Best Time for Safari Activities in Volcanoes National Park.

Travellers planning to visit the park always ask about the best time for safari activities in Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park is one of the most sought-after national parks in Rwanda, famous for hosting the endangered mountain gorillas. The park is situated within the Virunga mountains, which allows visitors to enjoy the breathtaking view of the ranges. It’s one of the oldest national parks in Africa, established in 1925 to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that existed at that time. Volcanoes is not only a home for the endangered mountain gorillas, but it also hosts up to 237 bird species, including Albertine Rift endemics, water birds, migratory birds, forest birds, and the park’s residents.

It also hosts over 12 primate species, including golden monkeys, 37 mammal species, reptiles and butterflies. The park’s rich biodiversity contributes to its diverse safari activities that travellers can enjoy on their safaris, such as golden monkey tracking, gorilla trekking, nature walks, bird watching and hiking.  The park experiences two seasons in a year, the dry season and the wet season all of which provide exceptional experiences. The park can be visited at any time of the year, and the best time for nature lovers to enjoy the park’s safari activities depends on an individual’s travel plans.

Best Time for Safari Activities in Volcanoes National Park.

Wet Season.

Travellers can visit Volcanoes National Park during the wet season from October to November and March to May. During this season, when the park receives enough rainfall it becomes muddy and slippery, making it challenging to penetrate. The vegetation cover is dense and tall, which creates an obstruction while viewing wildlife species and birds from a distance and results in unclear views. Travellers should be aware that the wet season favours budget travellers as most travel agencies and hotels give discounts to travellers. This is the ideal period for bird enthusiasts to enjoy bird watching in the park. This is the breeding period for most birds in the park, and the presence of abundant food in the park attracts migratory bird species that run away from Europe and Asia due to poor weather conditions and in search of food. This makes birding easy, as visitors don’t move deep in the park searching for birds.

Dry Season.

The dry season is commonly known as the peak season, and many travellers refer to it as the best time to enjoy safari activities in Volcanoes National Park. This runs from December to January and from June to September. During this period, the park receives little to no rainfall, and the tracks are less muddy and slippery, making it easy to penetrate them. The vegetation cover is short and scattered, which enables visitors to clearly view animals and birds and to take clear pictures.