The park is spanning on a 160sqkm area in the northern part of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is the one of the ancient and oldest national park in Africa.
Volcanoes national park was at first a small area around the famous Mountain Karisimbi – the highest of the eight volcanoes, Mikeno Mountain and Visoke volcanoes which are all beautiful volcanoes attracting many safaris to Rwanda.
Straddling in the mountainous areas of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park was gazetted in the year 1925 to protect and conserve the world’s Mountain gorillas which are accountable for the many gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda.
In 1929, the park was extended into Rwanda and the then Belgian Congo and was named Albert national park managed and run by the Belgian Colonial Authorities.
After Congo gaining independence in 1960, the park was partitioned in two sections or parts and when Rwanda acquired independence in 1962, the new government accepted to maintain the park as a conservation as well as tourist area where tourists on Rwanda gorilla tours and safaris could enjoy their mountain gorilla trekking experience.
In the year 1967, American naturalist Dian Fossey arrived in Volcanoes and hence the park became the base for her to carry out her Gorilla research and conservation activities.
From that time the famous Fossey initiated Karisoke Research Center where she spent most of her time in the park working hard to save the gorillas from extinction by the local poachers who were seriously hunting the gorillas.
The effort of the American Conservation who was killed in 1985 is what is attracting the many travelers to undertake Gorilla tours and safaris to Rwanda.
Strategically located in the land of thousand hills, Volcanoes national park is an exceptional national park endowed with different Vegetation types which are delightful to the eyes of many tourists on Rwanda gorilla safari tour to Volcanoes National Park.
The lower slopes of the park are covered with montane forests which are under extinction due to increasing Agricultural activities carried out by the local communities around the park.
The diverse vegetation types have favoured the existence of mountain gorillas which feed on afro-Montana, bamboo vegetation spread in the park.
Gorilla permits in Rwanda cost USD 1500 per person, while in Uganda, gorilla permits goes at USD 700 per person. The permit gets you a full hour of time spent with family mountain gorillas.
Access: In Rwanda you have it is easier to access gorilla trekking opportunities. The drive from the airport in Kigali to Volcanoes National Park is short, so you can easily combine a gorilla trekking trip with a visit to neighboring Tanzania, and the further away Kenya.
In Uganda on the other hand, while you can combine the trip with safaris to the neighboring countries as well, the drive from the airport to either Bwindi impenetrable forest or Mgahinga gorilla national park is very long.
