Volcanoe National Park Rwanda

Discover the updated travel guide to Volcanoes National Park, one of the top places to encounter mountain gorillas in the wild. Volcanoes National Park is located in Northwestern Rwanda and straddles the scenic Virunga Mountain ranges. It takes its name from the dormant Virunga volcanoes. Volcanoes National Park features as a premier gorilla tours destination in Rwanda, with primate adventure seekers having an option of exploring any of the 13 fully habituated gorilla families.

Volcanoes National Park lies in the Musanze (Ruhengeri) district. The Park’s headquarters are found in the Kinigi area, also within Musanze in the Northern Province of Rwanda. The Volcanoes National Park was established in 1925 and currently sits on an area of about 160 sq. km. This Park is ecologically endowed and also features up to 5 out of 8 Virunga Mountain ranges. The five Virunga conical volcanoes include Mt. Muhabura, Gahinga, Sabyinyo, Karisimbi, and Mt. Bisoke.

Previously, Volcanoes National Park formed part of the Albert National Park till 1929, when it was renamed. The Albert National Park also encompassed the present Virunga National Park in Congo and was administered by the Belgian Colonial Authorities. In the 1960s, Albert National Park was partitioned when both Rwanda and Congo were granted independence.

Around 1967, Dian Fossey visited Volcanoes National Park, where she created a research center called the Karisoke Research Center. This was after the intensified insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While in Volcanoes, she conducted research in mountain gorillas and campaigned against poaching, but unfortunately, she was mysteriously murdered in 1985. She was laid to rest around the research site close to the Digit gorilla, one of her favorite gorillas.

In the 1990s, Volcanoes National Park turned out to be a conflict zone following the outbreak of the civil war in Rwanda. The Park activities were disrupted till 1999. In 2005, in order to boost the gorilla conservation initiatives and tourism, the Kwita Izina was launched. The Kwita Izina now serves as an annual event when newborn gorillas are named and different dignitaries come to witness it.

The Attractions to Find in Volcanoes National Park, Musanze

The animals to explore

The Rwanda Volcanoes National Park is blessed with a diversity of wildlife, including mountain gorillas, which are the Park’s iconic attractions. The Park is also inhabited by buffaloes, golden monkeys, forest elephants, bushbuck, black-fronted duikers, spotted hyenas, and more.

The birds to sight

More than 200 species of birds live in Volcanoes National Park and include the Albertine Rift endemic species. The birds in Volcanoes National Park Musanze include the Grauer’s swamp, handsome spurfowl, strange weaver birds, red-faced woodland, lagden’s bush shrikes, Rwenzori double-collared sunbirds, Rwenzori turacos, Kivu ground thrush, collared apalis, dusky crimsonwing, Archer’s ground robin, copper sunbirds, red-chested sunbirds, regal sunbirds, red-tufted sunbirds, bronze sunbird, scarlet-chested sunbird, Northern double-collared sunbird, olive-bellied sunbird, stuhlmann’s sunbirds, cape robin-chat, white-starred robin, Ashy flycatchers, African dusky flycatchers, African thrush, Abyssinian ground thrush, mountain illadopsis, and common bulbul.

Other birds in Volcanoes National Park include Eurasian blackcap, green white-eye, Rwenzori hill babbler, red-faced woodland warblers, willow warbler, plain martin, Angola swallow, lesser striped swallow, barn swallow, mosque swallow, black sawing, wire-tailed swallow, rock martin, black-faced apalis, Carruthers’s cisticola, gray-capped warblers, tawny-flanked prinia, mountain yellow-warblers, cinnamon bracken-warblers, tropical boubou, brown-crowned tchagra, MacKinnon’s shrikes, northern fiscals, and African paradise-flycatchers, etc.

5 things to do in Volcanoes National Park, Ruhengeri

The five interesting activities to do in Volcanoes National Park include gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, volcano climbing, Dian Fossey tomb trek, and bird-watching. In the surrounding areas, tourists can engage in the cultural tour at Iby’Iwacu Village, explore the Twin Lake (Burera and Ruhondo), Lake Kivu tour, and caving tour in Musanze caves.

Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is a guided excursion whereby visitors are led by the park ranger guide to search for a group of mountain gorillas. Visitors begin their day with a briefing and allocation of gorilla groups plus tour guides. The actual trek begins at around 8:00 am and can take about 2 to 6 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas and the speed at which you walk.

The interesting bit is that visitors are guaranteed an hour to stay face-to-face with a family of gorillas. While in Volcanoes National Park, Musanze, the 13 habituated gorilla groups to visit include, among others, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Umubano group, Kwitonda, Bwenge, Agashya/Group 13, Ugenda, and others.

In addition to gorilla encounters, visitors also stand a chance to spot other species, including primates and many bird species. A valid Rwanda gorilla permit is needed for you to be allowed to visit the Park’s gorillas, and you can book one for USD 1500 per visitor.

Golden monkey tracking

Golden monkey tracking introduces you to the Volcanoes National Park jungles with a focus on exploring more about the rare golden monkeys. The Park is inhabited by 2 habituated troops of golden monkeys and ranges along the Sabyinyo volcano slopes.

Bird-watching trips

At Volcanoes National Park, birding tours offer enthusiastic birders a chance to identify varied species of birds. They include the red-faced woodland warblers, Archer’s ground robins, Rwenzori double-collared sunbirds, weird weaver birds, dusky crimsonwing, Rwenzori turacos, and more.

Volcanoes climbing with a guide

Guided hikes to explore the Rwanda Virunga Volcanoes start at Kinigi and you can be led by an experienced guide. The key conical volcanoes to hike in this Park include Karisimbi (4507m), Bisoke, Muhabura, and Gahinga.

Cultural encounters

Take a walk and visit the Iby’Iwacu Village located right at the adjacent park boundaries. At the Iby’Iwacu Village, you get the opportunity to learn more about Rwandan cultures, traditions, and practices. Expect to also learn more about how these ex-poachers have greatly supported gorilla conservation initiatives.

When to travel to Volcanoes National Park, Musanze

While Volcanoes National Park is considered to be an all-year-round destination, the dry season is the most favorite time for tourists to engage in most of the Park’s activities, including gorilla trekking, volcano climbing, and others. The dry season runs from June to September –these months mark the longest dry spell. The shorter dry season begins from December to February and is also characterized by little or no rain.

Birding tours in this Park are best done around March, April, May, October, and November. These are breeding months and also the period when most migratory species can be spotted in the Volcanoes National Park.

Popular Accommodation to Stay

The checklist of lodges and camps to consider for an overnight stay after or before a Rwanda tour in Volcanoes National Park includes Kinigi Guesthouse, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Amakoro Songa Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Bishop’s House, and Bisate Lodge.

Getting there

Set in the Northwestern end of Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is only a 2 to 3 hours’ drive from Kigali, the Capital City. Connecting from Nyungwe requires you to spend 4-5 hours to get to Volcanoes National Park. Using domestic flight, you can depart from Kigali and fly to Kamembe Airport, where a driver guide picks you up.