Verunga Lodge view

First day in Rwanda. Early start to go and see the church at Ntarama. Arrived early to find out that the guide hadn't arrived yet. After waiting for a while we then went to the church at Nyamata.
Very unnerving place to go to. It is a church where around 2000 people fled to during the 1994 genocide believing that they would be safe. Apparently they had found refuge there before during the previous acts of genocide against the Tutsi's. This time it was not to be and all of the people in the church and surrounding area were brutally murdered, around 10,000 people in all. The church now stands as a memorial and reminder of what happened during the 100 days of the genocide. Inside the church the pews are covered in clothing of the victims and there has been a crypt created to hold the skulls and bones of some of the victims to show how they died.
Outside are the mass graved / crypts. These are full of skulls of the victims of the church and surrounding area. Even to this day bones are still being delivered to the church for burial. Unfortunately you are no longer allowed to take photos of the crypts without special permission from the government in Kigali. I'm not sure if it would be the best thing to take photos of but I would like to have tried, even if it only served as a reminder of what happened there
Next stop was the genocide museum of Kigali. This tells the story of how the government at the time created a culture of division and hatred between the two tribes, which lead to the environment that allowed the genocide to happen. It also shows how the country is now remembering what happened here and how it is now moving forward by remembering the past.
Next stop was Verunga lodge, our base while we go and look for the gorillas. This was a 3 hour drive from Kigali, high in the volcanic mountains that boarder Uganda and the Congo. We went through a heavy rain storm and were greeted at the lodge by a thunder storm. Fantastic views from the lodge and a great evening meal to get us ready for our 5am start tomorrow.