Hiking Volcanoes National Park Rwanda |Amazing things to do in volcanoes national park Rwanda
Hiking Volcanoes National Park Rwanda , the history of volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Rwanda is an excellent destination for mountain hiking and trekking vacations, and the Virunga Mountains are a series of eight volcanoes that stretch across the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura are five of Rwanda’s eight volcanoes that share the border. The Volcanoes National Park is Rwanda’s most popular national park, best known for its gorilla trekking adventures and as a top destination for hiking trips in Rwanda.
Hiking in volcanoes national park Rwanda allowed on four Virunga volcanoes in Rwanda, but not on Mt. Sabyinyo due to its massive craters and high ridges. Mt. Sabyinyo has thus been declared dangerous for climbing in Rwanda until a safer trail is identified, and for the time being, the mountain can only be hiked on its Ugandan side, but it offers one of the most rewarding hikes in the Virungas due to its location at the center of the Virunga chain and at the meeting point of all three country borders. Aside from the primary trails that go to the peaks of the four volcanoes, there are several attractive trails throughout the mountains that non-seasoned hikers may find less hard. volcanoes national park Rwanda gorilla trek, Volcanoes can also be explored through popular gorilla trekking and golden monkey tracking trips.
The volcanoes are always hiked while looking for gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which takes you through evergreen thick vegetation and bamboo trees due to its tropical climate, where you will see primates like gorillas jumping and swinging from one tree to another.
Uganda shares three volcanoes, which provide superb volcano trekking opportunities with a variety of unique and uncommon fauna on the slopes, including mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, endemic birds, and mountain greenery.
Trekkers can reach the western volcanoes via Goma and Rutshuru in the DRC, Kisoro in Uganda, and Ruhengeri and Gisenyi in Rwanda.
Rwanda is home to five of the eight Virunga mountain volcanoes, and climbing the Virunga volcanoes mountainous excursions are available on all of them save Mt Sabinyo, which has numerous craters that make hiking difficult and dangerous. The Uganda side of Sabinyo, on the other hand, is easy to climb due to the accessible terrain.
Hiking Rwanda volcanoes national park
Climb Muhabura, Sabinyo, and Gahinga from Uganda, then hike Bisoke and Karisimbi from Musanze, Rwanda. Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira are the youngest volcanoes and remain active.
Mikeno, Nyiragongo, and Nyamuragira are all located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are best reached through Kigali.Aside from Karisimbi and Mikeno, you can walk the remaining Virunga Mountains on a day trip. Remember to carry a tent and sleeping bag to Karisimbi because the camping area is at 3660m. On Mikeno, the Kabara hut at 3250m is no longer usable, thus a tent is required, and there are no good drinking water sources despite the rain.
Costs of hiking in Volcanoes National Park
The entry price to Volcanoes National Park for hiking Mount Bisoke is included in the hiking permit fee, with international non-residents paying $75 per person per hike and foreign residents paying $65 per person every hike. The hike introduces you to bird species in these volcanic mountains, as well as fauna, and allows you to discover the national park’s plants, foliage, and trees, what to wear hiking in volcano national park, its also very important to know the dressing code when hiking volcanoes national park in Rwanda.
Costs of hiking in Volcanoes National Park
The entry price to Volcanoes National Park for hiking Mount Bisoke is included in the hiking permit fee, with international non-residents paying $75 per person per hike and foreign residents paying $65 per person every hike. The hike introduces you to bird species in these volcanic mountains, as well as fauna, and allows you to discover the national park’s plants, foliage, and trees, what to wear hiking in volcano national park, its also very important to know the dressing code when hiking volcanoes national park in Rwanda.
Things You Should Know Before hiking Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
Things to do in volcanoes national park Rwanda, there are a limited number of guests for gorilla trekking.
To prevent losing out on your Rwandan excursion, book early in advance. Volcanoes National Park issues only 80 permits per day, and trekking parties are limited to a maximum of eight tourists per group, with only one hour to see the gorillas.
Trekking permits cost $1500 per person, and it is recommended that you book a safari through a tour operator, which will be able to get permits for you that are included in the cost of your safari, and the permit includes a professional guide and armed troops to protect you from harm. Children under the age of 15 are not permitted on gorilla trekking expeditions.
A mixture of different landscapes
In addition to the lush jungle that characterizes this park, there are a variety of unique montane ecosystems to explore, such as swamps, grasslands, bamboo forests, and heaths, which make this national park rich, a fertile region that is a hub of different wildlife and birds, and Rwanda is extremely beautiful.
Kigali is quite clean.
The capital city of Kigali is absolutely pristine, very clean, with fresh breathing air due to its evergreen environment, and is a pleasure to visit as an addition to your gorilla trekking experience; you can pay tributes to Dian Fossey’s memorial tomb, who was the world’s famous primatologist and conservationist who spent decades studying the behavior of mountain gorillas; and the Kigali Genocide Museum is also of interest.
There’s more than just mountain gorillas.
While viewing these wonderful animals up close is always a delight, another highlight of the park is the endangered golden monkey, which is equally excellent for children of all ages and costs only $100 for foreign non-residents, $65 for foreign residents, and RWF 4,000 for Rwanda locals. You will also see bird species and wildlife in his national park.
The gorillas are habituated in volcanoes national park Rwanda
Gorillas are usually quite timid and will flee in the sight of humans. Groups of gorillas have been exposed to humans over time for study and tourism purposes, and they have learned not to perceive us as dangers. This allows you to spend time with them without causing them harm, and you may also picture them, feed them, and play with them.
Despite this, visitors must maintain a 5-metre distance from gorillas at all times and back away if they approach.
How difficult to hike volcanoes national park Rwanda
Trekking at Volcanoes National Park can be difficult due to its hilly terrain. While there are various ways to explore depending on fitness level, the trip can be tough and takes approximately six hours to accomplish due to the varying terrain.
Binoculars, hiking shoes, a raincoat and long-sleeved clothing, bug repellent and sunscreen, and a towel to clean up the mud are all must-haves.
7. There are several seasons
The dry season runs from mid-December to early February and is the best time to travel. However, if you want to include another safari site in your schedule, June to September is ideal for an extended trip to Tanzania, for example. You can do both with the gorilla and migration combo.
