Rwanda · East Africa
Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes is the Rwandan side of the Virunga massif and the most accessible mountain gorilla trekking in the world.
Photo Ifeoluwa B. / Unsplash
Trekking is by permit to a habituated family on the slopes of the volcanoes, and the walks are generally shorter and less punishing than Bwindi's — though altitude and mud still make it real work.
Golden monkey tracking, the Dian Fossey tomb hike and the Musanze caves fill the days either side, and the lodges here are among the best on the continent.
How do you get to Volcanoes National Park?
Fly into Kigali, then drive north-west to Musanze, the town at the foot of the park, which takes around two to two and a half hours. Helicopter transfers from Kigali are also available.
What are the rules for gorilla trekking in Rwanda?
Every trekker needs a permit from the Rwanda Development Board, and permits are limited, so they are booked well ahead. Groups are at most eight people, the time with the gorillas is one hour, and the minimum age is 15. Treks start from the park headquarters at Kinigi, where groups are assigned to a gorilla family.
How big is Volcanoes National Park?
About 160 square kilometres, covering the Rwandan slopes of five of the eight Virunga volcanoes, including Karisimbi, the highest. The park borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mgahinga in Uganda.
Who was Dian Fossey?
An American primatologist who founded the Karisoke Research Center between Karisimbi and Bisoke in 1967 and studied the mountain gorillas here for almost two decades. The hike to her grave and the remains of the research camp is a walk of several hours from the park's edge.
How long should you spend in Volcanoes National Park?
Two or three nights. Many travellers trek twice, to two different gorilla families, and add golden monkey tracking or the hike to Dian Fossey's grave.
What is there to see in Volcanoes National Park?
What does Volcanoes National Park pair well with?
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, UgandaBwindi holds around half the world's mountain gorillas and is where most Ugandan itineraries are built to reach.
- Nyungwe ForestNyungwe is one of the oldest montane rainforests in Africa and Rwanda's chimpanzee and canopy-walk destination.
- Kigali and Lake KivuKigali is the calmest capital in the region, and Lake Kivu gives Rwanda a genuine lakeside pause.
- AkageraAkagera is Rwanda's savannah park in the east, restocked with lion and rhino and now a genuine Big Five destination.
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