Volcanoes National Park is the most sought-after conservation area of Rwanda, it is one of the few destinations of the world to find the critically endangered species of mountain gorillas, they live in the forest freely without being captivated and peacefully together with other creatures for example golden monkeys, forest elephants, mountain duikers and over 150 bird species some of these are endemics of the great Albertine rift valley region. The national park straddles the borders of Uganda and the democratic republic of Congo covering an area space of approximately 160 square kilometres it is managed by the Rwanda Development Board.
The main attraction of Volcanoes National Park is the mountain gorillas, and it is the reason for visit, the gorillas of the park were made famous through the great works of the American primatologist Dian Fossey, as part of her research the park featured in the movie “Gorillas in the mist” which made the primates popular to the world, her work has been carried forward to date through research, in 2013 the campus of Ellen DeGeneres of Dian Fossey was built in support of her legacy. The protected area is home to 5 of the 8 series that make up the Virunga Mountain region these include mountain Muhabura, mountain Karisimbi, mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabinyo and Mountain Bisoke, along their slopes is a growing thick forest.
Flying to the national park begins from the Kigali International Airport, this is Rwanda’s major entry point where all travellers pass through to proceed to other destinations of the country, the domestic ground handlers of Akagera Aviation fly helicopters to the destination landing at the Ruhengeri airstrip, the nearest of airstrips to the park headquarters all flights are charter as there are no scheduled flights to the national park it takes about 30 minutes above the most scenic environment you can witness. Taking a flight is faster and much easier compared to being on the road, it is best advised for travellers with less time or sometimes elderly who are not in a position to sit for over an hour while driving.
The best time to fly to Volcanoes National Park is all year round, however, it is advisable to flyout during the dry season between December -and February and June to September, The weather conditions are much drier and less of strong winds that can cause flying impossible. It is also wise to book helicopter flights closer to the date of tracking in the national park to be able to reschedule in case of weather interruptions.
The other way of getting to the national park besides flying is to drive, driving takes approximately 2 hours to arrive at the conservation area passing through the backdrop of the amazing mountains, and tea plantations, the driver can be on self-drive or with a driver, it is possible to use public means to Musanze town and then connect to the park headquarters for your day’s activities in the Volcanoes National Park.