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Witness / Attend in Volcanoes National Park
Kwita Izina
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.
Run by Rwanda Development Board, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: National tourism board ↗
Why here
Kwita Izina is Rwanda's gorilla naming ceremony, a national celebration that borrows an old Rwandan tradition of naming a newborn child in front of the community and applies it to every baby gorilla born in Volcanoes National Park that year. Held each September at Kinigi in the foothills of the park, it draws thousands of people, along with conservationists, celebrity namers and government leaders, to a giant open-air stage where each infant gorilla is given a name that reflects its story or the hopes for its future. More than 400 gorillas have been named since the ceremony began in 2005, and the event has become the public face of a conservation effort that has helped the mountain gorilla population steadily grow. Around it runs a week of conservation talks, community projects and celebration. You come to witness a country throwing a party for the animals that have become its emblem.
Best months
Kwita Izina is held once a year, usually in early September, on a purpose-built stage at Kinigi beside the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. The 21st edition is confirmed for 4 September 2026. It is a free, ticketed public event with very large crowds, preceded by a week of associated conservation and community activities. Accommodation around Musanze fills early, so book well ahead if you plan to combine it with a gorilla trek.
Getting there & around
The ceremony takes place at Kinigi, about a three-hour drive north of Kigali and the same base used for gorilla trekking, so many visitors pair the two in one trip. Attendance is free but registration through the Rwanda Development Board is advised, and the surrounding week has separate events. Roads and lodges around Musanze are busy during the ceremony, so arrange transport and rooms in advance.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Rwanda Development Board
OrganizerThe Rwanda Development Board is the government agency responsible for tourism and conservation in Rwanda, and it organises Kwita Izina, the annual gorilla naming ceremony held at Kinigi in Volcanoes National Park. The board also manages gorilla and park permits and runs the Visit Rwanda tourism programme. Since the ceremony began in 2005 more than 400 baby gorillas have been named, and ten percent of park permit income is reinvested in the communities around Rwanda's national parks.