Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park Rwanda is one of the 3 homes of the endangered mountain gorillas within the Virunga Mountains. It features all you need to know about the park and everything in it including Wildlife, gorilla safaris, vegetation, Volcanoes, Dian Fossey tomb, among others.

Volcanoes National Park Rwanda is one of the 3 homes of the endangered mountain gorillas within the Virunga Mountains. It features all you need to know about the park and everything in it including Wildlife, gorilla safaris, vegetation, Volcanoes, Dian Fossey tomb, among others.

Rwanda gorilla tours to Volcanoes national park are purely life-changing experience which rewards travellers with a close encounter to our wild cousins, the endangered mountain gorillas with whom we share 98% of our DNA.

Volcanoes National Park, also known as Parc National des Volcans in french and Pariki y’Igihugu y’Ibirunga in native Kinyarwanda sits on the north-western province of Rwanda in a small town known as Musanze (formerly known as Ruhengeri).

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes national park is apparently the oldest national park in the entire African continent and harbors the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda that are always available for tourists who would love to carry out gorilla tracking in Rwanda.

Volcanoes National Park borders Virunga National Park in DRC and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in south-western Uganda.

Besides Volcanoes national park huge population of Mountain Gorillas, this park also harbors the endangered Golden Monkeys, primate specie that apparently offers the best diverse tourism activity within the national park at the moment.

Volcanoes National Park also shelters five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains which are: Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo) covering over 160 km2 of rain forest and bamboo.

Several years ago, this same park acted as a base for American zoologist Dian Fossey – A lady who turned out to be so passionate about Gorilla conservation that her works still live on till today.

The prime attraction of the Volcanoes national park are the endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) with a lot other mammals that also inhabit its plains. Some of these mammals include: golden monkeys, buffaloes, black-fronted duiker, hyenas then bushbucks.

A few reports also clam that a small number of elephants can be found at the park but on very rare occasions. The bird life spans at 178 species, with about 12 of the main species and 15 of the subspecies being endemic to the Virunga conservation area and the great Ruwenzori Mountains.

Volcanoes National Park

Several activities are run by the Rwanda Development Board for tourists with the main one being gorilla trekking.

Other activities in Volcanoes national park however include Golden Monkey tracking, twin lakes visit, mountaineering, visiting Dian Fossey’s tomb, touring Iby’Iwacu cultural village plus a few community visits.

There for the best of Rwanda gorilla trekking, Rwanda golden monkey trekking, and the rest of Rwanda safari, volcanoes national park Rwanda offers an incresible experience for all those that want to Enjoy the splendor that volcanoes national park offers.

About Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Volcanoes national park is a stop centre for all Rwanda gorilla safaris sheltering the highest number of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Conservation area. The strategic location of the VNP roughly 2 hours drive from Kigali international airport make it the most accessible gorilla national park in the world.

Besides gorillas, Volcanoes National park is a home for golden monkeys, a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects among other creatures which together make a complete Rwanda safari package.

Spanning on a 160 sqkm area in the northern part of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is part of the great Virunga volcano conservation region spanning to cover Virunga National Park Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

It was initially a small area around Karisimbi, Mikeno and Visoke volcanoes which was gazetted to protect the Mountain gorillas which were facing the threat of extinction as a result of poaching.

There are about 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park that are visited by tourists everyday.

Each gorilla family is led by a giant silverback which is responsible for overseeing day-to-day activities of the whole group.

Volcanoes National Park

History of Volcanoes National Park

In 1929, Volcanoes national park was extended into Rwanda and the then Belgian Congo and was named Albert national park managed and run by the Belgian Colonial Authorities.

During the early 1960s, the park was divided as Rwanda and Congo gained their independence and by the end of that decade, the park was almost half of its original size.

In 1967, the American primatologist Dian Fossey who had been doing research on mountain Gorillas in the forests of Congo fled from insecurity and established her research base at a place between Visoke and Karisimbi volcanoes that was yet to be known as Karisoke research center.

She spearheaded the conservation campaign of the mountain gorillas and mobilized resources to fight against poaching in this area, a fight she put up until her murder in 1985. She was buried at the research center next to the grave of her favorite gorilla called Digit.

The park continued to suffer at the mercies of poachers though conservation efforts were also underway. In the early 1990s, the park became a battlefield for Rwanda’s civil war which paralyzed tourism activities until 1999.

In 2005, in a bid to boost conservation and gorilla tours in Volcanoes national park, Rwanda introduced the annual baby naming ceremony for baby gorillas known as ‘Kwita Iziina’ which has seen great results in as far as gorilla population in volcanoes is concerned.

Flora and Fauna in Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is a rich ecosystem, a habitat with vibrant and unique mammal species. Mountain gorillas and Golden monkeys are most recognized than other wildlife species because the Virunga volcanos region is their only habitat on earth.

There is high mammal presence in the park, though harder to spot because of hilly and rugged terrain, in a thick and enclosed rainforest. The mammals in such habitat adapt to a solitary or pair lifestyle, shy away from intruders and are very aggressive if cornered in tight corners.

 Save for rare physical encounters, there are signs that indeed show Forest elephants, buffaloes, bushpigs, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, duikers, vervet and colobus monkeys and other primate species reside in the park.

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is very popular as a Rwanda gorilla trek and Golden monkeytracking destination. There are other Rwanda travel destinations to easily spot and have maximum interaction with the rest of mammal species.

Bird species

Volcanoes National Park is on the edge where the West African rainforests meet the East African savannas. It is a region where the Virunga volcano region meets the great East African rift. Lake Kivu is just a few kilometres close.

These factors are a magnet that attracts birds into an area and play an important role in the bird presence in the Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park is an Important Birding Area for Rwanda birding safaris with more than 200 recorded bird species sightings.

This is a Rwanda birding safaris destination and the ideal place to spot a number of Albertine rift endemic bird species. Rwenzori batis, Handsome francolin, Grauer’s rush warbler, Rwenzori turaco, Archer’s ground robin, Rwenzori double collared sunbird, Collared Apalis, Red-faced woodland warbler.

Other wildlife species in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

In addition to mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), Volcanoes national park is home to golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), buffaloes (Syncerus caffer), elephants, black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus niger), and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus). The park also harbors 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to Rwenzori mountains and the Virungas.

Golden monkey tracking complement gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park with hundreds of these beautiful and amazing primates always available for visitors to see.

The tomb of American primatologist Dian Fossey who initiated gorilla protection in the Virunga Mountains lies at Karisoke Research Centre within Volcanoes National Park where travellers visit regularly for a tribute.

How to Get to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is located in a small village called Musanze previously well-known as Ruhengeri, which is very accessible by public transport from Gisenyi or Kigali or from the airport. The drive to Volcanoes national park is 2 hrs and hence one can do gorilla tracking on the same day and drive back to Kigali after the trek.

Those on Rwanda safaris to trek will be required to arrive at the headquarters of ORTPN in Kinigi, at the park entrance, by 7:00 am, therefore, if you hope to trek gorillas for one day, you have to wake up very early for your journey so that you are on time.

However, there isn’t any public transport from Musanze to the headquarters of the park at Kinigi.

Rwanda Gorilla Permit

The gorilla permit allows you to visit the endangered mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. The Rwanda gorilla permit is sold at $1,500 per person and it guarantees a traveler one hour in the presence of gorillas.

Majorly gorilla permits are booked through local tour agents who deposit on them for booking and finally purchase them on behalf of the traveller as the trekking day approaches.

Due to the high demand and the strict gorilla conservation regulations in Rwanda, which limit the number of permits to be issued per day, travellers are recommended to make permit bookings at least six months before their trekking date.

There are 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park and each family is visited by only 8 trekkers per day. This means that Rwanda issues only 80 gorilla permits per day for gorilla trekking. Read more.

Accommodation in and around Volcanoes National Park

There are a variety of accommodation facilities within and around Volcanoes National Park ranging from luxury to midrange and budget facilities to cater for all categories of travellers. Here is the list of some of the hotels and lodges around Volcanoes National Park.

What to wear for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park?

Gorilla trekking is a unique adventurous exercise with unique requirements especially in terms of trekking gear. Here is the list of gorilla trekking gear and the packing list.

Best time to visit Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park takes place throughout the year. The best time to go to Rwanda for gorilla trekking is the dry season is preferably the best time to visit the park.

Here is the full guide on when to visit Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda’s weather, seasons, what to carry for your trip, among others.

Activities in Volcanoes Narional Park

Gorilla trekking safaris

Volcanoes National Park is a very popular Rwanda safari destination because of Mountain gorilla trekking expeditions. Mountain gorilla trekking is probably the best wilderness adventure activity on the African continent that gets travelers more personal than ever to wildlife.

Mountain gorilla trekking safaris into Rwanda are adventurous, exciting, fun and educative. During gorilla trekking you will embark on your hikes to the different virunga mountains depending on the different gorilla groups that are assigned to you.

The karisimbi gorilla group is found on mount karisimbi, the Ugenda gorilla family is usually found along the slopes of mount sabyinyo among other gorilla families.

The Rwanda gorilla trekking process in the park is quite interesting because you will get to see a number of attractions including the different bird species, the golden monkeys among other species.

 In the park, you will get to the bamboo trees where the gorillas are found, you will get to see the behavior of the gentle giants while in the wild, for instance, their feeding patterns you will see infants suckling the breasts of their mothers for food.

You will also see them eating the bamboo trees which is quite an exhilarating experience to come in contact with the primates whom you will see in an hour you get to spend with the gorillas, photography can also be carried out to keep exciting memories of your experience with the gentle giants.

Bird watching

Volcanoes National Park is an Important Birding Areas (IBA) in Rwanda with some unique bird species that are a lot harder to spot elsewhere. It is a poular Rwanda birding safari destination with rare Albertine rift endemic species.

Teams of birding enthusiasts set out early morning, wander into the rainforest in search of priority forests birds hidden in the canopy or forest floors. Quite often, they get an opportunity to spot their prefered bird species.

Golden Monkey Tracking

Golden monkey is another primate species resident in the larger Virunga volcano region and Volcanoes National Park in particular for Rwanda. Study and research into the lifestyle of Golden Monkey are not as pronounced as Mountain gorillas, but in reality, the two wildlife species are equally threatened.

Golden monkey tracking expeditions set out early morning at Kinigi tourism office and traverse the valleys and wetland vegetation in search of feeding areas; thick bamboo forest. Bamboo shoot is Golden monkeys’ chief diet and rarely goes beyond bamboo zones.

The Golden monkeys are beautiful, charming, very active and very entertaining to track. The golden monkeys are highly social creatures that live in different groups depending on the elevation that is to say the size of the group is dependent on food where food is readily available, you will get to see a high concentration of the monkey species.

Hiking

The entire Virunga volcano region is beautiful with steep mountains touching the skies. Lush, mist covered rainforests surround their berries. Travelers on safari into Rwanda gets enticed to drown in the greenery and discover what lies underneath.

Mt Karisimbi

Mt Karisimbi 4,507m is a dormant volcano along the borderline with DR Congo. It is the tallest of the Virunga volcanoes and eleveneeth highest ground on the Africa continent.

Hiking to the white capped summit of Mt Karisimbi is a 2-day exciting activity that involves encounters with beautiful land features, unique alpine and forest bird species, primate species; some lucky hiking teams have met Mountain gorillas.

The hiking gives travelers magnificent sceneries of landscapes below and beyond. The going to Mount Karisimbi is quite steep and good navigation is required not only through the lower slopes, but also on the mountain itself. It consists of secondary jungle and in the most gives an aerie appearance.

Since mount Karisimbi is the highest and the steepest mountain among the Virunga Mountains in the park that will offer the most amazing experiences it is important to know the best time to visit the park and carry out the Karisimbi mountain hike.

If you’re interested in hiking the mountain, it is better to carry out the hike during the dry season when the ground in the park is not slippery.Therefore the best time to participate in the mountain Karisimbi hike is during the dry months of December to February which is the shortest dry period and from September to mid-December which is the long dry season where you can still carry out the activity.

Mt Bisoke

Mt Bisoke3,771m is an inactive volcano and a popular 1-day hiking expedition destination on tour into Rwanda. Mount Bisoke, like the rest of the volcanic mountains has covered in thick rainforest. It is habitat to unique wildlife species.

The Karisoke Research Centre, where Mountain gorilla habituation started from is in Bisoke foothills and is home range for Mountain gorilla families.

It is an dormant volcano with a crater lake on its top and it’s located just adjacent to the Lake Kivu but inside Volcanoes National Park at the boarder of Rwanda and Congo therefore you can access it from Congo’s Virunga National Park.

During your Safari in Rwanda, to hike this mountain, you will walk along steep slopes which are densely covered by the equatorial rainforest and also some alpine meadows.

Around this place, you can find some endangered gorillas. Interested hikers should know the hike is not that tough though might be very hectic for the inexperienced hikers because this high elevation requires you to have a lot of strength to climb and also to walk through that whole excursion.

This may be a whole day adventure depending on how frequent you are stopping and your speed but at the end of it, you will realize that it was worthwhile. There are 2 cones on the northern side, just 11km away from the peak and these were formed by an eruption that happened in 1957.

No hiker should ever miss the walk along the crater edges; visit Lake Ngezi which is a small and shallow crater lake. While hiking, you will go through different vegetation covers beginning with the bamboo forests, from there you will climb higher and go through the Hagenia – Hypericum forest and then at the top.

You will find the Senecio – Lobelia bush, at this point you will be very close to the peak. You can go for the Bisoke mountain hike after gorilla tracking in Volcanoes national park. Reservations should be made prior to your arrival like the day before so that necessary arrangements are made so if you are tracking gorillas before, payment should be done on that day.

Nature Walks

Nature walks: The cool breezes and the excitement of the tour into Rwanda raise the adventure adrenalin. Most travelers on safari into Rwanda are enticed to drown into the greenery of lush vegetation, wander into the wilderness and discover the beauty beyond many peoples reach.

Musanze Caves

Musanze Caves; a trail leads into the rainforests and the underground caves formed in ancient history by volcanic erruptions. The size, the beauty and the ambiance of 2-kilometre long Musanze caves mesmerize travelers on tour into Rwanda.

A walk into Musanze caves that have stairs and walkway, is an exciting way travelers on tour of Rwanda maximise their adventure into the wilderness and appreciate the geographic forces of nature. Caves do include smaller underground spaces like the sea caves or rock shelters and even the grottos.

The Musanze caves which you will have an opportunity to see on your safari in Rwanda are the results of volcanic activities that took place around virunga volcanoes which is so close by these caves.

They are found in Musanze district particularly in Ruhengeri and they are a new addition to Rwanda’s tourism sites so hopefully they will turn out to be a great attraction in the near future.

Underneath there, the y cover a distance of 1.25 miles and it is believed to have been formed by lava basaltic layers that came from both Bisoke as well as the Sabyinyo volcanoes. Musanze is now commonly a visited cave since it is almost ready for all visitors.

They have set up walkways and stairs where they are needed, set up trails, as well as safety measures to avoid accidents while down there. The cave’s entrance is big enough covering more than 10 km and well proportionate with a number of other small passageways that lead off the main cave.

When you walk in, you will notice that this place is a home to a huge population of bats and you will see them hanging usually upside down in every one of those so many small rooms within the cave.

On the walls, there are also different plants species that have grown on to them and that greenery spill makes it beautiful for photography. Though this place is a tourist’s attraction now, it used to be shelter for the locals during the war times even during the modern era when the Rwanda genocide took place.

Out of respect to the local residents the visits in the caves are guided taking 2 to 3 hours explaining more about the history of the caves.

Scientists have expressed the desire to carry out their speleology which simply means the study and the exploration of all the different aspect of caves as well as the surrounding environment. Also caving or potholing may mean the act of exploring a cave for the purposes of recreation or science.

Dian Fossey Trail

Dian Fossey trail; Mountain gorilla expeditions are possible primarily because teams of researchers carry out scientific work, identify their behaviours and characters, their home range and habituate the Mountain gorillas to get used to human presence.

Dian Fossey, a conservation primatologist pioneered studies and research of the Mountain gorillas in Rwanda basing at Karisoke Research Centre in the foothills of Mt Bisoke. Travelers on tour into Rwanda walk the Dian Fossey trail to explore the wilderness, learn more about wildlife conservation and Mountain gorilla habitat.

The trail system is in memory and appreciation of the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey and the Teams at Karisoke Research Center.

Ibyacu Center

The Mountain gorillas have coexisted all the time with the indigenous Rwandan people in both positive and negative ways.

On the edges of the Volcanos National Park, an indigenous community have mobilised into a Mountain Gorilla Guardians’ formerly Iby’wacu Cultural Village to highlight the benefits of wildlife conservation and gorilla protection.

Travelers on tour into Rwanda visit the community to get into close touch with indigenous community and share life experiences. The exciting tour engages the travelers into songs, dances, storytelling, art, cultural rituals and ceremonies, passtime games, homestead structures and other mediums.

The travelers learn a lot about the African culture and lifestyles. Note that fees paid for the visit empower the indigenous communities; reduce on tensions and wildlife conflicts and ultimately minise pressure on wildlife resources.

What is unique about the Iby’iwacu cultural village is that a great majority of the men in this village are reformed poachers, who are now taking part in the conservation projects within the national park.

Visitors who pay a visit to the Iby’iwacu cultural village are entertained by the traditional Intore dance group through dance performances, folk tales and songs.

Visitors also get to take part in tradition cooking classes, preparation of local banana brew, milking cows and making products such as local ghee. Tourists can visit the Iby’iwacu cultural village after trekking mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

There are so many activities that you can engage in with the local ladies and other activities have to be done with the guidance of a trained tour guide.

Community walks

There are community walks and together with your guide and your host in the community can start your day with visiting to the community. Your host will take you to different tourism sites in the community. A community walk is the best chance you have to see how different families live their everyday lives in the home.

Visit the King’s hut

You can opt to go for a visit at the king’s house and when you get there, you will meet the care takers, get a local guide who will tell you a lot of amazing stories about the place and the kings, you will learn about the different meanings of every symbol within this palace from the local guide. You may, if you are willing be king for some few minutes or hours and so you will have the village leader through some sort of village ceremony enthroned you to the throne and you are free to exercise kings’ powers for that while.

Participate in traditional dances and music

Rwanda has about 8 different types of traditional dance and music. When it comes to music and dancing, everybody including the women, kids, men and the youths find this really interesting.

They can always teach you how to dance a few styles like the Intore dances, learn about the Agakenke drumming styles and many more others. There are some popular songs they call the songs of the gorillas and you can learn about them too.

Visit the Batwa community

The Batwa are the indigenous people of most the forested areas around the volcanoes and you can visit their families to learn all you need to know about them.

 While they were originally gatherers, they are adopting modern means of living and so have started different income generating activities like pottery making so if you want some lessons, get engaged in pottery making sessions when you will go visit these Batwa people.

Besides pottery, you can get involved in the everyday work if you wish to know better and you can certain to have a wonderful time.

There are so many other activities that you can engage in like visiting the different local schools or check out the women when they are making their craft piece ore even join them in the kitchen while they are making lunch and then later share that meal with them.

You can participate in food preparation process which may include millet grinding with just stones, you may help carry the food from the garden and water from the wells on your heads and then later enter the local kitchen to start cooking with firewood.

Cultural tours can be very amazing because you have to directly interact with different people if you are to have different amazing cultural experiences from different people of different cultures.

Getting involved in their daily activities is the best way you can ever get to understand people’s cultures and ways of livelihood.

Agricultural tourism is also an activity because in some case, the tourists join the local people in their garden when they go planting, weeding or harvesting and in this case, they learn how it is done.

The climax of your visit may be being part of the Igitaramo which an event where you all have to come around a fire camp just before sunset for some entertainment through dance and drummer.

There will be a lot of storytelling, riddles from the storytellers who are often old people. It is fun and educative experience.

Kwita-Izina Ceremony

Kwita Izina is also known as the baby gorilla naming. Mountain gorillas live in families and each individual has a databank with its bio records; names, age, gender, family, biological parents, health status, deformities, characters and the like.

Each Mountain gorilla trekking team visits a particular family in the rainforest. Baby gorilla naming is a periodic cultural ceremony held to cerebrate birth of new members in Mountain gorilla families. Music, dance, songs, drama, story telling, eats and drinks accompany the ceremony.

 Select international celebrities with an attachment to wildlife conservation always participate in giving names the baby gorillas.Closely modelled on a tradition that has been part of Rwandan culture for centuries, the ceremony is a reminder of our close relation to these great apes who share 99% of our DNA.

 It was adopted in 2005 to create awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla.

“A names professes the aspiration parents have for their children” explained the Rwanda Development Board Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kariza.

“So we determine our own destiny through the names we give our children. In a way we are defining our common destiny through Kwita Izina – we are defining where we want to go.”

This is exercise of gorilla naming is a traditional practice that was done by Rwandans now introduced in mountain gorilla family as one way of promoting conservation of these endangered animals worldwide.

This would never happened without the help of the local community that is why there is the 5% contribution from the revenue sharing scheme of the tourism sector that is sent back to help them in their development activities.

Among the projects done through revenue sharing scheme is the set up of Imbaraga Farmers Cooperative which is an agriculture and livestock farming cooperative and the main reason it was to help farmers with the different agricultural challenges, so said Maria Patricia Uwisunze the cooperative president.

She added that this cooperative has over 25.000 members that practice developed agriculture and therefore are able to improve on their livelihoods. Through this cooperative, farmers get development livestock farming ideas so that they can gain better productivity from their farming.

Besides this, RDB has been able to construct over 57 primary schools in over 13 districts and these are serving over 13,680 students, one of them being the Basumba Primary School found in Nyabihu district that was officially opened before the festival.

How to Get to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is located northeast of Rwanda close to border with Uganda in the north and DR Congo in the west. The park is 2-hours drive on smooth road from Kigali that offers amazing experiences of Rwanda countryside.

The nearest big town, Musanze 20-minutes drive close for travelers on tour of Rwanda who are comfortable urban life. Cyanika international borderpost with Uganda is 30-minutes drive by road and an easy way to extend safaris between the two countries. Akagera Aviation offers faster helicopter charter flights to Kinigi.

Best Time For Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Best time for Gorilla trekking is not specific as Mountain Gorillas are trekked throughout the year, however knowing the best time for gorilla trekking is very helpful since each season comes with its great advantage and disadvantage.

Best time for Gorilla trekking in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and Uganda can be specified because there are two rainy seasons. The short season takes place in October and November, the longer one from mid march to May. The remaining months mainly are dry seasons.

High season

The Best time for Gorilla trekking are the months of January, February, June, July, August, September and December. The areas have less rainfall at times with no rain at all.

A traveler chose these months as the best for Gorilla trekking even though these months are on a high demand for Gorilla permits. The traveller should book their permits in advance and at least three months pro to the date or you can chose to pay 30% of the total cost.

Best time for Gorilla trekking is during the Dry seasons. They are most prefered for trekking the mountain Gorillas, since the forests are less slippery.

Trekking in the high seasons is expensive towards the accommodation compared to low season when the lodges are cheaper.

Low Season

Low season is the best time for gorilla trekking for budget trekkers. Trekking in this time is good because the accommodations are lowered at a budget rate. In the months of March, April, May and November, the rains of this month’s are discouraging.

Tips for Tracking Gorillas in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking is the most enjoyed tourism activity for anyone visiting Rwanda. However many people do not know how best to prepare for this exciting and lifetime memorable adventure. In this article we have offered you the 10 best tips or guidelines to help you prepare for your gorilla safari in Rwanda.

Be Realistic About Your Fitness Level

Rwanda is a mountainous county and the hikes a bit steep. Talk to your Rwanda tour operator about your fitness and they will advice accordingly. There is always a provision for the disabled and elder at an extra cost.

Make A Research On The Gorilla Groups Before Trekking

Do your research about the respective Mountain gorilla groups and advice on which you would like to track depending on the hike. If you are physically fine track the other groups and leave the simple ones to the ill and weak

Hire Porters

Even when you are physically okay, it is advisable that you hire porters to help you carry your bags such that you are not too tired when you meet the gorillas

Wear the Appropriate Clothing For Gorilla Trekking

Put on light layers that you can easily put off when it gets hot. Carry a rain coast since you do not know when it will rain. Hiking boots is just obvious.

What to Carry With You

You will need bottled drinking water, a snack, camera, sunscreen, a hat and preferably a small back pack in which to carry these.

How to Use Your Camera In Front Of Gorillas

Keep the distance that has been advised by the guide and ensure that the flash of your camera is off as this irritates the gorillas.

Volcanoes National Park Rwanda is one of the 3 homes of the endangered mountain gorillas within the Virunga Mountains. It features all you need to know about the park and everything in it including Wildlife, gorilla safaris, vegetation, Volcanoes, Dian Fossey tomb, among others.

A gorilla tour to Volcanoes national park is a purely life-changing experience which rewards travellers with a close encounter to our wild cousins, the endangered mountain gorillas with whom we share 98% of our DNA.

Volcanoes National Park, also known as Parc National des Volcans in french and Pariki y’Igihugu y’Ibirunga in native Kinyarwanda sits on the north-western province of Rwanda in a small town known as Musanze (formerly known as Ruhengeri).

park is apparently the oldest national park in the entire African continent and harbors the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda that are always available for tourists who would love to carry out gorilla tracking in Rwanda.

Volcanoes National Park borders Virunga National Park in DRC and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in south-western Uganda. Besides its huge population of Mountain Gorillas, this park also harbors the endangered Golden Monkeys, primate specie that apparently offers the best diverse tourism activity within the national park at the moment.

Volcanoes National Park also shelters five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains which are: Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo) covering over 160 km2 of rain forest and bamboo.

Several years ago, this same park acted as a base for American zoologist Dian Fossey – A lady who turned out to be so passionate about Gorilla conservation that her works still live on till today.

The prime attraction of the park are the endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) with a lot other mammals that also inhabit its plains. Some of these mammals include: golden monkeys, buffaloes, black-fronted duiker, hyenas then bushbucks.

A few reports also clam that a small number of elephants can be found at the park but on very rare occasions. The bird life spans at 178 species, with about 12 of the main species and 15 of the subspecies being endemic to the Virunga conservation area and the great Ruwenzori Mountains.

Several activities are run by the Rwanda Development Board for tourists with the main one being gorilla trekking. Other activities however include Golden Monkey tracking, twin lakes visit, mountaineering, visiting Dian Fossey’s tomb, touring Iby’Iwacu cultural village plus a few community visits.

There for the best of Rwanda gorilla trekking, Rwanda golden monkey trekking, and the rest of Rwanda safari, volcanoes national park Rwanda offers an incresible experience for all those that want to Enjoy the splendor that volcanoes national park offers.

About Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Volcanoes national park is a stop centre for all Rwanda gorilla safaris sheltering the highest number of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Conservation area. The strategic location of the VNP roughly 2 hours drive from Kigali international airport make it the most accessible gorilla national park in the world.

Besides gorillas, Volcanoes National park is a home for golden monkeys, a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects among other creatures which together make a complete Rwanda safari package.

Spanning on a 160 sqkm area in the northern part of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is part of the great Virunga volcano conservation region spanning to cover Virunga National Park Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

It was initially a small area around Karisimbi, Mikeno and Visoke volcanoes which was gazetted to protect the Mountain gorillas which were facing the threat of extinction as a result of poaching.

There are about 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park that are visited by tourists everyday.

Each gorilla family is led by a giant silverback which is responsible for overseeing day-to-day activities of the whole group.

History of Volcanoes National Park

In 1929, Volcanoes national park was extended into Rwanda and the then Belgian Congo and was named Albert national park managed and run by the Belgian Colonial Authorities.

During the early 1960s, the park was divided as Rwanda and Congo gained their independence and by the end of that decade, the park was almost half of its original size.

In 1967, the American primatologist Dian Fossey who had been doing research on mountain Gorillas in the forests of Congo fled from insecurity and established her research base at a place between Visoke and Karisimbi volcanoes that was yet to be known as Karisoke research center.

She spearheaded the conservation campaign of the mountain gorillas and mobilized resources to fight against poaching in this area, a fight she put up until her murder in 1985. She was buried at the research center next to the grave of her favorite gorilla called Digit.

The park continued to suffer at the mercies of poachers though conservation efforts were also underway. In the early 1990s, the park became a battlefield for Rwanda’s civil war which paralyzed tourism activities until 1999.

In 2005, in a bid to boost conservation and gorilla tours in Volcanoes national park, Rwanda introduced the annual baby naming ceremony for baby gorillas known as ‘Kwita Iziina’ which has seen great results in as far as gorilla population in volcanoes is concerned.

Flora and Fauna in Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is a rich ecosystem, a habitat with vibrant and unique mammal species. Mountain gorillas and Golden monkeys are most recognized than other wildlife species because the Virunga volcanos region is their only habitat on earth.

There is high mammal presence in the park, though harder to spot because of hilly and rugged terrain, in a thick and enclosed rainforest. The mammals in such habitat adapt to a solitary or pair lifestyle, shy away from intruders and are very aggressive if cornered in tight corners.

 Save for rare physical encounters, there are signs that indeed show Forest elephants, buffaloes, bushpigs, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, duikers, vervet and colobus monkeys and other primate species reside in the park.

Volcanoes National Park is very popular as a Rwanda gorilla trek and Golden monkeytracking destination. There are other Rwanda travel destinations to easily spot and have maximum interaction with the rest of mammal species.

Bird species

Volcanoes National Park is on the edge where the West African rainforests meet the East African savannas. It is a region where the Virunga volcano region meets the great East African rift. Lake Kivu is just a few kilometres close.

These factors are a magnet that attracts birds into an area and play an important role in the bird presence in the Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park is an Important Birding Area for Rwanda birding safaris with more than 200 recorded bird species sightings.

This is a Rwanda birding safaris destination and the ideal place to spot a number of Albertine rift endemic bird species. Rwenzori batis, Handsome francolin, Grauer’s rush warbler, Rwenzori turaco, Archer’s ground robin, Rwenzori double collared sunbird, Collared Apalis, Red-faced woodland warbler.

Other wildlife species in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

In addition to mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), Volcanoes national park is home to golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), buffaloes (Syncerus caffer), elephants, black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus niger), and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus). The park also harbors 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to Rwenzori mountains and the Virungas.

Golden monkey tracking complement gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park with hundreds of these beautiful and amazing primates always available for visitors to see.

The tomb of American primatologist Dian Fossey who initiated gorilla protection in the Virunga Mountains lies at Karisoke Research Centre within Volcanoes National Park where travellers visit regularly for a tribute.

How to Get to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is located in a small village called Musanze previously well-known as Ruhengeri, which is very accessible by public transport from Gisenyi or Kigali or from the airport. The drive to Volcanoes national park is 2 hrs and hence one can do gorilla tracking on the same day and drive back to Kigali after the trek.

You will be required to arrive at the headquarters of ORTPN in Kinigi, at the park entrance, by 7:00 am, therefore, if you hope to trek gorillas for one day, you have to wake up very early for your journey so that you are on time.

However, there isn’t any public transport from Musanze to the headquarters of the park at Kinigi.

Rwanda Gorilla Permit

The gorilla permit allows you to visit the endangered mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. The Rwanda gorilla permit is sold at $1,500 per person and it guarantees a traveler one hour in the presence of gorillas.

Majorly gorilla permits are booked through local tour agents who deposit on them for booking and finally purchase them on behalf of the traveller as the trekking day approaches.

Due to the high demand and the strict gorilla conservation regulations in Rwanda, which limit the number of permits to be issued per day, travellers are recommended to make permit bookings at least six months before their trekking date.

There are 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park and each family is visited by only 8 trekkers per day. This means that Rwanda issues only 80 gorilla permits per day for gorilla trekking. Read more.

Accommodation in and around Volcanoes National Park

There are a variety of accommodation facilities within and around Volcanoes National Park ranging from luxury to midrange and budget facilities to cater for all categories of travellers. Here is the list of some of the hotels and lodges around Volcanoes National Park.

What to wear for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park?

Gorilla trekking is a unique adventurous exercise with unique requirements especially in terms of trekking gear. Here is the list of gorilla trekking gear and the packing list.

Best time to visit Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park takes place throughout the year though the dry season is preferably the best time to visit the park. Here is the full guide on when to visit Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda’s weather, seasons, what to carry for your trip, among others.

Activities in Volcanoes Narional Park

Gorilla trekking safaris

Volcanoes National Park is a very popular Rwanda safari destination because of Mountain gorilla trekking expeditions. Mountain gorilla trekking is probably the best wilderness adventure activity on the African continent that gets travelers more personal than ever to wildlife.

Mountain gorilla trekking safaris into Rwanda are adventurous, exciting, fun and educative. During gorilla trekking you will embark on your hikes to the different virunga mountains depending on the different gorilla groups that are assigned to you.

The karisimbi gorilla group is found on mount karisimbi, the Ugenda gorilla family is usually found along the slopes of mount sabyinyo among other gorilla families.

The gorilla trekking process in the park is quite interesting because you will get to see a number of attractions including the different bird species, the golden monkeys among other species.

 In the park, you will get to the bamboo trees where the gorillas are found, you will get to see the behavior of the gentle giants while in the wild, for instance, their feeding patterns you will see infants suckling the breasts of their mothers for food.

You will also see them eating the bamboo trees which is quite an exhilarating experience to come in contact with the primates whom you will see in an hour you get to spend with the gorillas, photography can also be carried out to keep exciting memories of your experience with the gentle giants.

Bird watching

Volcanoes National Park is an Important Birding Areas (IBA) in Rwanda with some unique bird species that are a lot harder to spot elsewhere. It is a poular Rwanda birding safari destination with rare Albertine rift endemic species.

Teams of birding enthusiasts set out early morning, wander into the rainforest in search of priority forests birds hidden in the canopy or forest floors. Quite often, they get an opportunity to spot their prefered bird species.

Golden Monkey Tracking

Golden monkey is another primate species resident in the larger Virunga volcano region and Volcanoes National Park in particular for Rwanda. Study and research into the lifestyle of Golden Monkey are not as pronounced as Mountain gorillas, but in reality, the two wildlife species are equally threatened.

Golden monkey tracking expeditions set out early morning at Kinigi tourism office and traverse the valleys and wetland vegetation in search of feeding areas; thick bamboo forest. Bamboo shoot is Golden monkeys’ chief diet and rarely goes beyond bamboo zones.

The Golden monkeys are beautiful, charming, very active and very entertaining to track. The golden monkeys are highly social creatures that live in different groups depending on the elevation that is to say the size of the group is dependent on food where food is readily available, you will get to see a high concentration of the monkey species.

Hiking

The entire Virunga volcano region is beautiful with steep mountains touching the skies. Lush, mist covered rainforests surround their berries. Travelers on safari into Rwanda gets enticed to drown in the greenery and discover what lies underneath.

Mt Karisimbi

Mt Karisimbi 4,507m is a dormant volcano along the borderline with DR Congo. It is the tallest of the Virunga volcanoes and eleveneeth highest ground on the Africa continent.

Hiking to the white capped summit of Mt Karisimbi is a 2-day exciting activity that involves encounters with beautiful land features, unique alpine and forest bird species, primate species; some lucky hiking teams have met Mountain gorillas.

The hiking gives travelers magnificent sceneries of landscapes below and beyond. The going to Mount Karisimbi is quite steep and good navigation is required not only through the lower slopes, but also on the mountain itself. It consists of secondary jungle and in the most gives an aerie appearance.

Since mount Karisimbi is the highest and the steepest mountain among the Virunga Mountains in the park that will offer the most amazing experiences it is important to know the best time to visit the park and carry out the Karisimbi mountain hike.

If you’re interested in hiking the mountain, it is better to carry out the hike during the dry season when the ground in the park is not slippery.Therefore the best time to participate in the mountain Karisimbi hike is during the dry months of December to February which is the shortest dry period and from September to mid-December which is the long dry season where you can still carry out the activity.

Mt Bisoke

Mt Bisoke3,771m is an inactive volcano and a popular 1-day hiking expedition destination on tour into Rwanda. Mount Bisoke, like the rest of the volcanic mountains has covered in thick rainforest. It is habitat to unique wildlife species.

The Karisoke Research Centre, where Mountain gorilla habituation started from is in Bisoke foothills and is home range for Mountain gorilla families.

It is an dormant volcano with a crater lake on its top and it’s located just adjacent to the Lake Kivu but inside Volcanoes National Park at the boarder of Rwanda and Congo therefore you can access it from Congo’s Virunga National Park.

During your Safari in Rwanda to Volcanoes national park to hike this mountain, you will walk along steep slopes which are densely covered by the equatorial rainforest and also some alpine meadows.

Around this place, you can find some endangered gorillas. Interested hikers should know the hike is not that tough though might be very hectic for the inexperienced hikers because this high elevation requires you to have a lot of strength to climb and also to walk through that whole excursion.

This may be a whole day adventure depending on how frequent you are stopping and your speed but at the end of it, you will realize that it was worthwhile. There are 2 cones on the northern side, just 11km away from the peak and these were formed by an eruption that happened in 1957.

No hiker should ever miss the walk along the crater edges; visit Lake Ngezi which is a small and shallow crater lake. While hiking, you will go through different vegetation covers beginning with the bamboo forests, from there you will climb higher and go through the Hagenia – Hypericum forest and then at the top.

You will find the Senecio – Lobelia bush, at this point you will be very close to the peak. You can go for the Bisoke mountain hike after gorilla tracking in Volcanoes national park. Reservations should be made prior to your arrival like the day before so that necessary arrangements are made so if you are tracking gorillas before, payment should be done on that day.

Nature Walks

Nature walks: The cool breezes and the excitement of the tour into Rwanda raise the adventure adrenalin. Most travelers on safari into Rwanda are enticed to drown into the greenery of lush vegetation, wander into the wilderness and discover the beauty beyond many peoples reach.

Musanze Caves

Musanze Caves; a trail leads into the rainforests and the underground caves formed in ancient history by volcanic erruptions. The size, the beauty and the ambiance of 2-kilometre long Musanze caves mesmerize travelers on tour into Rwanda.

A walk into Musanze caves that have stairs and walkway, is an exciting way travelers on tour of Rwanda maximise their adventure into the wilderness and appreciate the geographic forces of nature. Caves do include smaller underground spaces like the sea caves or rock shelters and even the grottos.

The Musanze caves which you will have an opportunity to see on your safari in Rwanda are the results of volcanic activities that took place around virunga volcanoes which is so close by these caves.

They are found in Musanze district particularly in Ruhengeri and they are a new addition to Rwanda’s tourism sites so hopefully they will turn out to be a great attraction in the near future.

Underneath there, the y cover a distance of 1.25 miles and it is believed to have been formed by lava basaltic layers that came from both Bisoke as well as the Sabyinyo volcanoes. Musanze is now commonly a visited cave since it is almost ready for all visitors.

They have set up walkways and stairs where they are needed, set up trails, as well as safety measures to avoid accidents while down there. The cave’s entrance is big enough covering more than 10 km and well proportionate with a number of other small passageways that lead off the main cave.

When you walk in, you will notice that this place is a home to a huge population of bats and you will see them hanging usually upside down in every one of those so many small rooms within the cave.

On the walls, there are also different plants species that have grown on to them and that greenery spill makes it beautiful for photography. Though this place is a tourist’s attraction now, it used to be shelter for the locals during the war times even during the modern era when the Rwanda genocide took place.

Out of respect to the local residents the visits in the caves are guided taking 2 to 3 hours explaining more about the history of the caves.

Scientists have expressed the desire to carry out their speleology which simply means the study and the exploration of all the different aspect of caves as well as the surrounding environment. Also caving or potholing may mean the act of exploring a cave for the purposes of recreation or science.

Dian Fossey Trail

Dian Fossey trail; Mountain gorilla expeditions are possible primarily because teams of researchers carry out scientific work, identify their behaviours and characters, their home range and habituate the Mountain gorillas to get used to human presence.

Dian Fossey, a conservation primatologist pioneered studies and research of the Mountain gorillas in Rwanda basing at Karisoke Research Centre in the foothills of Mt Bisoke. Travelers on tour into Rwanda walk the Dian Fossey trail to explore the wilderness, learn more about wildlife conservation and Mountain gorilla habitat.

The trail system is in memory and appreciation of the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey and the Teams at Karisoke Research Center.

Ibyacu Center

The Mountain gorillas have coexisted all the time with the indigenous Rwandan people in both positive and negative ways.

On the edges of the Volcanos National Park, an indigenous community have mobilised into a Mountain Gorilla Guardians’ formerly Iby’wacu Cultural Village to highlight the benefits of wildlife conservation and gorilla protection.

Travelers on tour into Rwanda visit the community to get into close touch with indigenous community and share life experiences. The exciting tour engages the travelers into songs, dances, storytelling, art, cultural rituals and ceremonies, passtime games, homestead structures and other mediums.

The travelers to Volcanoes national park learn a lot about the African culture and lifestyles. Note that fees paid for the visit empower the indigenous communities; reduce on tensions and wildlife conflicts and ultimately minise pressure on wildlife resources.

What is unique about the Iby’iwacu cultural village is that a great majority of the men in this village are reformed poachers, who are now taking part in the conservation projects within the national park.

Visitors in Volcanoes national park who pay a visit to the Iby’iwacu cultural village are entertained by the traditional Intore dance group through dance performances, folk tales and songs.

Visitors to Volcanoes national park also get to take part in tradition cooking classes, preparation of local banana brew, milking cows and making products such as local ghee. Tourists can visit the Iby’iwacu cultural village after trekking mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

There are so many activities that you can engage in with the local ladies and other activities have to be done with the guidance of a trained tour guide.

Community walks

There are community walks and together with your guide and your host in the community can start your day with visiting to the community around Volcanoes national park.

Your host will take you to different tourism sites in the community. A community walk is the best chance you have to see how different families live their everyday lives in the home.

Visit the King’s hut

You can opt to go for a visit at the king’s house and when you get there, you will meet the care takers, get a local guide who will tell you a lot of amazing stories about the place and the kings, you will learn about the different meanings of every symbol within this palace from the local guide.

You may, if you are willing be king for some few minutes or hours and so you will have the village leader through some sort of village ceremony enthroned you to the throne and you are free to exercise kings’ powers for that while.

Participate in traditional dances and music

Rwanda has about 8 different types of traditional dance and music. When it comes to music and dancing, everybody including the women, kids, men and the youths find this really interesting.

They can always teach you how to dance a few styles like the Intore dances, learn about the Agakenke drumming styles and many more others. There are some popular songs they call the songs of the gorillas and you can learn about them too.

Visit the Batwa community

The Batwa are the indigenous people of most the forested areas around the volcanoes and you can visit their families to learn all you need to know about them.

While they were originally gatherers, they are adopting modern means of living and so have started different income generating activities like pottery making so if you want some lessons, get engaged in pottery making sessions when you will go visit these Batwa people.

Besides pottery, you can get involved in the everyday work if you wish to know better and you can certain to have a wonderful time.

There are so many other activities that you can engage in when in Volcanoes national park like visiting the different local schools or check out the women when they are making their craft piece ore even join them in the kitchen while they are making lunch and then later share that meal with them.

You can participate in food preparation process which may include millet grinding with just stones, you may help carry the food from the garden and water from the wells on your heads and then later enter the local kitchen to start cooking with firewood.

Cultural tours around Volcanoes national park can be very amazing because you have to directly interact with different people if you are to have different amazing cultural experiences from different people of different cultures.

Getting involved in their daily activities is the best way you can ever get to understand people’s cultures and ways of livelihood.

Agricultural tourism is also an activity because in some case, the tourists join the local people in their garden when they go planting, weeding or harvesting and in this case, they learn how it is done.

The climax of your visit to Volcanoes national park may be being part of the Igitaramo which an event where you all have to come around a fire camp just before sunset for some entertainment through dance and drummer.

There will be a lot of storytelling, riddles from the storytellers who are often old people. It is fun and educative experience.

Kwita-Izina Ceremony

Kwita Izina is also known as the baby gorilla naming. Mountain gorillas live in families and each individual has a databank with its bio records; names, age, gender, family, biological parents, health status, deformities, characters and the like.

Each Mountain gorilla trekking team visits a particular family in the rainforest. Baby gorilla naming is a periodic cultural ceremony held to cerebrate birth of new members in Mountain gorilla families. Music, dance, songs, drama, story telling, eats and drinks accompany the ceremony.

Select international celebrities with an attachment to wildlife conservation always participate in giving names the baby gorillas.Closely modelled on a tradition that has been part of Rwandan culture for centuries, the ceremony is a reminder of our close relation to these great apes who share 99% of our DNA.

 It was adopted in 2005 to create awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla.

“A names professes the aspiration parents have for their children” explained the Rwanda Development Board Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kariza.

“So we determine our own destiny through the names we give our children. In a way we are defining our common destiny through Kwita Izina – we are defining where we want to go.”

This is exercise of gorilla naming is a traditional practice that was done by Rwandans now introduced in mountain gorilla family as one way of promoting conservation of these endangered animals worldwide.

This would never happened without the help of the local community that is why there is the 5% contribution from the revenue sharing scheme of the tourism sector that is sent back to help them in their development activities.

Among the projects done through revenue sharing scheme is the set up of Imbaraga Farmers Cooperative which is an agriculture and livestock farming cooperative and the main reason it was to help farmers with the different agricultural challenges, so said Maria Patricia Uwisunze the cooperative president.

She added that this cooperative has over 25.000 members that practice developed agriculture and therefore are able to improve on their livelihoods. Through this cooperative, farmers get development livestock farming ideas so that they can gain better productivity from their farming.

Besides this, RDB has been able to construct over 57 primary schools in over 13 districts and these are serving over 13,680 students, one of them being the Basumba Primary School found in Nyabihu district that was officially opened before the festival.

How to Get to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is located northeast of Rwanda close to border with Uganda in the north and DR Congo in the west. The park is 2-hours drive on smooth road from Kigali that offers amazing experiences of Rwanda countryside.

The nearest big town to Volcanoes national park, Musanze 20-minutes drive close for travelers on tour of Rwanda who are comfortable urban life.

Cyanika international borderpost with Uganda is 30-minutes drive by road and an easy way to extend safaris between the two countries. Akagera Aviation offers faster helicopter charter flights to Kinigi.

Best Time For Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Best time for Gorilla trekking is not specific as Mountain Gorillas are trekked throughout the year, however knowing the best time for gorilla trekking is very helpful since each season comes with its great advantage and disadvantage.

Best time for Gorilla trekking in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and Uganda can be specified because there are two rainy seasons. The short season takes place in October and November, the longer one from mid march to May. The remaining months mainly are dry seasons.

High season

The Best time for Gorilla trekking are the months of January, February, June, July, August, September and December. The areas have less rainfall at times with no rain at all.

A traveler chose these months as the best for Gorilla trekking even though these months are on a high demand for Gorilla permits. The traveller should book their permits in advance and at least three months pro to the date or you can chose to pay 30% of the total cost.

Best time for Gorilla trekking is during the Dry seasons. They are most prefered for trekking the mountain Gorillas, since the forests are less slippery.

Trekking in the high seasons is expensive towards the accommodation compared to low season when the lodges are cheaper.

Low Season

Low season is the best time for gorilla trekking for budget trekkers. Trekking in this time is good because the accommodations are lowered at a budget rate. In the months of March, April, May and November, the rains of this month’s are discouraging.

Tips for Tracking Gorillas in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking is the most enjoyed tourism activity for anyone visiting Rwanda. However many people do not know how best to prepare for this exciting and lifetime memorable adventure. In this article we have offered you the 10 best tips or guidelines to help you prepare for your gorilla safari in Rwanda.

Be Realistic About Your Fitness Level

Rwanda is a mountainous county and the hikes a bit steep. Talk to your Rwanda tour operator about your fitness and they will advice accordingly. There is always a provision for the disabled and elder at an extra cost.

Make A Research On The Gorilla Groups Before Trekking

Do your research about the respective Mountain gorilla groups and advice on which you would like to track depending on the hike. If you are physically fine track the other groups and leave the simple ones to the ill and weak

Hire Porters

Even when you are physically okay, it is advisable that you hire porters to help you carry your bags such that you are not too tired when you meet the gorillas

Wear the Appropriate Clothing For Gorilla Trekking

Put on light layers that you can easily put off when it gets hot. Carry a rain coast since you do not know when it will rain. Hiking boots is just obvious.

What to Carry With You

On your Rwanda tour to Volcanoes national park, you will need bottled drinking water, a snack, camera, sunscreen, a hat and preferably a small back pack in which to carry these.

How to Use Your Camera In Front Of Gorillas

Keep the distance that has been advised by the guide and ensure that the flash of your camera is off as this irritates the gorillas.

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