Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in northwest of the country is arguably the best destination for gorillas and golden monkeys trekking. In addition to primates, the park is also home to 5 of the 8 Volcanoes of the Virunga Massif which creates a breathtaking scenery in the park and astonishing biodiversity.
Hundreds of amazing bird species including Rift Valley endemics also attract many bird watchers to Volcanoes National Park. The burial site of the great American primatologist Dian Fossey is also situated in the park. It is also a big attraction to many tourists that pay tribute to this fallen primatologist.
What Makes Volcanoes National Park a breathtaking tourist destination?
Mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas are of course the major highlight of Volcanoes National Park. The park, together with Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and DR Congo’s Virunga National Park make up the Virunga Mountains’ ecosystem and protect more than half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas.
Of all the 3 parks within the Virunga Mountains, Volcanoes National Park receives the highest number of visitors. Majority of these go for gorilla trekking and at the same time explore other experiences in the park like volcano hiking, golden monkey tracking, bird watching and more.
To explain the gorilla trekking experience, there are not many better descriptions of the encounter than Sir David Attenborough’s account in his Life on Earth: A Natural History of 1979.
“There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know. Their sight, their hearing, their sense of smell are so similar to ours that they see the world in much the same way as we do… So if there were ever a possibility of escaping the human condition and living imaginatively in another creature’s world, it must be with the gorilla.” he said after visiting Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park
There are 12 gorilla families that have been habituated for tourism in Volcanoes National Park. Other gorilla groups in the park are habituated for research and study purposes. The gorilla families visited by trekkers include Agashya, Susa, Sabyinyo, Kwitonda, Igisha, Karisimbi, Amahoro, Umubano, Hirwa, Muhoza, Bwenge, and Ugyenda.
Since mountain gorillas are endangered species, gorilla trekking is highly regulated in order to promote their conservation and enable them to thrive in their natural habitat. Each gorilla group is visited once per day by a group of trekkers not exceeding 8. Visitors are permitted to spend not more than an hour in the presence of gorillas while maintaining silence while watching them is also one of the requirements.
To trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, each visitor purchases a gorilla permit at a premium amount of $1,500. Much of this amount is reinvested to support the protection of gorillas and their habitat while 10% of it is invested in supporting the residents in the surrounding community.
Golden monkeys
Volcanoes National Park maybe more popularly known for the presence of the endangered mountain gorillas but the beautiful golden monkeys are by far the second best attraction in the park. Like their cousins – the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys are also only found in the Virunga Mountains. When it comes to charms and entertaining visitors, golden monkeys are even better than the gorillas. Golden monkeys attract thousands of primate enthusiasts to snap them as they have proved to be very photogenic.
Other animals in volcanoes National Park
In addition to gorillas and golden monkeys, Volcanoes National Park is also home to a variety of other wildlife including the rare forest elephants. They are estimated to be about 50 individuals which roam the park. A few lucky visitors can encounter some of these forest elephants while on their hike to the Karisoke Research Centre. Buffaloes are also occasionally seen in the forests, as well as smaller angulates like bushbucks, black-fronted duikers, bush pigs and giant forest hogs.
Volcanoes
5 of the 8 Volcanic summits of the Virunga Mountains are located within Volcanoes National Park. Although all the 5 volcanoes are no longer active, their presence in the park offers another dramatic experience to the visitors. These include Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura. The volcanoes line up next to each other creating a teeth-like appearance which offers an amazing visual impact to the visitors. Mount Karisimbi has the highest peak of all at 4,500 metres while most of the park at just over 2,000 metres above sea level.
Vegetation
The variation in vegetation types in Volcanoes National Park is determined by its significant altitudinal range. Tropical and bamboo forests are found at the lower altitudes while montane forests and Afroalpine shrub-lands at the highest points of the park. Between volcanoes there are thickets, marshes, grasslands as well as small lakes.
Kwita Izina – The gorilla-naming ceremony in Volcanoes National Park
Kwita Izina is an annual gorilla-naming ceremony in which newborn gorillas are given names. The ceremony borrows its leaf from the Rwanda tradition of naming children. Several conservationists and high profile individuals from across the world are invited and given a chance to name these infant primates. Naming gorillas has proved to be key in their protection and ensuring their future survival in the forests. Over 300 gorillas have been named since 2005. The ceremony includes amazing cultural performances with music, dance and conservation discussions.
