The capital of Rwanda, Kigali, comes as a shock to most first-time visitors. Conditioned by harrowing accounts of the 1994 genocide, it is reasonable to expect a place broken and sinister. But, on arrival, after the 90-minute flight from Nairobi, the airport seems modern and well-organized. The streets are unusually clean, and the people appear to be cheerful and prosperous.

Leafy and temperate, Kigali sprawls across four ridges, the highest of which rises to an elevation of 6,070 feet. On one hilltop, there is a clump of new, shiny high-rise buildings. Elsewhere, walls and roofs tend to reflect the color of the rich red earth. Only occasionally does the dark past reemerge. My driver pointed out the Hôtel des Milles Collines, famous as Hotel Rwanda in the 2004 movie of the same name. He then explained, matter-of-factly, that he too would have been murdered had he not been working as a chauffeur for the Swiss Red Cross at the time and able to take refuge in its compound.

One side effect of Rwanda’s remarkable renaissance is the rapid growth of upscale tourism, a development encouraged by the country’s forceful leader, President Paul Kagame. The primary purpose of my trip was to see Wilderness Safaris’ new Bisate Lodge, next to Volcanoes National Park, a reserve famous for its population of mountain gorillas. However, several other projects are underway. Next year, the renowned South African company Singita will open Kwitonda Lodge nearby. One&Only Gorilla’s Nest is also expected to debut shortly. Wilderness will soon expand into Akagera National Park, on Rwanda’s northeastern boundary with Tanzania, where lions have recently been reintroduced. And One&Only already manages Nyungwe House, in the south of the country, close to the border with Burundi.