Visit Volcanoes National Park In Rwanda — Kubwa Five Safaris

8 Top Leading Reasons Why You Should Visit Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Volcanoes national park offers travelers with a variety of tourist attractions and activities, which together make a complete Rwanda safari package.

a) Trekking Mountain Gorillas

An up-close encounter with the world’s endangered mountain gorillas is reviewed as the best wildlife experience in the world. Volcanoes national park is home to 10 habituated mountain gorilla families available for trekking every day. Also, gorilla hiking in volcanoes is less demanding compared to other gorilla habitats, which makes it more interesting.

Read more about the reasons why you should visit this park.

Suggestions and trip ideas for your safari

There are other interesting hiking trails here. Before or after your visit to the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park;

• A guided walk into the mountains can be good for acclimatization. It also allows you to spend more time looking at the other wildlife in the forest and to gain a better understanding of the overall ecosystem.
• One of the more popular routes is to the tomb of Dian Fossey and the Karisoke Research Centre she established, which takes a couple of hours of fairly steep walking.
• Another beautiful option is a day hike to the crater lake on Mount Bisoke.
• Several other primates have made Volcanoes National Park their home too and it’s possible to track two troops of habituated golden monkeys, a totally different experience to gorilla tracking. Golden monkeys tend to inhabit the bamboo forests on the lower slopes, so the walk to reach them is relatively easy. Again, once you find them, you’ll have just an hour in their presence. They’re fast-moving little creatures, and very entertaining as they constantly swing through the bamboo or chase each other in circles all around you. They’re also very pretty, with shiny reddish-gold backs that blend in perfectly with the golden bamboo.
• A visit to one of the cultural centres in the area to gain an insight into local life and traditions is not only very interesting but also benefits the local communities and deters them from engaging in negative activities like poaching. Two very good examples are the SACOLA Cultural Centre, with excellent traditional Intore dancing, and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, both near Kinigi.

Things To Do (Activities)

Gorilla Trekking:

Mountain gorilla trekking is a squint wildlife experience in the Virunga; these vast animals weigh three times the weight as well as the average man. Mountain gorillas have no tails, shorter arms, and dense black hair than lowland cousins, Gorillas are visited on a daily basis than any other wild animal, and they are fascinating animals to the extent that some try to interact with their visitors, often approaching them and greeting them as they walk past.

It is very important for trackers to pack lunch, mineral water, and cameras are highly recommended for the trek. The hike usually takes one to four hours depending on which group you are tracking. Usually, visitors spend one hour with the gorillas and it is prohibited to smoke or eat in their presence.

Golden Monkey Tracking:

A beautiful Monkey with bright rufous-red on the back, cheek & tail, has black legs, crown and tip of the tail, pale patch around the nose and the mouth. Golden monkeys are widely spread in the forests of northwest Rwanda and southwest Uganda, these monkeys stay in the bamboo forest and they are naturally shy animals.

Birding (Watching birds):

Approximately 200 bird species have been recorded at Volcanoes National Park; among the great marvelous birds commonly seen are the dusky crimson wing, Ruwenzori turaco, strange weaver, ground robin, francolins, red-faced woodland warbler, Ruwenzori double collared sunbird, and the Archer’s ground robin.

Hiking:

Hiking the Volcanoes National Park is the best offer to assorted tourists, ascending the Karisimbi is a good activity for trekkers. Another alternative is to climb Mount Visoke to its remarkable crater lake.

Hiking to Diane Fossey, an American researcher who began her research in Kabara in Congo and later moved to Rwanda where she built her camp on the saddle between two Virunga volcanoes. Diane stayed with the Gorillas for 18 years in Rwanda; she was mentored and inspired by Louis Leakey and Jane Goodall respectively.

On this trek, tourists are able to see buffaloes, monkeys, and warthogs that live inside the forest, the trek usually takes three hours. Camp guides will show you around and travelers will be able to see Diane Fossey’s grave, the hut in which she lived for so many years as she did her research on mountain gorillas, and Digit’s grave, one of her favorite gorilla which was murdered by a poacher.

Mountain Hiking Adventures:

Hike Mount Bisoke stands at 3,711m above sea level, which is topped by a beautiful crater lake, hiking Bisoke requires travelers who are physically fit due to the high advancement and length of the climb.

Hike Mount Karisimbi is the second highest peak in the Virunga ranges, which takes two days and one night. On the top of the volcano, travelers enjoy remarkable views of the other five volcanoes and the scenic twin lakes.

Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village:

Iby’iwac means treasure our home of home and heritage situated next to the car park at the trailhead of the Sabyinyo group ad group thirteen, the award-winning venture was founded in 2004. The village offers a busy agenda that lasts for about two hours. At the village, travelers experience amazing cultural dances, traditional meals, and drinks such as Banana beer and juice for those who may decide to have an overnight stay at the village.

Ngezi Lake Trail:

Ngezi is a scenic and shallow Crater Lake at the foot of Mount Bisoke in Volcanoes National park, the trail usually takes 4 hours to-and-fro accompanied by a park ranger, along the trail you can see various monkeys and birds.

This trail gives you the tang of the Virunga Volcanoes in Volcanoes National Park.

Plastic bags:

Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda, and visitors will be asked to dispose of them on arrival at the airport, including those carrying duty-free purchases. In supermarkets, brown paper bags are provided. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment is pushing for measures that reduce single-use plastics including straws, water bottles, and cups.

Umuganda:

The morning of the last Saturday of every month is Umuganda or community service. This initiative was introduced by the Rwandan Government to get the entire population to devote time to their local community by cleaning the streets, cutting grass verges, repairing dirt roads, etc.. International visitors are not required to participate, but some tour operators are able to organize opportunities for tourists to participate in Umuganda. Please note that during these community service days, shops and public transport are closed during morning hours.

Car Free Day:

Kigali has bimonthly car-free days. On the first and third Sundays of each month, long stretches of main roads are closed to allow cycling, jogging, and other sporting activities between 7 am — 11 am. Everyone is encouraged to participate, and a large open-air exercise class, which anyone can join, is also held. Although road closures may affect travelers coming in and out of Kigali, disruptions are minimal since local drivers usually know alternative routes.

Originally published at https://kubwafive-safaris.com.