Rwanda is often called the land of a thousand hills, though the number feels conservative once you are there. The countryside rises and folds endlessly, patchworked with tea plantations and terraced farms.

In Volcanoes National Park, gorillas move through bamboo forests with an unexpected gentleness. The experience of sitting with them — close enough to hear them chew, grunt, and breathe — is difficult to shake off afterwards.

There is also an extraordinary sense of order and dignity to Rwanda, particularly in Kigali, one of Africa’s most compelling capitals.