But most visitors will come to Rwanda wanting to see mountain gorillas, so I end my trip in the highlands of Volcanoes National Park.
My base is the ridge-top Volcanoes Safaris Virunga Lodge, made up of 10 individual bandas, which easily has the park’s best view.
At 5am, I wake up to a thousand hills draped with a fine spider’s web of mist, drifting into Lake Bulera below.
Led by 20-year veteran Diogene, who’s had the honour of guiding David Attenborough, we scramble uphill for two and a half hours on a muddy trail of dense bamboo forest and angry stinging nettles.
All pain and discomfort (and concerns of expense) evaporate when we find our gorillas, munching on leaves, tumbling over toes, and locking our gaze with stirringly human eyes.
There are undoubtedly still some rumblings about the new permit costs, not least among the actual community who are worried the tourists may no longer come.
But just like my trek to see Pablo, fraught with difficulty and at times near impossible, let’s hope any concerns about the controversial price hike are, with time, surmountable.
NEED TO KNOW
■ SARAH MARSHALL was a guest of the Rwanda Development Board and RwandAir.
■ Red Savannah offers five nights in Rwanda from £5,225 per person. Includes two nights in Volcanoes Safaris Virunga Lodge, two nights in Ruzizi Tented Camp, one night in Radisson Blu Hotel Kigali, return flights with RwandAir from Gatwick to Kigali, gorilla trekking permit, Akagera National Park entry fees and 4x4 private transport throughout.