The most famous destination in Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park has become synonymous with mountain gorilla tracking safaris and no visit to the country would be complete without visiting these majestic primates.

Named after a chain of dormant volcanoes making up the Virunga massif, volcanoes national park covers 160 sq km in the northern province of Rwanda, 116 km (72miles) from Kigali. The park is a reservoir for the rich biodiversity and is one of the three destinations in the world where lucky visitors track the remaining families of mountain gorillas, widely portrayed as one of the marvelous wildlife encounters. The park has got as well habituated groups of the little, endangered and endemic golden monkeys; striking primates with bright orange-gold fur and playful nature, Dian Fossey tomb, the Musanze caves, Buhanga sacred forest, and various hiking trails. Volcanoes national park is one the country’s hotspot for birders, counting 178 bird species (13 endemics within this area).

Volcanoes National Park also has a historic connection with gorilla conservation. It was the base for the ground-breaking work of primatologist Dian Fossey which started in the late 1960s and is evocatively portrayed in the book and film Gorillas in the Mist.