Virunga Volcanoes Safari

Parc des Volcans (French for The Volcanoes National Park) protects the Rwandan sector of the Virunga Volcanoes, home to 300 mountain gorillas of which only around 600 survive worldwide.

The Volcanoes National Park is named after a string of magnificent free-standing volcanoes that range from 2500-4500 metres in height and are one of the most stirring and memorable sights in East Africa. It was here that Dian Fossey studied the gorillas for 20 years and it is largely thanks to her work that poaching was curtailed while there were still some gorillas to save.

There are four groups of habituated gorillas in the park and depending on where the groups are, between 16 and 32 gorilla permits are issued each day. Your first sighting of a gorilla in the wild is an exhilarating and extraordinary experience. It’s worth remembering that Rwanda’s gorillas need tourists to survive – your permit money is channelled back into the protection of the Volcanoes National Park.

To sit with a gorilla for an hour on a Virunga Volcanoes Safari is an undisputable highlight of any trip to East Africa and your contribution to their future survival will enrich your travel experience.