VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Volcanoes National Park is Rwanda’s famous destination. The park is synonymous with gorilla tracking safaris and any complete visit to Rwanda must have a visit to the park for the majestic apes/ primates- The gorilla trekking experience.
Volcanoes National Park is part of Rwanda’s area that is in the Virunga Ranges. The Virunga ranges are a great volcanic massif that stretches from DRC, through Rwanda to Uganda. The ranges cover a region with 8 mountains and about 8000 sqkm. Some of these volcanoes are active and others are extinct. Mountain gorillas pay no heed to the borders and some usually cross between countries. Most of the habituated groups in the region are in Volcanoes National Park (over 10), one in Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The Virunga volcanoes are home to about half of the gorilla population. These are shared between the park in Uganda, then Virunga National Park and Volcanoes National Park. This makes Volcanoes N.P. the best gorillas in the area and then the other half is at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda-one of the best places for gorilla tracking safaris in Africa.

The park has a great history regarding mountain gorilla conservation. Former American primatologist Dian Fossey started her research work on mountain gorillas here in the 1960s. This is portrayed in the famous book and film “Gorillas in the Mist”.

Gorilla Tours to Volcanoes National Park.
Musanze town in the northern part of Rwanda is the hub for gorilla tourism in Rwanda. The town is easily accessible (about 2 hours) from Kigali city. It has several cafes, restaurants, and bars and is about 30 minutes drive from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters that are in the nearby village of Kinigi. Kinigi is the administrative center for permits and also it is here that visitors to the park gather for briefings before they head into the forest for the treks.
Gorilla trekking permits are regulated in the park and only 8 are offered to each gorilla family. The park has 12 gorilla groups, which makes it only 98 people (96 permits) a day to see gorillas. This requires planning gorilla-tracking safaris in Rwanda, mostly when you are planning your holiday in the peak/busy periods of June to September to be guaranteed availability.

Lodges and camps around Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is only Rwanda’s park with quite a range of choices for lodging. These go from simple basic to up-market lodges. For lower budget accommodation, Ruhengeri and. Kinigi have the options, the mid-range and upmarket, and lodges are on the outskirts/boundaries of the park.
There are several options for accommodation near Volcanoes National Park, and quite a range of choices – from simple and basic, to more upmarket. Those in Ruhengeri and Kinigi generally fall into the lower budget categories while the more expensive lodges can be found on the outskirts of the park or scattered further afield.
Tourism has been well established at Volcanoes National Park. The people are friendly the operations at Lodges and the gorilla tracking are smooth. Some of the facilities actively work with the communities to add to their growth.

What to do at Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla tracking safaris
If you have done encounters with wildlife including Gorilla Tracking, you can tell that there is no other wildlife experience quite like the encounter with mountain gorillas. An hour spent in the company of a group of Mountain gorillas- watching juveniles play, tease, groom, and eat just like we do. Gorilla tracking safaris are among the best wildlife experiences in Africa.
Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park has 12 habituated gorilla groups, these are at different locations in the park. Visitors leave in the early mornings for briefing at the park headquarters and then after parties of 8, you will be taken to your allocated groups with guides and rangers, who go after the trackers. Gorilla tracking can be tiresome as some groups can wander to higher altitudes but it is a rewarding activity. Check out our Rwanda Safaris with Gorilla Tracking. Reach us for more about gorilla tracking in Rwanda.

Other Add-ons for Visitors to Volcanoes National Park
It is not only about Gorilla tracking here, there are other interesting activities and hiking trails. Before you visit the gorilla you can acclimatize to the park, walk on the hiking trails here, and better understand the ecosystem at the park.
One of the popular things and routes to take here is the trek to the Dian Fossey Tomb and her research center at Karisoke. It is a fairly steep walk but a rewarding one. You can also do a day hike to Mt. Bisoke, one of the volcanoes at the park with a crater lake on the top.

Volcanoes National Park has several other primates that call the park home. Famous of these are the golden monkeys. You can track any of the two habituated troops of golden monkeys, an experience different from gorilla tracking. Golden monkeys inhabit the lower slopes of the mountains usually the bamboo region, and this makes the walk to see golden monkeys easy. Once you locate them, you are allowed an hour with them, but they are fast-moving unlike gorillas, and are entertaining.
The people around the park are many parts of it, and as you look for primates, don’t hesitate to take on a tour of the cultural centers to gain an insight into the life of the locals, their traditions, and beliefs. It is not just interesting but it also benefits the communities and gives them an option of engaging in tourism and deter from illegal activities like poaching. The two cultural centers that are famous here are the Iby’Iwachu Cultural Village and the SACOLA Cultural Centre. These have excellent Intore Dancers and are near Kinigi. A good chance to spend an afternoon with them after gorilla tracking.

Wildlife at Volcanoes National Park
Even if it had no Mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park would still have a fascinating wildlife list. The topography of the park is 2500m to 4500m (the peak of Mt Karisimbi) resulting in the extensive bamboo forest and a great afro-montane forest habitat on the continent. The higher areas at the park are habitat to thick moors with groundsel and giant lobelia.
The park also hosts over 200 bird species, a spectacular array of endangered and rare animals, and plant life. These include primates like Golden Monkeys, and mammals like forest elephants, buffaloes, forest hogs, bushpigs, duikers, bushbucks, and hyenas.