Top Must do things to do in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda.

Top Must do things to do in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda, national park is located in the Northwestern part of Rwanda close to Musanze district, which is a 105km from Kigali. The park is one of the oldest parks in Rwanda and its among the Virunga Mountains that are shared by three countries  Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The park is a hidden gem for Rwanda, it’s a haven for nature and adventure lovers.The park has a lot of things to be done  such as gorilla trekking, hiking, golden monkey trekking,  twin lakes and hike to Dian Fossey’s grave. The following are the things to do in volcanoes national park in details

Gorilla trekking

Top Must do things to do in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda, Gorilla trekking is the most famous activity to do in Volcanoes National Park. The park has 10 habituated gorilla families that is Susa A,Kwitonda, Hirwa, Titus, Ugenda ,Sabyinyo, Agashya and Umubano. For visitors to see mountain gorillas they must have a gorilla trekking permit issued by Rwanda Development Board which costs $1500 . The trekking starts at 8:00am with briefing at the park headquarters, After briefing you are divided into groups of 8 people and each group is a signed a gorilla family to trek . When you find your gorilla family you are allowed to spend 1 hour with the family taking photos and interacting.

Golden Monkey trekking

Apart from gorilla trekking, one can also try out golden monkey trekking in the lush forests of Volcanoes. These monkeys are a sub species of the sykes Monkeys, they live in bigs  troops of about 60 members with a bright orange fur. The golden monkeys are an endangered specie that are only found in the Virunga ranges   which include the Volcanoes National Park. One must have a trekking permit which costs $100 in order to trek for the golden monkeys. Golden monkey trekking Starts at 7:30am with briefing at the park head quarters where you are given guidelines to follow during the trek. You spend 1 hour  with the golden monkeys after finding them, the monkeys are habituated meaning that they don’t fear humans hence giving you a chance to see them in there natural environment.

Dian Fossey Hike

Dian Fossey was the first human to study and understand the gorilla behaviors, since she spent 18 years researching about them . She  also established Karisoke Research Centre in Rwanda  between Mount Bisoke and Karisimbi in 1967. Dian was killed in December 1985 since she was against  the poaching of mountain gorillas and was buried in the park beside the gorillas . You need to have a permit which costs $75  inorder to hike to her grave. The hike is a guided walk by the park rangers, the grave is  at an height of 3000 meters and it takes 2-3 hours to reach Dian Fossey’s grave. While on this hike you may get a chance to see mountain gorillas, golden monkeys and birds. When you reach the grave you are allowed  to spend sometime there and  pay respect to Dian Fossey. You also get to learn about her life and also visit the Karisoke Research Centre.

Hiking the Volcano

The park has three Volcanic mountains that is Mountain Karisimbi,Bisoke,Muhabura which are great for hiking.

Mount Karisimbi is at an elevation of 4507m above the sea level on the boarder of Rwanda and DRC. The mountain was named after a Kinyarwanda word amasimbi meaning a white shell since it has snow. Hiking Karisimbi can be challenging, it will allow you see and  experience the stunning landscapes, rare plant and alpine species and much more. The hike takes only 2 days. Mountain Bisoke is an active Volcano with a height of 3,711m above the sea level with two crater lakes. Its slopes are covered by a rainforest , alpine meadows and its a habitat for mountain gorillas. Unlike Karisimbi, Bisoke does not have snow though it has fog. It takes one day to hike.  Mountain Muhabura is an enthralling and exhilarating mountain to climb. At 4127 m above the sea level, this mountain is the third highest in the Virunga range. The trek begins around 1200 meters and as one climbs to the top, they will pass through gorgeous, lush forests and be able to see the other volcanoes in the vast Virunga region. The hike is led by a guide from the park.

Birding

Bird watching is one of the things to do in volcanoes National park  since it has over 200 bird species which  are mostly native to the Albertine rift, only found in the Virunga Mountains. They include Lagdens bush shrike, Scarlet tufted, Red faced woodland warblers, weird weavers, Ruwenzori turaco, Ruwenzori double collared sunbirds, Archers ground robin, Collared Aplis among others. Birding starts in the morning with briefing, after which you are given a ranger and head into the forest to look for the birds .Bird watching is done through out the year in volcanoes.

Visiting Ibyiwachu Cultural site

Ibyiwachu cultural site is  located  in Musanze district . The village was found by Edwin Sabuhoro with an aim of reducing gorilla poaching through creating an alternative source of money for the poachers. The site offers tourists a chance to interact with the locals as the learn about Rwanda’s culture through participating in cultural activities like singing and dancing. As soon as the tourists reach the village the are welcomed by drumming and dancing. Hence giving you a taste of Rwanda’s culture through music ,dance and story telling.

 Caving at Musanze

The caves are found in Musanze district hence getting the name Musanze caves. They were opened to the public in 2013, the caves were formed as a result of volcanic eruption. The  Musanze caves are steep inside with different plant species, bats and they also offer a view of the Virunga ranges. The caves are culturally  important because the former  kings of Rwanda   were crowned from there hence making them a must visit for culture lovers

Visiting the twin lakes.

Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo are twin lakes that were created by volcanic explosions. The twin lakes are one of the amazing sights to see when visiting volcanoes, because they provide travellers with beautiful views and a chance to see different bird species

How to long is the transfer from kigali to Volcanoes national park.

The time taken to reach Volcanoes from Kigali depends on the mode of transport used.There are two ways to reach Volcanoes either by air or road

By Air

This is the fastest way to get to Volcanoes National Park from kigali. There are daily flights to the park from Kigali international Airport. The helicopters land at Musanze Airstrip in only 30 minutes. When you use air  you can experience breathtaking views of Rwanda.

By road

This is the most affordable way to get to  Volcanoes National Park from kigali. The distance from kigali to  Volcanoes National Park is 105 km(65miles) which is a 2-3 hours drive depending on the  road traffic .You will still  have a chance to see the breathtaking views of Rwanda.