Is Volcanoes National Park Worth Visiting
Most travellers planning their safari in the park always ask if Volcanoes National Park is worth visiting, and this blog will provide some of the reasons why Volcanoes is worthy, including on your bucket list. It’s located within the Virunga mountains in the northern part of Rwanda. It’s a premium safari destination in Rwanda, celebrated for hosting the endangered mountain gorillas. It’s one of the smallest national parks in the country, covering an area of about 160 square kilometres, and it’s one of the oldest national parks in Africa, established in 1925 to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that existed at that time. It hosts over 236 bird species, 37 mammal species, 30% of the mountain gorillas, 12 primate species and 200 butterfly species. It has a diverse ecosystem which provides habitats to various wildlife and bird species, such as grasslands, montane forests, wetlands and bamboo forests. Volcanoes National Park has stunning views of the Virunga ranges, and it offers various activities that cater to all travellers. These include gorilla treks, golden monkey tracking, bird watching, nature walks and cultural experiences that provide extraordinary experiences in the heart of Africa.
Things that make Volcanoes National Park Worth Visiting.
Home to the endangered mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park is one of the places of the few places hosting the endangered mountain gorillas in the world. The park is home to over 30% of the world’s population of mountain gorillas, making it the second destination with the highest number of endangered mountain gorillas after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The park’s rich number of Mountain gorillas is supported by the park’s ecosystems, like montane forests and bamboo zones that provide food and habitat to these gentle giants, and the conservation success story of the endangered mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park was a centre for American naturalists and primatologist Dian Fossey, who protected gorillas from poaching and extinction until her death. She researched gorillas and ran many campaigns against poaching to protect the endangered mountain gorillas. Her dedication towards the mountain gorillas has increased the number of gorillas; even up to now, the government of Rwanda has implemented the projects she made.
Rich Bird Life.
The rich bird life is one of the reasons why Volcanoes National Park is worth visiting. The park hosts over 237 bird species, including water birds, forest birds, migratory birds, 17 Albertine Rift endemics and the park’s residents, which are rare to find anywhere else. Birds found in the park include Red-faced Crimson-wing, Shelley’s Crimson-wing, Zebra Waxbill, Bronze Mannikin, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, House Sparrow, Cape Wagtail, Mountain Wagtail, Oriole Finch, Black-throated Canary, Archer’s Ground Robin,Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Collared Apalis, Stranger Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Rwenzori Double- collared Sunbird, Hottentot Teal, African Black Duck, Yellow-billed Duck, Handsome Francolin, Little Grebe, Speckled Pigeon, African Olive Pigeon, Dusky Turtle Dove, Mourning Collared Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, African Green Pigeon, Tambourine Dove, Scarce Swift, African Palm Swift, Alpine Swift, White-rumped Swift, Little Swift, African Swift, Blue-headed Coucal, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Diederick Cuckoo, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, Black Crake, Red-knobbed Coot, Grey Crowned Crane, Ruwenzori Turaco, Black-billed Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Marabou, Yellow-billed Stork, European White Stork, Pink-backed Pelican, Hamerkop, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Black-headed Heron, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret, African Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, Great Cormorant, Three-banded Plover, African Snipe, Gray-hooded Gull.
Rich Biodiversity
Volcanoes National Park is blessed with a rich biodiversity that makes it worth visiting. It has up to 36 mammal species, including forest elephants, duikers, African Porcupine, tree hyrax, serval cat, striped jackal, bush pig, giant forest hog, African golden cat and more. It has 12 primate species, including the golden monkeys, endangered mountain gorillas, blue monkeys, olive baboons, potto, red-tailed monkeys and more. Volcanoes National Park also has over 200 butterfly species, reptiles and amphibians, and over 236 bird species. The park’s rich biodiversity provides various activities which attract countless travellers.
Diverse Tourist Activities.
This also makes Volcanoes National Park worth visiting, as it offers various activities that cater to all travellers’ needs. Whether they are seeking adventurous adventures or simply indulge themselves in nature, the park offers exceptional safari activities. These activities include gorilla trekking, which allows travellers to have a face to face encounter with these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats, golden monkey tracking to see the playful monkeys in bamboo forests, bird watching for bird lovers and nature walks, which allow nature lovers to explore the beauty of the park on foot.
