Park or nature areaOutline guide

Volcanoes National Park

National park in Rwanda

Photo: Dave Proffer, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Volcanoes National Park is an extraordinary park in Rwanda, full of impressive tropical rainforest and volcanic scenery, trekking, and is perhaps the best place in the world to see the rare mountain gorillas.

Getting there and around

Getting there

The park headquarters is accessible via paved road. However, to access the starting points to various treks within the park itself, you may require a 4WD vehicle.

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Getting around

Primate trekking
As implied in the following sections, you need to have some way to get from the park headquarters to the trailheads where the trek starts. The national park does not provide transportation.

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Airports and nearby hotels

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Goma International Airport

Goma · International · GOM

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Read before you go to Volcanoes National Park

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Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

Understand"In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat," wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, "are great, old volcanoes towering up almost 4500 m, and nearly covered with rich, green…

Get inThe park headquarters is accessible via paved road. However, to access the starting points to various treks within the park itself, you may require a 4WD vehicle.

Fees and permitsMountain gorillas – price for permit to view mountain gorillas in Rwanda:

Get aroundYou will not be provided with a private guide, despite the high permit cost. Rather, everyone will be grouped together rather chaotically and left to divide into groups when on the mountain.

SeeThe park headquarters exists mainly to facilitate the logistics of checking in for your trek. There is coffee available, along with clean bathrooms, but not much else in terms of facilities or attractions.

EatNo food is available for purchase within the park boundaries. For longer treks, you may wish to bring your own food.

DrinkBring plenty of water. In the morning before your gorilla tour or trek at the park HQ there is free tea and coffee provided.

SleepIf doing an overnight hike you will need to bring your own tent.

Stay safePark guides (some of whom are armed) will accompany you on all treks into the park.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Volcanoes National Park" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Volcanoes National Park", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Dave Proffer, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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