Top things to do in Volcanoes national park Rwanda.
Top activities in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, also called Parc National Des Volcanoes in French, is situated in Musanze village in the country’s northwest and borders the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhavura, and Mount Sabyinyo are five of the eight Virunga mountains that can be found in Volcanoes National Park, which is 160 square kilometers in size and well-known for housing endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Because it provides the best safari activities available, Volcanoes National Park is a must-see location in Rwanda. These activities include
The best activities in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
Trekking with gorillas
The most famous tourist attraction at Volcanoes National Park is gorilla trekking, which entails entering the tropical rainforest to look for habituated mountain gorillas and spending an hour with them in their natural environment. In Volcanoes National Park, gorilla trekking begins very early in the morning with a training on the guidelines to be followed.
Following the briefing, you will begin walking into the forest with a knowledgeable park guide in search of the habituated mountain gorillas. Depending on the gorillas’ location, this might take anything from 30 minutes to 6 hours, as they are known to roam around in quest of food. In addition to seeing other primate species, various plants, and bird species while trekking, you will have the chance to spend an hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat, where you can observe their habits, behaviors, feed, nurse, play, groom their young, take pictures, and record videos.
Trekking with golden monkeys
Similar to gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking is the second-best activity in Volcanoes National Park. It begins early in the morning with a briefing at park headquarters regarding expectations, laws, and regulations. Following the briefing, you will begin hiking through the forest along paths made of discarded bamboo leaves and shoots.
Depending on where they are, golden monkey hiking in Volcanoes National Park might take anything from thirty minutes to four hours. After you’ve found the golden monkeys, you’ll be able to spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, where you can see them eating, playing, jumping from tree branches, taking pictures, and documenting the lovely moments to share with your family back home.
Climbing mountains
Five Virunga volcanoes can be found in Volcanoes National Park, and four of them—aside from Mount Sabyinyo, which has jagged ridges—are suitable for hiking. In mountain climbing, you will hike Mount Karisimbi, which is 4,507 meters above sea level and takes about two days to complete; Mount Bisoke, which is 3,711 meters above sea level and is one of the park’s most popular hiking trails; Mount Muhavura, which is 4,127 meters above sea level and takes about six to eight hours to complete; and Mount Gahinga, which is 3,474 meters above sea level and the shortest mountain in Volcanoes National Park.
Observing birds
More than 200 bird species have been identified in Volcanoes National Park, including migratory, woodland, and Albertine Rift unique species. In Volcanoes National Park, you will be escorted by a knowledgeable bird guide as you follow birding trails where you can see a variety of bird species, including the handsome francolin, Rwenzori batis, archers round-robin, collared sunbird, brown woodland warbler, dusky crimson-wing, red-faced woodland warbler, brown-necked parrot, grauer’s swamp warbler, strange weaver, Rwenzori nightjar, lagden’s bush-shrike, palm nut vulture, lesser honeyguide, narina trogon, crested barbet, white-collared oliveback, grey-headed bush shrike, black cuckoo-shrike, kivu ground thrush, and scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, among others.
Cultural excursions
With a cultural tour, you may engage with the locals in nearby communities, which is an exciting activity in Volcanoes National Park. You can visit the Iby’lwacu cultural village during the cultural tour to learn more about their way of life and culture, sample their traditional foods, discover how beer is made from bananas, engage in traditional activities like grinding millet and sorghum, and take in their traditional performances of dance, music, and theater, among other things.
When to go to Volcanoes National Park is best.
Although Volcanoes National Park is open year-round, the best time to visit is in the dry season, which is June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. This is because the park receives little to no rainfall during this time, making the hiking and gorilla trekking trails dry and accessible, making trekking easier.
Accommodations in the National Park of Volcanoes
The Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, One and Only Gorillas Nest Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Garden Place Hotel, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Virunga Lodge, Gorillas Volcanoes Hotel, Le Bamboo Gorilla Village, Kinigi Guesthouse, La Palme Hotel, Villa Gorilla, Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge, Amakoro Songa Lodge, Fravan Eco Resort, My Hill Eco Lodge, and more are among the affordable, midrange, and luxurious lodging options available in Volcanoes National Park.
How to travel to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
The northwestern region of Rwanda is home to Volcanoes National Park, which is reachable by road. It takes roughly two to three hours to drive from Kigali to the park headquarters.
