Which is the Oldest National Park in Rwanda?
Volcanoes National Park holds that title. Rwanda established the park in 1925, making it one of the oldest national parks in Africa and the world. It was originally called Parc National des Volcans, later known in English as Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda created the park to protect its wildlife, above all the endangered mountain gorilla, from poaching.
Location and Setting
The park sits in the Kinigi sector near Ruhengeri, in northwestern Rwanda, and covers about 160 square kilometers. It forms part of the wider Virunga conservation area, bordering Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Five volcanoes line its stretch of the range: Mount Bisoke, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Sabyinyo. Together, Rwanda’s side of the Virunga range protects roughly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, along with the region’s rare golden monkeys.
Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys
Volcanoes National Park is the single best place in the world to see mountain gorillas. Ten habituated gorilla families live here, including the Amahoro, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Kwitonda, Umubano, Karisimbi (Susa A and B), Agashya, Ugenda, and Bwenge groups. Mountain gorillas also survive in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla national parks and in DR Congo’s Virunga National Park, but nowhere are they easier to see than here.
The park is also one of the few places anywhere to see the golden monkey, found only on the lower slopes of the Virunga range. These striking, gold-coated primates live in large troops and are usually tracked on the same forest trails used for gorilla trekking. Golden monkey treks typically leave in the morning, and visitors spend the visit watching the troop feed, groom, and move through the trees.
Mount Karisimbi
Volcanoes National Park holds the tallest of the Virunga volcanoes. Mount Karisimbi is a dormant volcano straddling the Rwanda-DRC border, in the Albertine Rift section of the East African Rift. It sits between Mount Mikeno to the north, Mount Bisoke to the east, and Mount Nyiragongo to the west. At 4,507 meters (14,787 feet), Karisimbi is the 11th-tallest mountain in Africa. Its name comes from the Kinyarwanda word for “little white shell,” a reference to the frost that sometimes dusts its summit. The climb is among the toughest in the Virunga range, but it rewards hikers with monkeys, birdlife, and sweeping views along the way.
Dian Fossey’s Grave
A hike to Dian Fossey’s grave and former research camp is one of the park’s most significant excursions, taking roughly 2 to 3 hours each way through forest at around 3,000 meters elevation. Fossey was the first researcher to seriously study mountain gorilla behavior, spending years learning how the animals communicated and slowly earning their trust. She also became one of their fiercest defenders against poaching, work that made her a target; an unknown assailant killed her at her research camp between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke in 1985, a murder that remains officially unsolved. Visiting her grave today costs a separate $75 fee.
Permits and Planning
Volcanoes National Park requires a gorilla permit for trekking. The Rwanda Development Board, which oversees tourism nationwide, issues these permits. Current pricing is $1,500 for foreign visitors, $500 for foreign residents of Rwanda, and $200 for East African citizens, including Rwandans.
Contact us, and we’ll help you plan a Rwanda tour that includes a visit to Volcanoes National Park.
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