Gorillas in the Virungas — where Dian Fossey conducted the research that first brought mountain gorilla conservation to global attention.
Covering roughly 160 square kilometres in Rwanda’s far northwest, Volcanoes National Park protects the Rwandan slopes of the Virunga Mountains — five of the range’s eight volcanoes, including Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo — and is where primatologist Dian Fossey conducted the research that first drew global attention to mountain gorilla conservation.
Two Primate Experiences, One ParkA full day, with roughly an hour of contact time once a habituated family is located — the same essential format as Uganda’s Bwindi, in a different volcanic setting.
A gentler, shorter trek through the park’s bamboo forest to track endangered golden monkeys — a genuinely different primate encounter from gorilla trekking, and a strong pairing on the same trip.
For travelers wanting a physical challenge beyond the trek itself, several of the park’s volcanoes offer hiking routes to their summits, including Bisoke’s crater lake.
The format is similar — roughly an hour with a habituated family after a variable-length trek — but Rwanda’s permits are priced above Uganda’s, and the Virunga volcano scenery differs from Bwindi’s dense rainforest.
Yes — many itineraries combine both, typically on separate days, since golden monkey tracking is shorter and less physically demanding than a gorilla trek.
Speak to a safari designer about combining this with your Uganda gorilla trek.
