Volcanoes National Park is a captivating, biodiverse conservation area in Rwanda. The park occupies the northwest provinces of Rwanda covering an area of up to 160 square kilometers. It is an outstanding destination due to the breathtaking extinct volcanoes it hosts that add to the overall beauty.
The outstanding volcanic landscapes include five of the eight Virunga mountains, that is to say mount Karisimbi, Bisoke, Mikeno, Nyiragongo, and Sabyinyo. The slopes of these mountains are covered with moist evergreen flora that is a habitat and feeding ground for a variety of animals especially primates, Wildcats, and most notably the mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park is a must-visit for adventure-seeking travelers and nature enthusiasts not forgetting those seeking to uncover the awe-inspiring beauty of the heart of Africa.
History of Volcanoes National Park.
The first attempts to conserve the biodiversity of the park resulted in the gazetting of the land as a small reserve in 1925. It was mainly to protect the critically endangered mountain gorillas from poachers who seemed so determined to finish even the little remaining population of them.
They were doing this through acts like hunting them down for their next meal, cutting down their habitat in the name of firewood, and establishing settlements. Volcanoes National Park was the first National Park to be created on the African continent and boasts as the pioneer of conservation efforts.
The park was extended further into Rwanda by the Belgians in 1958 though they faced a lot of resistance from locals. In 1967, a renowned researcher Dian Fossey founded the Karisoke Research Center to further study the gorillas which led to the habituation processes and opened the door for gorilla tourism activities in the region. Unfortunately, in 1992, Volcanoes National Park became a disastrous area since it was turned into a battlefield during the Rwanda civil war. Gorilla tourism was at a standstill until 1999 when peace prevailed in the country.
Uniqueness of Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park boasts among other national parks in the country as the only National Park where visitors can have a glance at the mountain gorillas. The fact that it was the first National Park to be gazetted on the African continent further sets it apart. Travelers to the park therefore have the opportunity to get first-hand information on the species that have been conserved for decades.
Activities carried out in Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla trekking and habituation. Volcanoes National Park is home to 13 gorilla families that can be trekked down by visitors. These are fully habituated and therefore free of human presence in their natural habitat. There are other families undergoing habituation processes that the travelers can gladly join. Mountain gorillas are the highlights of the park since most travelers to the park have the urge to indulge in gorilla tourism activities.
Volcano hiking. This is yet another exciting touristic activity travelers can indulge in when in Volcanoes National Park. Visitors choose one of the five volcanoes to climb and enjoy the hiking experience.
Research. Visitors interested in research about the biodiversity of the African continent flock to Volcanoes National Park since it is a hidden gem of concentration of a series of them. Guests can research the primates of the park especially the black and white colobus monkeys, golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and the rest.
How to access Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is a two to three hours’ drive away from Kigali International Airport. Visitors drive through the towns of Rubavu and Musanze to access the park. Also, you
Favorable times to visit.
The dry seasons of the year are the most appropriate travel times to visit Volcanoes National Park. They are characterized by dry weather which aids uninterrupted hiking through the mountainous terrain and the thick rainforests.
The dry seasons take place every year from early June to early October and from early December to late February: It is however important to remember that the park is always open all year round for visitors and therefore they can embark on exploration activities even in the wet seasons.
The wet seasons also offer awesome experiences especially for the primate trekking since they do not move long distances due to the abundance of food in the forest.
Uganda is a beautiful destination in east Africa a hotspot for many travelers due to its natural composition, the landlocked country is bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and the democratic republic of Congo, it is a land of diverse environments from mountains, grasslands, hills, to lakes and rivers, there is a fusion of cultures with uniting languages that spoken by most of the residents, the official one is English substituted with Kiswahili and Luganda, Tourism in Uganda is a boom with 10 national parks, these present so many attractions including the most angelic Flora and fauna,. The top things to do in Uganda include
Gorilla trekking, takes place in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, in 1993 the very first gorillas trekked in the Buhoma sector, gorillas are characterized by their strong fur bodies, they live amicably together with other forest creatures freely without being captivated, it takes 2-8 hours tracking gorillas depending on how far they have moved, it a gun enjoyable activity done, the hike is strenuous nut so rewarding at the end of the day, expect to meet the primates for an hour in groups of 8 per gorilla family. Tracking Mountain gorillas requires gorilla permits $700 per person $600 for foreign residents, and 250000shilings for East African citizens.
Chimpanzee tracking is a must-do thing while on your Uganda wildlife safari, the primates live within the Kibale Forest National Park and Kyambura Gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, they have scientifically been proven to share up to 98% of the human DNA, and they are characterized by their social behavior, intelligence, with their loud charter sounds, it is possible to hear the primates even at a distance before meeting them, tracking primates begins at the Kanyanchu visitor center with a briefing from the Uganda wildlife game rangers, they will tell you about the forest and in groups of 6 you will be allowed to track the primates an hour is taken while taking pictures, enjoying the play and jumping around of the primates.
Game drives in the Savannah conservation areas of Uganda, take place through the well-distributed game trails in the national parks of Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Semliki National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park Expect to see the so-called big five of the wilderness including elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, waterbucks, elands, giraffes, hippos, Jackson hartebeests, warthogs, crocodiles, and many bird species there are over 1000 species of birds recorded in Uganda, most of these are found in the protected conservation areas some of which are endemics to the Albertine region, game drives are conducted using 4*4 wheel car drives in order to beat the tough terrain of the African topography.
Hikes and guided nature walks, bring you closer to Flora and Fauna, these are led by the Uganda wildlife game rangers for protection from animals, walks begin at 7:00 am and last for 2 -3 hours enjoying nature, these can be done in any of the national conservation areas while hiking and mountain climbing takes place in the Rwenzori mountains, mountain Elgon, Kidepo valley national park.
Mountain gorillas are primate species in a few ecosystems of Africa, they are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla’s gorilla beringei beringei living in mountainous areas in Uganda they are found in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Mghainga National Park, in Rwanda they are situated in the volcanoes national park while in the democratic republic of Congo in the Virunga national park, these are the only places of the world to see the critically endangered species, they roam freely in the conservation areas without being captivated. The Bwindi impenetrable national park in the southwestern corner of Uganda hosts half the population of the gorillas they love within the four sectors of the park Nkuringo, Rushaga, Buhoma, and Ruhija.
What do gorillas eat? This is a question that lingers so many times, mountain gorillas are mostly herbivores in nature, being the world’s largest primates they need lots of food to survive, they feed on forest plants, dead tree backs, leaves stems, fruits, mushrooms and occasionally insects, since it is a high altitude zone, there is less of fruit and more of plants, the primates are specific on what they want to eat on a particular plant type, for example, they have been sighted stripping plants in order for them to get the inner part of the stem other plants like mimlopsis they take on the leaves. An adult mountain gorilla eats about 18 kilograms of food.
Mountain gorillas are not so water friendly and hence it is hard to drink water however the plants which they feed on are succulent enough for them to have enough water in their bodies for survival. Gorillas do not feed in one point but rather after consuming, they move to the next part to allow the regrow of the vegetation. They live in families of up to 20 members led by a male silverback, baby gorillas are taken care of by their mothers until the age of 2 years. The primates are territorial in nature hence it is hard to find more than 1 silverback in the same group, families consist of blackbacks, juveniles, and females, they nest on the ground which sometimes makes it easy for travelers to know the actual number of the primates as each one of them makes a nest except for the babies who share with females. They are playful jumping from one tree to another.
Mountain gorillas present an opportunity to experience mountain gorillas, trekking is one of the amazing things to do while in Uganda, it takes place beginning at the park headquarters, in groups of 8 you will be allocated a gorilla family to track, it takes 2-8 hours in search depending on how far the gorilla families have moved. Gorilla trekking is a strenuous activity that will need preparation both mentally and physically, upon meeting the primates an hour is allowed while with them later which you return to be awarded a gorilla trekking certificate, for travelers who would like to spend more time with the primate’s gorilla habituation experience is the most ideal thing to do as it allows am all day experience.
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