This is one of the most frequently asked questions about Volcanoes National Park. To answer this one-million-dollar question, we need to first understand what gorilla habituation is. Gorilla habituation is the process of slowly and gently introducing mountain gorillas to the presence of humans to prepare them for trekking. This activity is done on semi-habituated gorilla families or those that have never been habituated.
So, back to the question of whether there is gorilla habituation in Volcanoes National Park, the answer is No. Volcanoes National Park does not offer gorilla habituation experience. Volcanoes National Park is among the few national parks in the world that harbors mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas, as their name suggests, are highland dwellers tucked away in the montane rainforest vegetation. The mountain gorillas are critically endangered primate species. This is because they are only found in the Virunga conservation area of East Africa and not anywhere else in the world.
Volcanoes National Park happens to be in this Virunga conservation area together with Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. However, our main focus in this article is Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is located in Rwanda’s Musanze district, located in the northern region. Volcanoes National Park is situated close to the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is one of the oldest protected areas in Africa after it was gazetted in 1925 during the colonial era. The park stretches for over 160 square kilometers of a vast landscape of various terrains, flora, and fauna species. Part of the Virunga conservation area, Volcanoes National Park hosts five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga massif. The volcanic mountains in Volcanoes National Park include Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Muhavura. Among the mountains in the Virunga massif, the park prides itself on hosting Mount Karisimbi, the tallest mountain at an altitude of 4,507 meters.
What are some of the tourist activities in Volcanoes National Park?
Although Volcanoes National Park does not offer gorilla habituation adventures, the park has incredible and exciting tourist activities that are worth checking out. These activities fit any visitor’s bucket list and they include some of the following.
Gorilla trekking
Volcanoes National Park is a top gorilla destination that hosts over 300 gorilla primates. Hence, gorilla trekking is the major tourist activity in the park. Gorilla trekking involves moving through dense vegetation, searching for these primates in their natural habitats, and, upon their location, spending an hour in their presence. This incredible experience gives you a one-on-one encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park has over 10 habituated gorilla families that can be trekked at any time. Visitors can take pictures as they watch the primates feed, play, and groom their young while in their presence. The gorilla trekking adventure experience takes approximately 3-5 hours, including the hour spent with the gorillas. However, this trekking time depends on where the gorillas are located. Gorilla trekking is an experience that has attracted visitors from far and wide due to its unmatched experience.
Golden monkey trekking
Among the major tourist activities in Volcanoes National Park, golden monkey trekking comes second after gorilla trekking. Golden monkey trekking is also a highly anticipated tourist activity in Volcanoes National Park. Similar to gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking takes about 2-4 hours to look for the monkeys and spend an hour in their presence upon finding them.
Golden monkey trekking starts as early as 7 am at the park offices of Kiningi. This trekking adventure is not as demanding as it is with the gorilla trekking. This is because golden monkeys dwell in the bamboo plantations at the base of the mountains in the park. Hence, this area is regularly flat which eases the trekking process. Golden monkeys also eat as they leave bamboo shoot leftovers, thus ranger guides use their leftovers to track them. Trek the golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park and have a glimpse into the life of these primates.
Hiking
Volcanoes National Park offers hiking experiences that take you through the five volcano mountains of the Virunga massif. As mentioned earlier, Volcanoes National Park harbors five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga massif. It is because of these mountains that the park gets its name.
The hiking experiences take you through the different mountains, but the most notably hiked mountain is Mount Karisimbi, which is the highest in the park. Hiking in the park takes 5-7 hours, depending on the mountain to hike. While on the hike, visitors also encounter different primates like colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys, and if you are in luck, you can also encounter mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
Birding
Birding adventures are also highly popular in the Volcanoes National Park. The different ecological systems in the park play a huge role in hosting several bird species. Volcanoes National Park is recognized worldwide as an important birding area because it harbors over 600 bird species. These species range from endemic resident birds to migratory birds that come to the park in different seasons.
Volcanoes National Park harbours 17 of the 24 Albertine endemic bird species. There are designated birding trails in the park that ease the birding experience by leading visitors straight to their habitats. Birding in Volcanoes National Park is with guidance from experienced guides with ample knowledge about most of the birds in the park. Some of the birds to look out for include African jacanas, bar-tailed trogons, long-crested eagles, hammerkops, African finfoot, black bee-eater, Abyssinian ground hornbill, standard winged night jar, marabou stocks, secretary birds, etc.
Dian Fossey hike
Visitors across the world flock to the park for a Dian Fossey hiking experience. Dian Fossey was a renowned primatologist and conservationist who fought hard for the conservation of mountain gorillas. She started up a research center in the park called Karisoke at the foothills of Mount Kasirimbi and Mount Bisoke. Visitors on this hike can tour her last projects and experience her life in the park as they pay their last respects to the mother of mountain gorillas.
