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Where do we begin? - We're in Rwanda. But before we start gorilla trekking, here's a little more information on this African country where our journey will begin.

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Rwanda - The Republic of Rwanda is located in the African Great Lakes region.

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Independence - The country was ruled by Belgium, but became independent in 1962.

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Culture - The country's capital is Kigali and its official languages are Kinyarwanda, French and English.

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Economy - The local currency is the Rwandan franc.

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Nickname - Owing to the number of mountains in the country, Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills.

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Tragedy - Rwanda is still remembered for the terrible genocide that happened there in 1994.

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Horizons - But little by little tourism has been growing and showing a different side of this beautiful country.

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Natural beauty - Rwanda has many sites of natural beauty, which we will explore before arriving at the gorilla trek.

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First stop - Our first stop is here: in the Akagera National Park.

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Akagera National Park - The park is located in the east of Rwanda, on the border with Tanzania.

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Fauna - In the Akagera National Park you can spot hippos and elephants.

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Fauna - The park is home to approximately 500 species of birds.

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Fauna - Giraffes and zebras are also often spotted in the region.

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Next stop - Our second stop is the Volcanoes National Park.

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Volcanoes National Park - The park is on the border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Welcome - And it's from here that we begin our expedition to find the gorillas, whose statue sits at the entrance of the park to welcome us!

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Trek - On the trek, a path through bamboo leads us towards the creatures who live in the Volcanoes National Park.

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Long awaited encounter... - Finally! We're face to face with the rare species known as mountain gorillas, which are an endangered species found only in some African regions.

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Giants - Gorillas are considered the largest primates in the world.

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What do they eat? - According to Live Science, their basic diet is made up of plants.

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Adaptation - Also according to Live Science, mountain gorillas usually have thicker hair to adapt to the lower temperatures of their habitat.

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Evolution of the species - The mountain gorilla shares about 98% of its genetics with humans.

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Safe visit - It's important to take the safety advice on board while taking the trek. After all, you are in a wildlife zone!

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Safe distance - The most important thing is to keep your distance from the animals and to talk quietly.

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Habits - The dominant male will often shout and beat his chest, but this is not necessarily a threatening gesture.

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Photos - Don't use flash photography and leave your phone on mute, as it could frighten the animals.

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Booking - You must remember that daily visits are restricted and controlled by the authorities in order to protect the park.

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Rwanda -

How about planning a trip to Rwanda to meet the mountain gorillas in person? What are you waiting for?!

See also: 30 things to do in Europe at least once in your life 

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