Volcanoes National Park is located in northwestern Rwanda in Ruhengeri district, 2 hours and 45 minutes drive from Kigali International Airport. The park lies within the Virunga mountains, a chain of 8 extinct and 2 active volcanoes that stretch across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The protected area is also called Parc national des volcans in French which refers to the park’s current name in English. Volcanoes National Park was established in 1925 making it Africa’s oldest national park. During this time the park was established as a small protected area covering summits of Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, and surrounding regions with the aim of protecting mountain gorillas.
At the time, it was part of the Albert National Park which was the first national park established by the Belgian colonial rule of the then Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). In the 1960s after independence from Belgium, Albert National Park was split into separate protected areas by the newly independent countries.
For instance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it became Virunga National Park, the parts extending into Rwanda and Uganda became Volcanoes National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park respectively. The Volcanoes National Park now covers an area of 160 sq km including five volcanic mountains, for instance, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Gahinga.
Volcanoes National Park gained international attention through the work of Dr. Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who arrived in Rwanda in 1967 and established the Karisoke Research Center between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke. Dr. Dian Fossey’s work focused on studying and protecting mountain gorillas which created global awareness of their endangered status.
She committed herself to gorilla conservation which led to an increase in the anti poaching efforts and laid the foundation for modern gorilla tourism and protection programs. However, Fossey faced opposition from poachers and in 1985 she was mysteriously murdered at her research center. She is buried at Karisoke next to her favorite gorilla, Digit.
Later in 1990s, Volcanoes Nastional Park faced many challenges from poachers especially during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. Many conservation activities were disrupted and parts of the park were occupied by the refugees and armed groups. Despite these threats, mountain gorillas survived due to the commitment of rangers and conservationists. By the early 2000s, the government along with international conservation organizations restored security, rebuilt infrastructure and relaunched gorilla trekking.
The government introduced a revenue-sharing program where 10% of all tourism income is given to local communities. The local community were also allowed to participate in the park activities as they were trained as porters, farmers and guides which offered a great impact on the conservation work. This helped in conflict management between people and wildlife. Today, Volcanoes National Park attracts a good number of visitors each year for gorilla trekking.
In 2022, the Rwandan government announced a plan to expand the park by 23% so as to create more space for wildlife and improve their habitat. This includes relocating people from inside the park boundary and restoring the land for wildlife. The park features different types of vegetation cover for instance; mountain forests, bamboo forests, alpine meadows, and volcanic caves
Apart from mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park hosts other wildlife like golden monkeys which are endemic to the Virunga Mountains, blue monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, giant forest hogs, forest elephants, buffaloes and various antelope species. The park is also a home to over 200 bird species including the Albertine Rift endemic. Some of these birds include; Rwenzori turaco, Handsome francolin, Archer’s robin-chat, Dusky crimsonwing, Ruwenzori double-collared sunbird, Strange weaver, and Grauer’s rush warbler.