Volcanoes National Park lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Volcanoes are known as a shelter for the rare and endangered mountain gorilla and. It is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo), and spans 160 km2 covered in rainforest and bamboo. The park was the base for the zoologist Dian Fossey. And it was declared to be a national park in 1925 as the first very national park in Africa.
Activities:
Hike two of the Virunga volcanoes, accessible from the Rwandan side, through the cultivated foothills: Karisimbi (4.507m) and Bisoke (3.711m). The climb to the peak of Karisimbi requires two days, with clients sleeping in a tent on the mountain. It does not require technical skills, but clients have to be fit and healthy as the walk is quite difficult and conditions can be wet, cold and muddy. Bisoke is a day’s walk and although less steep than Karisimbi still requires walkers to be fit. The paths go through afro-Montana forest, bamboo, and woodland. Higher up there is Afro-alpine moorland, grassland and marsh, giant lobelia and senecio.
Visits to “Old Karisoke” Dian Fossey Research Centre are available as one of the activities in the Volcanoes. Old Karisoke is located in a beautiful meadow between the Karisimbi and Bisoke volcanoes. Remains of the old buildings can be seen as well as graves of some of the research gorillas that have died over the last 30 years, including the famous Digit which was killed by poachers, as well as that of Fossey herself.
Dian Fossey graveyard is located on Bisoke volcano, where she spent most of her time on gorillas’ research. The walk takes about 6-8 hours in all and is a fascinating way to explore the park and get a glimpse of the remains of this historic place.
Prior booking is required and should be done when booking a safari.
The remains of Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Centre – “Old Karisoke”
Dian Fossey set up a research centre in the Virungas in the early sixties and began the well documented habituation of the gorillas there. She became well known internationally through the film “Gorillas in the Mist”. Although Fossey was killed in 1985, the Centre continued to operate in the forest with other researchers until 1992. During the ensuing civil war in Rwanda it was destroyed and although rebuilt in 1993, it was destroyed again. Since then it has not been rebuilt. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International now runs its research on the gorillas in the forest from the Karisoke Centre in Musanze town.
