Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is one of the best destinations for gorilla trekking in Africa due to the park’s accessibility. This involves hiking through the dense rainforest in search of these incredible creatures. The park is found in the northwestern region of Rwanda, bordering DR Congo and Uganda. It’s about a 2 to 3-hour drive from the park to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, making it more accessible to travellers looking for short holidays. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park allows nature lovers and primatologists to have a close encounter with these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats.
The park covers an area of about 160 square kilometres, making it one of the smallest national parks in Rwanda. It’s situated within the Virunga conservation area, which was formed to protect the endangered mountain gorillas. It comprises five of the eight Virunga Mountain volcanoes: Gahinga, Bisoke, Karisimbi, Muhabura and Sabyinyo, which provide breathtaking views of the ranges. The park has a successful conservation story of protecting the mountain gorillas thanks to Dian Fossey, who was a primatologist and naturalist who is widely credited for saving and researching the endangered mountain gorillas from extinction by exposing their unfortunate situation to the international community. The park has over 12 habituated gorilla families ready to be viewed by visitors.
Gorilla Trekking Experience in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is one of the most remarkable safari activities for primatologists and nature lovers seeking a unique experience which is rare to find elsewhere in the world. Trekking involves hiking through the steep slopes in search of the endangered mountain gorillas with the help of an experienced park guide. The minimum age for gorilla trekking is 15 years, since it involves hiking through the forest. Participants are grouped, and each group is assigned a gorilla family and a guide who leads the trek and provides more information about the park’s inhabitants encountered. The duration for gorilla trekking is about 2 to 7 hours, depending on the location of the mountain gorillas. Once they are found, they spend strictly one hour observing them. They will see how they play, groom, mothers taking care of the young ones, and the silverback taking care of his group members, which is a peaceful moment as you observe them in their natural habitats. Gorillas are our closest relatives on earth, sharing 98% of human DNA; having a close encounter with them is incomparable.
Best Time to Visit Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park can be done throughout the year, though some months are better than others. The best months to trek the Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park are from June to September and December to February. These months are in the dry season, meaning there is less rain and more sunshine. The dry trails make it easier to walk and provide clear views of the gorillas and the forest. This is because the vegetation cover is short due to little rainfall received, hence enhancing visibility of several wildlife species. This is ideal for tourists interested in photography. Tourists can still visit the gorillas during the rainy season.
The rainy season in Volcanoes National Park is from March to May and October to November. There is a lot of rain and little sunshine, making trekking difficult due to muddy and slippery trails. The tall vegetation makes it hard to see mountain gorillas clearly for recording, especially for photography.
