How to Get to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda?
How to Get to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda? This is a question that can be answered by the travelers who have visited Rwanda on the amazing Rwanda Safari Packages that are organized by different tour operators.
Volcanoes National Park is one of the most visited destinations in Rwanda because of its famous mountain gorillas. Volcanoes national park is located in the north western part of Rwanda in Musanze village and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga national park in Uganda.
Volcanoes national park was established in 1925 mainly to conserve and protect the endangered mountain gorillas and is therefore known as the first and oldest national park in Africa. Rwanda is one of the 4 African countries that harbour the endangered mountain gorillas in the national parks namely Volcanoes national park, Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park in Uganda and Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Volcanoes national park is famous for the mountain gorillas with about 14 habituated gorilla families which are available for trekking on a daily basis with a maximum number of 8 people per each gorilla family spending only one hour with the gorillas in their natural environment. Volcanoes national park is also a home of the endangered Golden monkeys, wildlife species like Forest Elephants, Buffaloes, Duikers, Bushbucks, Giant Forest Hogs, Bush Pigs, Spotted Hyenas, bird species, 5 volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains such as Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo.
Volcanoes national park offers a wide range of activities that visitors on a safari in Rwanda can enjoy including the most popular gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, bird watching, hiking the volcanic mountains, nature walks which provide great scenic views of bamboo, montane and grassland vegetation, visiting the local communities among others which make your Rwanda safari adventurous and memorable.
Getting to Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes national park can be accessed by road and air transport;
Air transport, this is the fastest means of transport where a visitor flies to Kigali international airport and then connects to Kinigi park headquarters in volcanoes national park by road. Volcanoes national park is located about 105 kilometers away from Kigali airport and takes about 2 hours’ drive to the park headquarters.
Visitors coming from Uganda to Volcanoes national park can land in Entebbe international airport; book chartered or scheduled flights to Kiroso Airfield or Kihihi airfield where they will connect by road to volcanoes national part through Cyanika border.
Road transport, this is the commonest transport means where visitors travel by private vehicles to volcanoes national park. Visitors use road transport means after landing in Kigali international airport where one can use public means of transport to Musanze town and later hire a private vehicle to Kinigi park headquarters because there are no public means of transport to the park headquarters.
Visitors also use road transport means when traveling from Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where they will drive in private vehicles via Cyanika border in Kisoro and then connect to Volcanoes national park which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive. You can also drive from Kabale town via Katuna border to volcanoes national park.
Due to easy accessibility to Volcanoes national park, visitors can travel to Bwindi national park for gorilla trekking and also connect to Volcanoes national park through Cyanika border in Kisoro for golden monkey trekking or vice-versa hence touring two great gorilla destinations.
Volcanoes national park is a unique destination where visitors can trek gorillas and still go home on that same day due to the short distance of volcanoes national park from Kigali town unlike Bwindi national park or Mgahinga national parks in Uganda where it’s impossible to trek gorilla families and still go back home because the parks are located in south western Uganda and takes about 8 to 9 hours from Kampala city.
Accommodation in Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda is one of the most visited countries in Africa due to the endangered mountain gorillas and it harbors a wide range of luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation facilities which provide comfortable beds, prepare local and international dishes, great scenic views of Kigali city, vegetation types, offer other facilities like free WI-FI, reading room, swimming pool, sauna, massages among others. Accommodations in Kigali include Le Bambou Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Villa Gorilla, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Mountain Gorillas’ Nest Lodge, Best View Hotel, Faraja Hotel, Da Vinci Lodge, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Gorillas Volcanoes Hotel, Virunga Lodge, Kinigi Guest House, Villa gorilla, La Palme Hotel among others. Visitors are therefore encouraged to sleep in lodges near the park headquarters so as to reach the briefing point in time which is 7:00 am on the day of trekking gorillas.
When to visit Volcanoes National Park?
Volcanoes national park can be visited anytime throughout the year and it experiences the dry season in the months of June to mid-September, December to February and rainy season in the months of March to May and October to November. The best time to visit Volcanoes National Park for either gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, hiking, or nature walks is during the dry season when there is little or less rainfall, short grass for easy viewing of gorillas and other wildlife species, dry grounds for easy trekking among others, rain can still fall in the dry season because Volcanoes national park is a tropical rainforest. Visitors can as well visit the park during the rainy season because activities will continue though there will be difficulty when trekking in the tropical rainforest due to muddy and slippery grounds but with the help of a porter, trekking will be successful.
Volcanoes national park is the ideal destination where visitors engage in various activities such as Gorilla trekking, Golden monkey trekking, Hiking on Mount Karisimbi, Visiting the local communities among others which offer fascinating lifetime experiences to visitors on a safari in Rwanda.
