Famous national park in Rwanda
Famous national park in Rwanda : Rwanda is famous of its thousand rolling hills which covers an area of approximately 26,338 square kilometers. Rwanda sets at the borders of Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda is a home of interesting four national park scattered in the country such as volcanoes national park, Akagera national park, Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati- Mukura national park. Rwanda is also known for its breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, Rwanda, a gem in East Africa that beckons travelers with a myriad of remarkable destinations with its unique blend of nature, culture, and history.
Volcanoes national park is probably the country’s most famous national park. It’s the reason most tourists decide in a holiday in Rwanda. Volcanoes national park is one of the best destinations/places in Africa to encounter the mountain gorilla. Volcanoes national park is the oldest national park in the whole African continent. The park was gazetted as a national park in 1925 purposely to protect and conserve the endogenous Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda. Volcanoes National Park is located in the northwestern part of the country in Musanze earlier known as Ruhengeri. The park smallest national park covering 160 sq km of rainforest and comprises of five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains such as Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Muhabura, Bisoke and Karisimbi. It borders Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The park is the home to the third of the world’s remaining population of Mountain Gorillas of over 11 habituated gorilla families such as, Karisimbi, Amahora, Susa A, Umubano, Kirwa, Kwitonda, Bwenge, Ugenda Titua Agashya, Sabyinyo groups and gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking arte the popular activities carried out other activities to do in Volcanoes national park includes Dian Fossey graveyard hike, Mount Bisoke hike and Mount Karisimbi hike. This magnificent creatures thrive in their natural habitat within the Rwanda Park of the Virunga Mountains, a range of six extinct and three active volcanoes that also extend in to Uganda and democratic republic of Congo.
Volcanoes national park is also well- known for its magnificent vegetation types for instance montane forest, bamboo and grassland which sits at an altitude of about 2400 to 2500 above the see level forests animal species for example buffaloes, bush backs, forest elephants, giant forest hogs, golden Monkeys, bush pigs, spotted hyenas, black-fronted duiker among others and birds like Rwenzori Turaco, Red-faced woodland, handsome francolin among others.
Gorilla trekking is the popular activities visitors on Rwanda safaris commonly carry out while at the Volcanoes national park. The highlight of any trip to Volcanoes national park is unquestionably gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is an adventurous activity in volcanoes national park where visitors gets an opportunity to move on foot into the tropical rainforest in hunt for habituated mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to be followed during trekking. After the briefing, you will start the trekking in the forest which takes about 2 hours to 6 hours depending on where the mountain gorillas are located since naturally they move from one place to another in hunt for food. During trekking, you will be able to spot other primates species, birds and once the gorillas are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment where you will be able to learn about their habits, behaviors, how the carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, record videos and take pictures to show people back home.
Besides gorilla trekking, you can also encounter the rare Golden monkey tracking in the park, Volcanoes National Park offers excellent opportunities for bird watching with over 200 bird species exists. You will also get opportunity to explore the legacy of renowned primalogists in Dian Fossey Memorial who dedicated her life to studying gorillas, also engage in Volcano Climbing such as Mount Bisoke, Vising Twin Lakes, visiting Dian Fossey’s Tomb and finally touring Iby’iwacu cultural village and other communities among others.
Besides volcanoes national park, Rwanda has got another national parks which has boasted to the development of the countries tourism industry as well as attracting a huge number of visitors such includes;
Nyungwe national park
Nyungwe forest national park contains a remarkable arrange of biodiversity of over 1,068 plants species, 322bird species and 75 different animals. The park has plenty of primate’s species of more than 13 primate’s species which is the most captivating chimpanzees, white and black colobus monkeys and others endemic to the Albertine region. Trekking this primates isn’t only activity to do in the park, Nyungwe forest national park is also a home to canopy walk in east Africa .Besides the primates species and interesting canopy walk, Nyungwe forest national park also houses plentiful Bird species and other mammal species which can be seen feeding on the savannah vegetation. The park also offers a lot of unforgettable activities to travelers such as chimpanzee trekking, colobus monkey tracking, canopy walks, nature walks around the park, tropical water fall hike birding among others.
Akagera National Park
Akagera national park is another famous destination with amazing attractions, the national park is one of the oldest national in the region and the only savannah park in Rwanda. It is home to some of the attractive rare wild animals in Africa and a perfect place to go on a game drive. The park is a home to the famous and incredible African big 5 animals such also lions, buffaloes, rhinos, elephants and leopards other wildlife includes giraffes, Topis, zebras, antelopes, hyenas, impalas among others. There also others primate such as vervet monkeys, olive baboon, bush babies , Akagera national park is a dwell of over 520 bird species including local red faced barbets, and the swamp fly catcher as well as the elusive shoebill stork among others. Travelers on their Rwanda tour will have amazing wildlife safaris in Akagera national park where you will have an opportunity to see a number of attractive attractions and participate in a number of activities such as amazing game drives, nature walks, boat cruise at Lake Kivu, sport fishing and bird watching among others
Gishwati-Mukura national park
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is newest national park in Rwanda that was created recently in 2015 adding Rwanda’s 4th national park of the Volcanoes national park. Gishwati Mukura National Park was opened by the government of Rwanda was clearly to put the great effort to position the country as a leading tourism destination in East and Central Africa. The park is a home to over 232 species of bird such as Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Black Faced Apalis, Strange Weaver bird, Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Grauer’s Swamp Warblers, Regal Sunbird, Red-Throated Alethe, Rwenzori Batis, Grey Crowned Cranes, Mountain Yellow Warblers, Dusky Crimson wing, woodhoopoe, purple-breasted sunbird, martial Eagle ,Lagden’s Bushshrike, dusky crimsonwing , Tawny Eagle, Black Cuckoo, Gray-headed kingfisher, Black-billed Turaco, Pied Crow, Black-throated Apalis, Angola Swallow, Hooded Vulture, Blue-spotted wood Dove, Mountain Buzzard, Hadada Ibis, Augur Buzzard, Tropical Boubou, African Stonechat, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, White-browed Crombec, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Black Goshawk ,Dusky-brown Flycatcher, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Blue-headed Sunbird among others, wildlife species such as Red River hogs, serval cats, tree hyraxes and black-fronted duiker calling it home. The park also features 5 primate species such as chimpanzees, baboons, golden monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys
