Visit Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in October – Your Ultimate Guide

Visit Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in October – Your Ultimate Guide

Visiting Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in October – Volcanoes National Park is located in the district of Musanze in Rwanda. It is home to the most endangered primates, the mountain gorillas, and it is the leading destination for tourists who go gorilla trekking in Africa.

Volcanoes National Park is situated in the Virunga conservation area and encompasses five of the eight Virunga ranges such as Sabyinyo, Karisimbi, Gahinga, Muhabura, and Bisoke.

Volcanoes National Park is also called Parc national Des volcans in French and Pariki Y’lgihugu y’ibirunga in Kinyarwanda.

Being home to mountain gorillas, it is a historical center for gorilla conservation works by Dian Fossey, who conducted research and studied mountain gorillas.

From Kigali International Airport Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is a 2.5-hour drive from the airport.

Volcanoes National Park Rwanda ranks as the oldest National Park in Africa, harboring a variety of flora and fauna such as golden monkeys, birds, elephants, gorillas, buffaloes, bushbucks, and many others.

What Is a Group of Gorillas Called

Activities carried out in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in October

Visiting Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda in October is quite limiting in terms of gorilla trekking in the mountains and mountain hiking due to wet terrains on the mountain slopes.

This is because the month of October is a wet month. The temperatures are about 14°C/57°F during the day and 8°C/46°F at night, and it rains a lot in this month.

Rains are mostly heavy during the afternoons than in the morning, so visitors are advised to prepare accordingly.

However, all tourist activities can be carried out under guidance and careful instructions by tour guides.

Such activities include:

  • Gorilla trekking
  • Birding
  • Mountain hiking
  • Touring twin lakes
  • Visit to Dian Fossey’s grave
  • Nature walks and many others

Requirements tourists are advised to carry for their tours:

  • Hiking boots
  • Cameras
  • Hiking gear
  • Insect repellents
  • Hats/caps
  • Warm and waterproof clothes
  • Jackets
  • Hiking stick
  • Gorilla permits
  • Snacks

Rules and regulations:

  • Children below the age of 15 cannot participate in gorilla trekking among the tourist activities
  • Visitors are advised to maintain a distance from the animals like gorillas
  • Littering of the game park is highly prohibited
  • Noise making is strictly prohibited

Cost of visiting Volcanoes National Park: The cost of visiting Volcanoes National Park Rwanda varies from person to person, their activities, the amount of money they plan for their tours, as well as their home countries.

However, an estimate of USD 1500-15000 per person per tour can be given to guide the tourist.

Transport: Tourists travel by car from Kigali International Airport for about 2.5 hours, and in their journey to the national park, they are able to explore other tourist attractions like Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Alternatively, lots of adventures await in the month of October at Volcanoes National Park Rwanda.

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Written by

Volcanoes Rwanda Team

The Volcanoes Rwanda Team writes and updates these guides to gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park: permit prices, the habituated gorilla families, lodges, hikes and the best time to visit. We work with licensed Rwanda tour operators to plan treks for travellers.

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What visitors say about Volcanoes National Park

Recent Google reviews of the park.

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Thomas Thomas profile picture
Thomas Thomas
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Golden Monkey Trekking
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Sarbari Banerjee-Rothe profile picture
Sarbari Banerjee-Rothe
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What an amazing experience. This park is extremely well organized and the rangers know what they are doing. There are a variety of hikes and activities to choose from. We opted for the golden monkey trek and my husband climbed the Bisoke volcano. Both were incredible experiences. The guides who take you up the mountain have strict rules and enforce a turnaround time regardless of whether you summit or not. This is for safety reasons. Highly recommend the park and also recommend booking in advance if going in high season or on the weekend. Oh, and did I mention the best free coffee? Everyone was raving about it!
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Laban Edward Muhumuza (Captain) profile picture
Laban Edward Muhumuza (Captain)
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Perfect Place to be for Gorillas, Golden Monkeys and unlimited FREE COFFEE
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Primates eyes Safaris profile picture
Primates eyes Safaris
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Primates Eyes Safaris exceeded all our expectations. The communication before the trip was clear and helpful, and the actual experience was even better. The gorilla trek was unforgettable — standing face to face with these gentle giants was simply incredible. We highly recommend this company to anyone visiting Rwanda!
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DND Triangle Real Estate Developers LTD DND profile picture
DND Triangle Real Estate Developers LTD DND
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Breathtaking!!!
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Lars Rønn profile picture
Lars Rønn
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Om du noen gang får mulighet til å oppleve gorillaer i naturlige omgivelser, så vil du få en opplevelse for livet! Turen kan variere i tid, alt ettersom hvor gorillaene er. Du må stille godt forberedt med gode fjellsko som tåler vann, utstyr, mat og drikke, for turen kan være utfordrende - spesielt om du ikke er vant med fjellturer. For enkelte kan høyden også gjøre det utfordrende å puste. Forholdene kan være glatte og med mye søle, spesielt om det er mye regn. Ta med deg regntøy og hagehansker for å beskytte deg mot brennesle. Men frykt ikke - du har med profesjonelle guider og vakter som har god kunnskap om alt. Du kan også betale folk for å bære sekk og utstyr - noe du bør vurdere dersom du ikke er så vant med fysiske utfordringer. Veien til nasjonalparken er en opplevelse i seg selv. Du går gjennom bebygget område og jordbruksområder. Hver meter gir et unikt innblikk i hvordan hverdagslivet er for folk i området. Før du går inn i selve nasjonalparken får du grundige instruksjoner i hva du skal gjøre og ikke gjøre. Guidene er oppmerksomme, hjelpsomme og gir hele tiden god informasjon. Og så - selve opplevelsen av å være så nær gorillaer i sine naturlige omgivelser er noe som vanskelig kan beskrives med ord og bilder, for selve nærværet gjør så sterkt inntrykk! Når du først møter gorillaene har du en tine for å observere og ta bilder. Du kan komme så nærme som to meter fra de mektige dyrene!

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