Kenya, Rwanda Travel Review: Nairobi, Safari, Gorilla Trekking, Volcanoes National Park, 12-Day Tour

It's so hard to pick. The views from our tents, the game drives, gorilla trekking and seeing the animals up close in the wild were just stunning. We had an amazing guide all to ourselves at one camp, which was totally unexpected.

As good as the animals were, we found the people to be so incredibly friendly, passionate, welcoming, and totally service-oriented. They genuinely strove to make our trip great and memorable at every turn.

Our driver from Kigali stopped at a farmers’ market on the way to Volcanoes National Park and bought us a branch of bananas while we walked around. We ate them for a few days while driving around Rwanda. We joked and called him the Mayor, as he seemed to know everyone on the route and in Ruhengeri.

The service and the people were remarkable, sometimes leaving us speechless. Returning to the bishop's house after a very muddy and strenuous gorilla trek, they sat us down, took off our boots for cleaning, and gave us a foot massage. (My boots were cleaner when I left Africa than when I arrived. Lol.) We have never experienced this level of service in our lives.

At a cultural village that is home to former poachers, we were treated as king and queen characters at a reenactment of a traditional Rwandan wedding, during which they carried my spouse in a litter to my location. I'm smiling while writing this. It was just a wonderful, wonderful experience.