Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park : Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is only done in Volcanoes national park, which is considered as the best place one can choose to go to gorilla trekking activities. Volcanoes national park is located in the northwestern region of Rwanda and covers a total surface area of about 16,000 square kilometers. This national park is a home to many endangered mountain Gorilla species and it is surrounded by good vegetation, vast swamps, bamboo forests, savannah grasslands, afro-montane forests and wonderful mountainous areas like; Mount Karisimbi which is famously known to be among the four tallest mountains in Africa. More so, there are a number of volcanoes such as; Gahinga, Sabyinyo, Bisoke, and Kasirimbi which all act as good natural habitats for the endangered mountain Gorilla species.

Gorilla trekking is one of top most tourism activities done in Volcanoes national park, which has also contributed a lot to the tourism industry of Rwanda. Touring around this national park gives you many opportunities to sight see mountain gorilla species and tourists get chances to see many other animals like buffaloes, bushbucks, golden monkeys, spotted hyenas, duikers and many other species. More so, tourists exploring within Volcanoes national park while trekking mountain gorillas involve themselves in activities like hiking through the dense bamboo forests and steep mountain slopes while searching for gorillas.

Gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes national park.

Gorilla trekking activities in volcanoes national park always go for about 1 to 6 hours while tracking the mountain gorilla species depending on where they are located and after they are being found, tourists are always given one hour of interaction with the species, and during this period of time, tourists get to watch, observe and learn about the daily lifestyle and behaviours of the species for example; the mountain gorillas tend to be playful whereby the little ones always roll around as they play and also seem little curious while in the presence of humans, some species may even walk straight ahead right in front of these individuals but with no harm which seems quite interesting.

Volcanoes national park Rwanda

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park always begin at 7:30am in the morning but the trekkers are encouraged to at least one hour before at the park headquarters where they are always given a short briefing by the park rangers and other authorities about the do’s and don’ts while trekking gorillas. Volcanoes national park has around 10 habituated gorilla groups, therefore the tourists are given short briefing, they are also divided into groups according to which gorilla groups they are going to track and they are being assigned to different park guides who help in leading and guiding the tourists through the park because it is easy for them to spot places where mountain gorillas are easily tracked. More so, these guides give chances to trekkers to ask any questions on things they would love to understand better during the trekking and it is also for the trekkers to follow the instructions and guidelines given to them by their guides in order to avoid any harm and enjoy the breath moments of the nature in the surrounding.

More so, tourists in Volcanoes national park can combine gorilla trekking activities with other activities like; golden monkey tracking, community visits, cultural encounters, guided nature walks through the bamboo forests, hiking to the volcanoes and mountains like; Bisoke and Karisimbi which requires tourists to be in a good healthy shape and physically fit. More so, they can visit the grave of Dian Fossey, visit the Musanze caves, Rwanda bird watching due to the fact that this park harbours around 200 bird species such as; red faced woodland warbler, collared apalis, strange weaver, Rwenzori double collared sunbird, Grauers rush warbler, dusky crimson wing and many others, they also have chances to visit the Iby’iwacu cultural village which is known as the largest and the most visited cultural centre in Rwanda, visit the Genocide memorial centre in the country, visit lake Kivu and many others.

Where to stay in Volcanoes National Park. 

Volcanoes national park in Rwanda offers its guests with several accommodation facilities that are always available for the visitors. However, these lodging facilities are of different classes and ranges like from; budget, mid-range and luxury, which gives guests chances to choose where they feel comfortable to stay and according to what matches with their budget. These accommodation facilities include; one and only gorilla nest lodge, Virunga volcanoes lodge, sabinyo silverback lodge, five volcanoes boutique hotel which is considered as the most friendly and luxury hotel within the park , bisate lodge and many more. There are also VIP rooms that are always offered to the guests in form of a surprise within certain months of the year.