Introduction
Volcanoes National Park is a prominent national park located in northwestern Rwanda, near Musanze town, at 160km2, originally established in 1925, making it one of the oldest parks in Africa. The park is home to five of the eight volcanoes in Virunga, including Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo, and is known for its unique landscapes and diverse wildlife. Volcanoes National Park is one of only three parks in the world where visitors view the endangered mountain gorillas. In 1929, the park was extended into the Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), covering an extensive area of the Virunga Mountains. The park was later divided following the independence of Rwanda and Congo in the 1960s. The Rwandan section became Volcanoes National Park, while the Congolese portion was named Virunga National Park. Volcanoes National Park was established as Albert National Park, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It was created to protect the mountain gorillas from poaching and encroachment in 1925.
Volcanoes National Park is renowned for its rich biodiversity. It encompasses a wide variety of flora and fauna, boasting diverse vegetation types that vary with altitude and topography. While the park is best known for its mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, it is also part of the Albertine Rift, which hosts over 200 bird species, including endemic and rare birds. The park provides a diverse range of habitats that support the bird species, and the park’s varying altitudes from 2,400m to 4,507m create different ecosystems, each offering unique conditions for bird life. Volcanoes National Park has montane forests home to Albertine Rift endemics, bamboo forests providing food for golden monkeys and shelter for birds, hagenia-hypericum woodland, a subalpine zone with giant lobelias and senecio plants, and an afro-alpine zone characterized by rocky outcrops and sparse vegetation. Each habitat in the park plays a crucial role in supporting resident and migratory bird species, making it a prime destination for birdwatching enthusiasts.
Volcanoes National Park is part of the Albertine Rift, a biodiversity hotspot that stretches across Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania and this makes the park home to 17 Albertine Rift endemic bird species, notable and migratory bird species as mentioned below; gruaer’s swamp warbler, scarlet-tufted sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, Rwenzori double-collared robin, collared apalis, red-faced woodland warblers, dusky crimsonwing, African swamphen, grey-headed bushshrike, bat hawk, narina trogon, lesser honeyguide, brown-backed honeybird, black cuckoo-shrike, handsome francolin, regal sunbird, shelley’s crimsonwing, augur buzzard, African goshawk, crowned hornbill, white-necked raven, mountain masked apalis, doherty’s bushshrike, strange weaver, olive pigeon, steppe eagle, booted eagle, European honey buzzard, montagu’s harrier, sandpiper, spotted flycatcher, northern wheatear, barn swallows, cuckoos, and many more.
Away from the bird species, Volcanoes National Park is home to a diverse range of mammals including the iconic mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, spotted hyenas, jackals, African golden cats, servals, leopards, bushbucks, duikers, buffaloes, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, hyrax, and many more. This means that away from bird watching, one can engage in other activities like gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, hiking, guided nature walks, mountain climbing, Dian Fossey tomb hiking, and cultural and community experiences with the help of a local experienced guide.
Birding in Volcanoes National Park is a year-round kind of experience how the best times depend on the weather and the visitors’ desires; the dry seasons of June-September and December-February are the best overall time for bird watching as more birds are active and visible with dry trails which eases exploring the forests; the wet seasons of March-May and October-November are best for migratory birds however it can be challenging due to the muddy trails. The best times of the day are early in the morning and late in the afternoon as birds are a lot more active during these times.