position, submerged, except for their hairy nostrils, in front of the lodge and black headed weaver birds waking up and readying themselves for another days nest bui...