Virunga Mountains, Nyungwe, Kigali, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilwa

Set in the northwest of Rwanda, Virunga Mountains is one of the prime locations in Africa for viewing mountain gorillas, plus options for other primates and cultural interaction. Guest accommodation is in a very wide range of lodges, some of which are extremely high quality.

Set in the southwest of Rwanda, Nyungwe is an important tropical forest reserve, the best location in the country for viewing chimpanzees, plus a wide range of hikes through the forests and tea plantations. Guest accommodation is in just a handful of lodges, one of which is genuinely high quality.

Set in the centre of Rwanda, Kigali is the capital city and main transport hub for the country. Set across a series of prominent hills, the city centre is a reasonably pleasant place to explore, has some reliable hotels for overnight stops and some interesting genocide museums.

Serengeti Mara is the prime but potentially busy area for migration herds and river crossings during the Jul-Nov dry season and a wonderful quiet backwater at other times, with guest accommodation in around 30 small lodges and camps, offering a good range of safari experiences.

Serengeti Southcentral is one of the most magical of areas, with migration calving Dec-Mar, superb Maasai interaction, incredible palaeontology and just two rather cool mid-priced lodges.

Situated immediately to the south of Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater is a mind-bogglingly amazing place, packed with wildlife year round. Guest accommodation is in a diverse range of camps and lodges, offering a range of safari, active and cultural activities. But there are significant traffic issues.

Set on the mainland coast of Tanzania, 250 km south of Dar es Salaam, Kilwa is a little-visited area with some extremely important and picturesque Swahili ruins. Offshore, there is one fabulously remote private island lodge.