Volcanoes National Park

    The Park is located in "Musanze" a small village in Rwanda. The Village was previously known by the name of "Ruhengeri". The village is very easy to reach by public transportation from Kigali or from the airport. It will take only two hours to reach Volcanoes National park by car and one can do the gorilla tracking on the same day and still drive back to Kigali.  

The park stretches over 160 sq m in the northern part of Rwanda. The Park is included as a part of what is called “The Great Virunga Volcano ''. At first, it was a small place around Karisimbi, Mikeno, and Visoke volcanoes. The reason behind Gaza ting it was to protect the mountain gorillas that were endangered to extinction because of poaching.  Later in 1929, the national park was extended to reach Rwanda and Congo and was given the name of "Albert National Park'' and was managed by the Belgian Colonial Authorities. In the early 1960s, the park was divided again when Rwanda and Congo won their independence. By the end of this decade, the par was minimized to almost half of its original size.  

In 1967, an American zoologist named Dian Fossey had been doing so much research on Mountain Gorillas in Congo building her research on the area between Visoke and Karisimbi volcanoes.

Although there were conservation efforts, the park has continued to suffer under the mercy of Poachers. Adding to that, in the early 1990s, the park became a place where Rwanda's civil war took place, the thing that froze tourism activities until 1999. In 2005, Rwanda introduced a baby Gorilla named  ‘Kwita Izina’  for the annual baby ceremony, the thing that made a great impact on tourism as it showed their concern regarding the gorilla population.

     Mountain Gorillas are the stars of the show there of course and they are available for tourists who would love to do trekking. In addition to mountain gorilla trekking, Volcanoes National Park is a home for "Cercopithecus mitis kandti'' or Golden Monkeys. Volcanoes National Park has two golden monkeys’ troops available for visiting. One can Spot them everywhere there in the Park. The Park is also home to Hyenas, Buffaloes, elephants, Bushbuck and black-fronted duiker. Around 178 bird species are calling Volcanoes National Park home. Those bird species even include at least 29 endemics the Rwenzori Mountains and the Virungas.

As for the Flora part, Plants vary there due to the large altitude range of the park. Though they were lost to agriculture, there was some montane forest there. Additionally, you can find between 2400 and 2500 m, there is Neonotonia  Forest. On the southern and western part of the forest where you can find the more humid slopes, there is the Hagenia-Hypericum forest, which covers about 30% of the park. Arundinaria Alpina (bamboo) forest occurs from 2500 to 3200 m there.

      It is an exercise for those who love animals’ life that includes exploring the forest, walking, and following the footprints of gorillas. The activity leads to fresh Mountain gorillas’ presence until you reach their exact location.  They live in a group of many individuals with an alpha male called" The Silverback". The Reason behind calling the Alpha Male silverback is that a patch of whitish mane develops on his back due to its old age. The silverback controls the activities of the family and he also determines the timing of the activities, what to eat where, and when. Additionally, he may settle disputes in the family and protect the family from any danger. Accordingly, he enjoys unlimited mating rights. Each evening, each member of the family builds a nest to sleep in it and for some odd reason, they never return back to the same nest again. Guides and teams of scouts and trackers prepare themselves very early in the morning in the forest to locate gorillas.

      Gorilla Trekking is not the only thing that can be done in Volcanoes National Park. Tracking the golden monkey can be done as it starts at the same time as gorilla trekking in the park. This takes time around 7:00 am. You can add to your tour there Hiking Karisimbi volcano (3,800 m). Moreover, you can add one day at Mount Bisoke Volcano Hike that is one of the most notable activities in Rwanda. The top of this volcano has an amazing crater lake. The hike is around 6 hours, however, experienced hikers can get to the top of the mountain in around 03 hours or even less and return to the base of the mountain in about an hour. Additionally, you can visit Dian Fossey Tomb that is situated 30 minutes from the Volcanoes headquarters.

1- The village of Musanze is very accessible by Public transportation.  

2- If you need to go trekking on the same day, you need to wake up early to arrive early at the headquarters of ORTPN in Kigali and to be at the entrance at 7:00 am.  

3- There is not any public transportation from Musanze to the headquarters of the park.    

4- All measures are available there to make sure that all adults are healthy enough to trek mountain gorillas.  

5- There are provisions for disabled and elder people with the help of porters there with additional fees.  

6- Only adults (above 18 years) are allowed to trek mountain gorillas.  

7- Interacting with gorillas is only available for a maximum of one hour.  

8- Flash cameras are not allowed while trekking gorillas.

9- Voices are to be kept to the minimum inside the forest and if a gorilla vocalizes at you, you should stand still and look away. And always follow your guide  

10- Eating and drinking are not allowed in the presence of gorillas. And of course, smoking as well.  

11- One should bring sun hut, insect repellent, sunscreen, rain gear, and waterproof hiking boots

12- Wear trousers and long-sleeved shirts