Parc National des Volcans Rwanda

Welcome to Rwanda, the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’!  Once in the country and you commence your Rwanda Gorilla safaris, a visit to magnificent Parc National des Volcans is a must not miss voyage. This National Park lies in the northwestern region of Rwanda towering up to over 15,000 feet.

Also Africa’s oldest National Park, occupies of 125 sq km of mountain forest; it borders Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and home to the world famous mountain gorillas.

A Rwanda Gorilla

Parc National des Volcans, a celebrated natural habitat compounding five of the eight Virunga volcanoes (Karisimbi (4,507 m), Visoke (3,711m), Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabinyo (3,534)) is managed by Rwanda’s Tourism and National Parks office (ORTPN). The Park boasts a rich variety of ecosystems teaming with carefully blended evergreen rainforests and bamboo, scanty grassland, swamp and heath. This kind of plant cover has made it the most reliable option for gorillas tracking in Rwanda and the region as a whole present with five habituated gorilla families.

Biodiversity

Parc National des Volcans take pride in its Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Other animal species also present here include: golden monkey, black-fronted duiker, buffalo, Spotted Hyena and bushbuck. There are also reported to be some elephants in the park, though these are now very rare. There are about 178 bird species recorded, with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virunga and Rwenzori Mountains.

Popular Safaris in Parc National des Volcans

Gorilla Tracking

Gorilla tracking tours – Musanze offers the base point for gorilla tours. There are four habituated groups open to tourists, and permits a total of 32 entries in a day. Vehicles are hired for this purpose from Musanze town. Tourists usually spend precious moments playing with the gorillas. Musanze is also only a 45-minute drive away from Gisenyi and the stunning Lake Kivu.

• Golden monkey visits.
• Karisimbi volcano trekking- this is a two day trek with overnight camping at an altitude of 3,800 m.
• Bisoke volcano trekking – one day.
• Caves and Lake Excursions.
• Dian Fossey tomb trails.

A breathtaking trail through the cultivated foothills of the Virungas offers inspiring sites. Many tourists’ trails enter the park and get trapped in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with sounds of colourful rare bird species and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and littered with roaming buffalo and elephant populations.

Park Accommodation

Kinigi Guest House on the foot of Mount Sabyinyo with luxury accommodation in cottages for two, four or eight people is now open for bookings. It also offers a good restaurant and bar. Hotel Muhabura in Musanze also offers cheap accommodation in reasonably priced single and double rooms. The hotel also has a sound restaurant and bar and phone facilities.