Volcanoes National Park, le Parc National des Volcans, extends over 250 sq km in the northwest corner of Rwanda, on its border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It includes five of the Virunga Mountains eight dormant volcanoes, the tallest of which rises to nearly 15000ft.
The Ecology of the Virungas
The foothills are heavily cultivated, a mosaic of eucalyptus groves, pasture, and small fields of beans, potatoes, tomatoes and other vegetables.
Above this, from around 8000 -13000 ft, the slopes are densely covered by tropical rainforest, above which is grassland and finally barren volcanic rock , with a few small plants clinging precariously in its crevices.
The Virungas’ rainforest zone, broken only by footpaths or game trails, offers the visitor a wonderful variety of tropical plants and animals. A canopy of trees up to 180 feet high encloses a green world of lesser trees, shrubs, vines bamboo and swamp.
The damp shade of the rainforest hides many fascinating animals and birds, and the forest echoes with the call of birds, the occasional bark of a hidden animal, the chattering of monkeys, or the grunt of a gorilla.
Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas
The world’s main population of mountain gorillas lives in the Virungas. This had fallen to only around 350 in the tragic and chaotic period of the Rwandan genocide, threatened by poaching for meat or private zoos, and loss of habitat to a hungry human population desperate for agricultural land. From the mid 1990s steps to protect the gorillas and their habitat restored the population to around 750 at the last census in 2004, since when the Park Rangers’ tally of births and deaths suggests a further slow recovery.
Today, over 20 gorilla groups roam freely between Rwanda, Uganda and DRC.
Gorilla Trekking in the Virungas
The highlight of any visit to Volcanoes National Park is a gorilla trek – to be fixed by the gaze of a great silverback gorilla just yards away is a heartstopping experience.
Within its strategy of sustainable tourism the Rwanda government allows a limited number of visitors to a few “habituated gorilla groups” under strictly controlled conditions. The charge for a pass for a non Rwandan resident is $500, and the income is used primarily for wildlife conservation and to educate and support the people living around the park boundaries. Reservations can be made through the Rwanda National Tourist Office (ORTPN) in Kigali or Ruhengeri.
Trekking parties gather at 7am daily at the Park Office. It’s a stiff 1-4 hour trek up the mountain, but guides allocate visitors to routes to match their age and fitness. The reward is usually up to an hour spent within 10-15 yards of a gorilla group.
Each party of 7 visitors is accompanied by guides, trackers, porters and two Rwandan soldiers ( a legacy of the days when poachers were a threat).
Strict precautions are enforced to prevent visitors carrying food or drink near the gorillas, or infecting them with disease.
