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Throughout Rwanda, the country with the densest population in Africa, live some of the world's most amazing creatures – the gorillas. Since the atrocious genocide which unfolded in 1994, Rwanda has been trying to rebuild its ecotourism businesses and is set to return the country to its rightful place as one of Africa's top wildlife destinations. These amazing encounters with the natural world, ensure that travellers become aware of the importance of conservation and become conscious of the need for continual protection of wildlife and its habitats all over the world, for this reason there is a maximum group size of 8 on each gorilla visit to any one habituated family and visits are strictly controlled to minimize the possibility of disturbance or transmission of disease to the animals.
Gorillas have previously been seen by the locals as a pest as they often came to raid the village gardens for food leaving nothing for the villagers to eat themselves. The scene of desperation meant that some of the locals turned to poaching to earn much needed cash. To ensure that money from tourism is ploughed back into the local economy we employ local people to help on the trips which reduces the need for animal poaching. In Ruhengeri, our accommodation is in the local Village. The villagers have built three roundavels for visitors which are all built with mud and grass thatched walls and roofs. Through our visit and time within the homestays the local communities have found a different source of survival to subsidise their small-scale farming. Here we can visit the market, attend dance lessons, help in the gardens and enjoy the local food and beer, which again helps boost the regional economy.
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