Introduction:

Volcanoes National Park or you can call it Parc National des Volcans in French was the very first National Park to be created in Africa. It lies in the north western part of Rwanda bordering Virunga National Park in the Democratic republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
Because this Park was a small area and consisted of gorillas, which where disturbed a lot by poachers, so there was a need to gazette it in the year 1925. It is surrounded by several places like; Karisimbi, Visoke and Mikeno.
Infact, Volcanoes National Park is known for its variety of gorillas, actually this Park is a home to five types of Virunga Mountain Gorillas.

Location of Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is surrounded by five mountains where you can find these gorillas resting. These include Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Sabinyo and Mgahinga. Because it is located in the Virunga Mountains, It forms part of the extension of the Congo-Nile Divide, separating two of Africa's most important watersheds.
The Park is located in Ruhengeri which is 1hour and 30 minutes when you are driving from Kigali. When you reach the town, you will find Karisoke centre where research about these gorillas is carried out from. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is responsible for this activity.

Attractions in Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park consists of several attractions some of which include; The five families of the  Mountain gorillas ( Suza group which is the largest gorilla group with a recent count of 37 because of the recent twin birth species, the Amahoro, group 13, Sabinyo group and the Umubano group. These variety of these Mountain gorillas have attracted a good and countless number of tourists from all over of the country.
Apart from the Mountain gorillas, the Park contains other animal species like; the black fronted duiker, the golden monkeys, buffaloes, some bird species some of which include; beautiful francolins, Rwenzori turacos and others. These attractions are not just for decorations, they act as influencers of several individuals.
The lakes, this Park is enriched with L.Ruhundo and Burera in the vicinity which are very good components of attractions. Look at the Virungas with their five peaks. These include; Karisimbi (4507m), Sabinyo (3634m), Mgahinga (3474m), Muhabura (4127m) and Bisoke (3711m).
Volcanoes are enriched with the Afro-alpine (4000+m), Bamboo (base altitude), Hagenia and Hypericum forest (2600-3300m), Sub-alpine (3300-4000m) High altitude makes it generally cold, especially during the evenings which makes gorilla viewing  possible all the year round.
More still, that Crater Lake on top of Bisoke also attracts several visitors from quite many countries around the world.

Accommodation
The most convenient accommodation at this Park is Virunga Park Lodge which offers very good views of how wonderful Lake Burera is.
The other accommodation is available to the Park Kinigi and for those with a low budget, Musanze is the only option other wise there is totally no camping in this Park There’s no accommodation inside the park and overnight camping is not allowed. If not, you can as well consult with ORTPN about camping prospects obtainable.

Accessibility
The easiest to reach Volcanoes National Park is to use Musanze which was called Ruhengeri which can be basically reached by using a public transport from Gisenyi, and Kigali on the very day you track (you need to be present at the ORTPN office in Kinigi, along the park entrance, by 07.00), however this Is not a dependable choice of using public transport. There’s no public transport available between Musanze and the park headquarters at Kinigi.

Activities at Volcanoes National Park.
There are several activities here at Volcanoes National Park, some of which include; Visiting the grave of Dian Fossey and her gorilla Digit.
Birding activities which offers tourists a chance to see different bird species like, strange weaver, dusky crimson-wing, collared Apalis, red-faced woodland warbler,   handsome francolin, Rwenzori turaco, Archer’s ground robin, Rwenzori double collared sunbird and Rwenzori batis.
Tracking the golden Monkeys is another inspiring activity with a total of up to 40 permits issued daily, eight for each of the five habituated troops.  Apart from golden monkeys, there are other associated activities like hiking for example from, mountain Bisoke to the Crater Lake, trekking, Nature Walks, Climbing Karisimbi, Climbing Bisoke, Visiting the Musanve Cave and the natural bridge.