Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga Massif that straddles three countries, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of conga and Uganda. It is home to six towering, extinct volcanoes that penetrate the clouds. Its lower slopes are covered in bamboo forest with a rich otherwordly woodland. This national park mades up a 44,800 hectare (110,000 acre) conservation area that is a World Heritage Site and home to over 600 mountain gorillas.

Volcanoes National Park is considered to be the best place in East Africa to track gorillas, thanks to its easy access to twelve habituated gorilla groups. Aside from this great ape, other mammals that call the park home include golden monkey, black-fronted duiker, serval, buffalo, tree hyrax, elephant, bushbush and Egyptian mongoose. Some 178 bird species are found here too, including at least 13 endemic to the Virunga area such as the Rwenzori turaco, Archer's robin-chat, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori apalis and the red-faced woodland-warbler.