What Tour activities to do in Volcanoes National Park

Rwanda is the renowned land of a thousand hills, and she is among the three countries on the entire planet where mountain gorillas sleep and are viewed in their own natural dwellings. They survive within the wooded mountains in Northwestern regions of Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park, which is also part of the Virunga that extends to Southwestern Uganda and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Volcanoes National Park can be found just about 2 to 3 hours drive North West of Kigali Rwanda’s capital city and the National Park’s land area is broadly covered by a tropical rainforest. Much as mountain gorillas are the major tourist wildlife attractions in this National Park, there are many other wildlife species that also offer great wildlife experiences and they include a number of bird species some of which widespread to the Virunga massif, golden monkeys which are also endemic to the Virunga massif, other primates like monkeys, a multiplicity of plant vegetation plus the mountains themselves.

Mountain gorillas are among the nucleus wildlife attractions in Rwanda and a must see primates by adventurous and courageous tourists in the land of a thousand hills. They are much endangered primate species whose total population on earth is estimated at only 900. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is blessed to have over 300 gorillas with 10 habituated mountain gorilla families each family being open to be visited by strictly 8 tourists in a day, per hour, per gorilla family.

The familiarized mountain gorilla families are used to human beings presence in their own habitants and cannot therefore attack a tourist anyhow unless provoked, it should be noted that these are gentle animals but they are powerful and can attack in case they are provoked. Tourists are allowed to be in the presence of the gorillas for strictly one hour.
Mountain gorillas are very peaceful primates but can become tough and aggressive if provoked. The female mountain gorilla is very protective of its young ones and gets very aggressive once any one tries to touch or get close to its young one. For that reason, tourists are recommended to always keep a 7 meters distance away from the mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorillas are purely vegetarians and therefore feed on plant leaves and shoots throughout the year. Most times mountain gorillas seat strategically near fresh leaves and grab all that is in reach of their hands as they feed. The large grown silverbacks do not play on the trees because they are too heavy for that exercise.

Mountain gorilla safaris to Volcanoes National Park can be done at any time of the year however best experiences can be had during the dry season. Go travel to Rwanda. Go to Africa; go for gorilla trekking within Rwanda’s very own Volcanoes National Park for a Life time experience.