The most famous and hot spot destination in Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park (French: Parc National des Volcans Kinyarwanda: Pariki y’Igihugu y’Ibirunga) lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The Volcanoes National Park is known as a haven for the rare and endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. It is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo), and spans 160 km2 covered in rainforest and bamboo.
“In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat,” wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, “are great, old volcanoes towering almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest – the Virungas”.
Volcanoes National Park is named after the chain of dormant volcanoes making up the Virunga Massif: Karisimbi (the highest at 4,507m), Bisoke with its verdant Crater Lake, Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura. These five volcanoes have become a hiking paradise for mountain hikers and photographers who like to take landscape photography
Gorillas, of course, pay no heed to borders and are known to cross between the countries, although most habituated groups are to be found in Volcanoes National Park. The massif is home to around half of the world’s precious mountain gorillas – some 400 of them – making Rwanda probably the best place in Africa for a tracking safari. Trekking endangered mountain gorillas through the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colorful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, is only one of the truly unique experiences in the area. Hiking, canoeing, mountain biking and village experiences offer something for everyone to enjoy. The experience is always referred to as once a life. It’s a thrilling and off-beaten path adventure, that one should not miss out on his/her safari to Rwanda.
Volcanoes National Park also has a historic connection with gorilla conservation. It was the base for the ground-breaking work of primatologist Dian Fossey which started in the late 1960s and is evocatively portrayed in the book and film Gorillas in the Mist.
The park is best known for the mountain gorilla and golden monkeys as being the major attraction of visitors to the park. Other mammals include: black-fronted duiker, buffalo, spotted hyena and bushbuck. The bushbuck population is estimated to be between 1760–7040 animals. There are also reported to be some elephants in the park, though these are now very rare. There are over 200 recorded bird species, with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virunga and Rwenzori Mountains.
Attractions at Volcanoes National Park.
Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, 2 hours’ drive from Kigali, home of the endangered mountain gorilla and a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath. Within the boundaries of Volcanoes National Park are Buhanga Eco-Park, an ancient forest holding Rwanda’s most intriguing folklore and Musanze Caves, formed 62 million years ago after the last estimated volcanic eruption.
Major Tourism activities within the park.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) runs several activities for tourists, including:
Gorilla visits – as of January 2015, there are over ten habituated gorilla groups open to tourists, allowing for a total of 80 permits per day thus maximum of 8 people per group. Each permit costs $1500. Tourists report at the park head office by 7:00 for a pre-tracking briefing. Once tourists meet the gorillas they spend an hour with them. However expensive the permits are, the demand worldwide is quite high, you need to book through your tour operator in advance in order to secure the permits, otherwise you may fail to get one since it’s not possible to secure it individually. You need to secure it through a reliable registered tour company since this is a huge sum of money when it comes to individual or group booking, Enclose Africa Safaris, are one of the leading registered and licensed domestic tour company that could help you easily book your gorilla permit to give you a wonderful safari alongside gorilla trekking.
Other activities include;
- Golden monkey trekking.
- Climbing of Karisimbi volcano – this is a two-day trek with overnight camping at an altitude of 3,800 m.
- Climbing of Bisoke volcano – one day.
- Mount Muhabura Hiking
- Visit to Lake Kivu
- Tour of the Twin lakes
- Visit to Karisoke Institute
- Visit to Gorilla Doctors
- Cave exploration visit
- Hike to Diane Fossey Grave Yard.
- Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour
- Bird watching
- Cycling adventure
Accommodation around Volcanoes National Park
Number of accommodation facilities are situated around the park from high end, to mid –range to budget facilities of which the choices depends on your interest and budget. But there is something for all market. All the world class lodges and hotel brands do exist, from Bisate Lodge, Virunga Lodge, One & Only Gorilla Nest, Singita Kwitonda Resort, Silverback lodge, Amahoro Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Da Vincii Gorilla Lodge, Muhabura Hotels.
Some of the hotels are located in Musanze Town which is roughly 20 minutes’ drive to the park. No accommodation is allowed inside the park, the rest just boarders the park boundary.
The majority of revenue from tourism goes towards maintaining the park and conserving the wildlife. The remainder goes to the government and (around 10%) to local projects in the area to help local people benefit from the large revenue stream generated by the park.
When to Visit Volcanoes National Park.
You can visit the volcanoes national park for gorilla trekking and other activities at any time of the year, though it would be good if you considered the seasons like from March to May, it’s a long rainy season and this means that this time of the year doesn’t favor those that are intending to visit places like volcanoes for gorillas and golden monkeys and other forest activities since the rain is very heavy and insistent , and gorilla trekking becomes so challenging as the tracking trails are not easy and you may not be able to see many wildlife species as you would do in the dry season. This means the floor would be very wet and sleepily. June to Mid-September and December to February
This time of the year is usually dry and the best time to visit Rwanda. For those who want to trek and do canopy walks this is the best time because the trails are dry and passable. However most of them are is a tropical rain forest especially Volcanoes National Park so you definitely have to carry a jacket and boots just in case, nature here is unpredictable. Being in the tropical zone means any time you could face a rainfall. Being a dry season is not a guarantee of no rain.