Volcanoes Rwanda and mgahinga gorilla national park safari

Volcanoes Rwanda and mgahinga gorilla national park safari

 Volcanoes Rwanda and mgahinga gorilla national park safari : These two national parks are ideal destinations for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking tours on the African continent.

Volcanoes National Park is a luxury gorilla trekking destination located in the North-western region of Rwanda while Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is situated in the South-western part of Uganda. The parks neighbor each other and the both neighbor Virunga National in Congo. All the three national parks are part of the Virunga Conservation Area which encompasses eight of the volcanoes that lie within the Virunga Volcano Massif.

Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is located in Ruhengeri district near a small town called Musanze. The national park was first established in 1925 and is a biologically rich and diverse home to over 200 species of birds, over 13 primate species with about 300 mountain gorillas.

This national park is ideal for visitors looking to have a luxurious gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda. Volcanoes national park in Rwanda offers its visitors gorilla trekking activities at a fee of USD 1500 dollars per person. Although the cost of trekking gorillas in volcanoes national park is high compared to that of Mgahinga National Park, where a gorilla trekking permit costs between USD 600 dollars to USD 700 dollars,  it has not stopped visitors from trekking gorillas in the park.

Gorilla Trekking expeditions in Volcanoes National Park happen in groups of eight individual who are going to tack the same gorilla group or family. Each tourist is provided with a well trained and experienced park ranger who are in constant communication with scouts and follow their course of direction.

Gorilla Trekking involves hiking rough terrains and dense vegetation hence the activity calls for tourists to be physically fit, healthy and patient. However, there are provisions for those tourists who are physically disabled to trek gorillas as porters are availed to carry them on stretchers but this comes at an additional fee.

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park involves tourists tracking gorillas for about 1- 8 hours depending on how easily the gorillas are located. When the gorillas are spotted, tourists are allowed to spend only an hour with the gorillas.

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park can be done by tourists starting from the age of 15 years. All gorilla trekking activities in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda begin in Kinigi which is where the park’s headquarters are located.

Aside from gorilla trekking, visitors in Volcanoes national park can take part in other activities that are offered by the national park such as; golden monkey trekking, bird watching, guided forest walk, hiking Mount Bisoke and Mount Karisimbi, hiking to Musanze caves and Dian Fossey gravesite, a visit to Karisoke Research Centre and Iby’iwacu community/village.

Accommodation in Volcanoes national park is readily available for visitors who wish to spend a night or more in the national park and these include; Bisate Lodge, Virunga Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Mountain gorilla view, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Kinigi guesthouse and Gorilla Volcanoes Lodge.

A visit to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda can be combined with a short trip to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. This tour option is very flexible and convenient for visitors who are on a fixed budget and wish to trek gorillas. This is precisely because the cost of gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is way cheaper than trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda is a relatively small national park located in Kisoro district in the southwestern part of the country. The national park spans over a radius of 33.7 square kilometers and is elevated at altitudes between 2,227 meters and 4,127 meters above sea level.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the second destination in Uganda, after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where visitors can do gorilla trekking. Currently, there are two habituated mountain gorilla groups in the national park, and these are Nyakagezi and Hirwa gorilla groups. The Hirwa gorilla family just recently migrated from Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Tourists visiting Mgahinga can also track this group and the revenue collected from visitors trekking this gorilla groups, is equally shared between the countries of Rwanda and Uganda.

Gorilla trekking activities in Mgahinga national park begin from the visitor center at Ntebeko at exactly 8am every day. Visitors are advised to be at the park by 7am for a short briefing from the head ranger at the park.

Gorilla trekking activities in the park take place in groups of a maximum of 8 members, and tracking can last between 2-5 hours. Once visitors have located a gorilla group, they are given only an hour to spend with the gorillas. Make sure that your camera is ready because you do not want to miss this moment.

Aside from trekking Mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park, visitors can also take part in other activities that are offered by the national park like; golden monkey trekking, Bird Watching, Hiking and mountain climbing, guided nature walks, Community visits, and the Batwa forest experience.

If you are looking for accommodation in Mgahinga, you can nearby accommodation lodges like; Bird nest Bunyonyi Resort, Bunyonyi Overland Resort, Kisoro Travelers’ Rest Hotel, Countryside Guesthouse, and Mountain Gorilla Safari Hotel.

Visitors can travel to Mgahinga National Park in Uganda after a visit to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. It takes about 1½ hours to drive from Volcanoes to Mgahinga national park via the Cyanika border.

If you are looking to combine a tour to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda with a visit to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, do get in touch with a trusted tour operator company like Explore Rwanda Tours to organize the ideal gorilla trekking tour for you.