Top Reasons to Visit Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is one of Africa’s most remarkable wildlife and adventure destinations, found in the northern corner of Rwanda. It’s one of the most visited national parks in Rwanda, famous for hosting the endangered mountain gorillas and its stunning volcanic landscapes. The park forms part of the greater Virunga Conservation Area and is best known for protecting the endangered golden monkeys and mountain gorillas that inhabit the dense forest and mist covered volcanoes. Travellers planning to visit Rwanda ask about the top reasons to visit Volcanoes National Park, and this blog will discuss them. The park is known for its rich biodiversity, hosting up to 30% of the world’s mountain gorillas, 237 bird species, 12 primate species, butterflies and amphibians. Volcanoes National Park offers exceptional activities to travellers visiting the park, such as gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, bird watching, nature walks, hiking and cultural encounters. The park’s cool climate, beautiful views and luxury safari lodges make it the best destination for honeymoon safaris, family vacations and wildlife photography. Easily accessible from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
Top Reasons to Visit Volcanoes National Park.
Rich Bird Life.
Volcanoes National Park is a haven for bird lovers, with over 236 bird species, including forest birds, water birds, migratory birds, 17 Albertine Rift endemics, and the park’s endemic species, which are rare to find anywhere else. The park is famous for hosting high altitude bird species in East Africa. The presence of diverse ecosystems, such as wetlands, montane forests, grasslands and bamboo forests, provides various habitats to the park’s rich birdlife. Some of the birds found in the park include Regal Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Red-chested Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Yellow Bishop, Fan-tailed Widowbird, 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, 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, Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Black Sparrowhawk, Black Kite, Little Bee-eat.
Hosts the Endangered Mountain Gorillas.
It is one of the few places in East Africa hosting the endangered mountain gorillas, making it one of the top reasons to visit Volcanoes National Park. It hosts up to 30% of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas, which makes it the second place with the highest number of mountain gorillas after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Dian Fossey, an American primatologist and naturalist, contributed to the increase in the number of mountain gorillas in the park. She ran many campaigns against poaching gorillas and protected them until her death. She brought the world’s attention to the endangered mountain gorillas, and her dedication to her work was featured in the movie titled ‘Gorillas in the Mist”. The Rwanda Development Board has also contributed to the increasing number of gorillas by informing the local communities of the advantages of conservation and contributing a certain amount of money towards conservation. This has also increased the number of tourists coming to the park and having a close encounter with these awesome creatures.
Diverse Activities.
The diverse tourist activities are one of the reasons why you should visit Volcanoes National Park. The park offers various activities that cater to all travellers’ interests, whether you are looking for adventurous experiences or simply to immerse yourself in nature. Bird lovers will be delighted to immerse themselves in hundreds of bird species as they listen to the sweet, melodic songs and sounds of various bird species. Primate lovers will have a close encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. They can also do golden monkey tracking, searching for these playful monkeys in bamboo forests provides unique experiences. Nature lovers will have an experience exploring the park on foot, which allows them to explore the park’s unique birds and wildlife species.
