Volcanoes National Park : You may have been on a trip to various African countries, and you may have explored a dozen attractions in such countries. Mountain gorillas, towering volcanoes, primates, wildlife, birdlife and rich culture can be interesting to you. If those attractions appeal to you, then Rwanda would be a perfect destination. Even though most attractions mentioned above can be explored in other neighboring countries including Uganda and the DRC, but Rwanda beats all other destinations in many aspects. First of all, the country is the safest one. Secondly, it has currently been a visa-free country for African travelers. Lastly, Rwanda has invested much efforts in advertising travel and improving her infrastructure to harbor tourists.
Volcanoes National Park stands alone as the only National park in Rwanda where you can hike and trek the mountain gorillas. As its name suggest, this amazing park is home to a chain of volcanoes, the Virungas, which stretch to the DRC’s Virunga National Park. This alluring destination is 160 square kilometers big, and is situated in northwest Rwanda bordering the Ugandan parks and the DRC’s Virunga National Park.
What to learn in Volcanoes National Park
With a dozen attractions, you have a lot of things to learn while on a Rwanda Gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park.
Hiking through the volcanoes
Volcanoes National Park is found within the Albertine Rift in the Virunga Mountains range. The chain of volcanoes in Volcanoes National Park is an amazing feature for learning how to hike. Five volcanoes which are well known including the Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabinyo, Muhabura, and Gahinga, all of which offer a challenging hike. These volcanoes are among eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains range lying within Rwanda. They rise up to almost 15000 feet with the highest one being Karisimbi at 4507 meters (14786 feet).
Mount Karisimbi offer an unforgettable hike for mountain climbers in Rwanda. This mountain is linked with the spiritual beliefs of the locals, who believed it to the home spirits of legends. Another wonderful feature about Karisimbi is that, it is covered with snows in certain periods of the year. Two days are required to hike to the snow-capped summit. Special campsites are available on the trails to the summit. They are situated at around 3700 meters above sea level. Stunning features such as hills, craters and rich bamboo forests can be seen as you hike through.
Mount Bisoke volcano is still active. Its last volcanic eruption happened in 1957 and it led to the formation of Bisoke’s fog-covered peak which is at 3711 meters. This mountain has two verdant crater lakes, which can be reached from Rwandan side. The summit of Bisoke volcano can be accessed from two hiking trails. The first one is popular and much accessible taking about six hours to reach the Crater Lake situated at the summit. The second one leads the way to the Ngezi Crater Lake, the second Crater Lake on Bisoke’s summit taking about three hours. As you hike through Bisoke you may encounter mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. The diverse vegetation made of bamboo forests is an amazing scenery on the slopes of Bisoke volcano.
Mount Muhabura is 4127 meters high and is crossed by the Rwanda-Uganda border. When climbed to the summit, Muhabura offers the spectacular views of the twin lakes, Burera and Ruhondo as well as mountainous landscapes.
Mount Gahinga is 3474 meters high, the shortest one among eight peaks. It is perfect of hikers with low experiences.
Gorilla tracking
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the mountain gorillas doing their daily routines at just few meters away from them. Rwanda offers the uncharted gorilla tracking safari for visitors. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) which manages the Rwandan National Parks, permits only 96 tourists to view the gorilla per day in groups of eight people.
Volcanoes National Park is home to a thousand mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif. 12 families have been habituated. These include Susa, Igisha, Karisimbi, Amahoro, Sabyinyo, Bwenge, Agashya, Kwitonda, Umubuano, Hirwa, Muhoza and Ugyenda. You are allowed to track just one group per day. You will hike through the rich green rainforest that cover the volcanos for about 30 minutes before you encounter the gorilla group. You have one hour to stare at these amazing creatures. The cost for a one hour gorilla tracking permit in Volcanoes National Park is $1500 per person per day. Children below 15 years old are not permitted to track the gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park also has rich wildlife consisting of golden monkeys, and 200 species of birds.
Getting to Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is very close to Kigali. It is a two-hour drive filled with verdant views of landscapes, plantations, and markets on the way before stopping at Kinigi Headquarters of this park.
All in all, it is no less than a blessing to be able to travel to a lovely country like Rwanda. Those who miss this lifetime opportunity are miles behind the splendid views of Rwandan attractions. The country is peaceful and welcoming to people regardless of their races. This country also has world-class hotels and lodges for safari-goers to spend their vacation. If you need to access all these, consider planning a trip with Explore Africa Safaris
