National Parks Rwanda

Nyungwe Forest and Volcanoes National Park

Nyungwe Forest National Park

The Nyungwe Forest National Park is situated in a part of the Central African Rift Valley, which stretches from Uganda and Congo over the Rwenzori Mountains to Western Rwanda and Burundi to the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The Nyungwe rainforest has only recently received the status of a national park and is one of the largest protected rain forests in the East African highlands.

The highland rain forest covers an area of 970 km² and is a unique natural habitat. It is the only place where you can see up to 300 colobus in the trees, and home to 25 % of primates in East Africa – meaning you can discover 13 different species in the park.

Volcanoes National Park

The Parc National des Volcans (PNV) is part of the Virunga preservation area and stretches over 125 km². Five volcanoes are located in the national park: Sabyinyo (3674 m), Gahinga (3474 m), Bisoke (3711 m), Muhabura (4127 m) und Krisimbi, the highest volcano with 4507 m. All 5 volcanoes are extinct – active volcanoes can still be found in the Congo.

The mountain gorillas mostly stay in the forest. Hikes through the forests offer fantastic views. In the national park, Dian Fossey conducted her studies about mountain gorillas for 18 years. Altogether, there are 5 gorilla groups which can be visited by tourists:

  • Susa group: 38 animals
  • Amaharo group: 14 animals
  • Sabyinyo: 11 animals
  • Umubano: 8 animals
  • Amahoro: 13 – 18 animals

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