All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Volcanoes National Park
Wildlife Safaris in Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda's slice of the Virunga Massif in the far northwest, a wall of steep, forested volcanoes rising above the town of Musanze. It shelters about a third of the world's mountain gorillas along with golden monkeys, climbing through bamboo and hagenia forest to five volcanic summits, the highest being Karisimbi at 4,507 metres.
Why here
Volcanoes National Park is the easiest place on earth to sit with wild mountain gorillas. This is the Rwandan end of the Virunga Massif, home to about a third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), with roughly a dozen families habituated for tourism. A permit and a few hours climbing through nettles and bamboo can put you within seven metres of a silverback and his group for one closely guarded hour. The same forests hold troops of endangered golden monkeys, which bound through the bamboo on a separate, cheaper trek, and the volcanic skyline runs from Karisimbi at 4,507 metres to the sharp cone of Sabyinyo. This is where Dian Fossey worked and is buried, and the park headquarters at Kinigi is the staging point for every trek, each capped at eight visitors per gorilla family.
Best months
Gorilla trekking runs all year. The long dry seasons of June to September and December to February give firmer trails and easier walking, while the wetter months are green and much quieter. Treks leave Kinigi park headquarters at 7am and last anywhere from two to eight hours depending on where the assigned family has moved. Altitude starts around 2,500 metres, so expect cool, damp forest and steep, muddy ground.
Getting there & around
Volcanoes National Park is about a three-hour drive north of Kigali on a fully paved road. Gorilla permits cost USD 1,500 per person and must be booked ahead through the Rwanda Development Board or a licensed operator, with only 96 permits issued per day. Lodges cluster around Kinigi and Musanze, ranging from community-run guesthouses to high-end camps. A reasonable level of fitness helps on the steep, muddy climbs.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Amahoro Tours
OutfitterAmahoro Tours is a locally owned operator based in Musanze, at the foot of Volcanoes National Park, running tailor-made gorilla and golden monkey trekking across Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo. Its guides work daily with the park's ranger teams and the habituated gorilla families. The company is a signatory to the Tourism Declares climate emergency commitment and a partner of the Red Rocks community initiative that supports villages around the park.
Munda Africa Adventures
OutfitterMunda Africa Adventures is an East African tour operator, based in Kampala, that runs gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park alongside Rwanda hiking trips up Mount Bisoke and the 4,507 metre Mount Karisimbi. Every gorilla and volcano group is led by Rwanda Development Board rangers, who guide all treks for safety and conservation. The company also operates wildlife safaris in Uganda and Tanzania, arranging permits, transport and lodges as a single package.