In 2023, Rwanda received 25,927 tourists who visited gorillas, compared to 20,035 in 2022.
Volcanoes National Park began as a protected area in 1925, known as Albert National Park in Congo, Belgian. After Rwanda’s independence in 1962, the portion located in Rwanda became Volcanoes National Park, initially covering slightly over 320 square kilometers.
Currently, the park covers an area of 160 square kilometers, bordering Uganda to the north and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the northwest.
In 2023, 46,187 people visited Volcanoes National Park, participating in various activities such as gorilla trekking, monkey visits, visiting Dian Fossey’s grave, exploring Buhanga Eco-Park, caving, forest walks, and climbing all five volcanoes including Muhabura, which stands at 4,127 meters and can be seen from various high points across the country.
Other notable peaks include Gahinga at 3,473 meters, Sabyinyo at 3,669 meters, known for its jagged summit, Bisoke, famous for its crater lake at 3,711 meters, and Kalisimbi, the highest at 4,507 meters.
These great apes reside in the high-altitude forests of the Virunga Mountains, spanning parts of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Bwindi in Uganda and Sarambwe in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Scientifically named Gorilla beringei beringei, they were first documented by German officer Robert Von Beringe in 1902, after whom they are named.
These animals have moved off the endangered species list but are still considered vulnerable according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Thanks to exceptional conservation efforts, including healthcare and anti-poaching measures led by the Rwandan government through the Rwanda Development Board, the most recent census shows a global population of 1,063 gorillas.
In Rwanda’s section of the Virunga Mountains, there are 604 gorillas. The extraordinary experience of visiting them leaves many visitors profoundly moved, often considering it a once-in-a-lifetime event. Tourists spend one hour with the gorillas, an experience many describe as unparalleled.
Gorilla trekking attracts visitors because of their human-like traits, their lifestyle in the wild, and their social structures, which are remarkably similar to human communities.
One striking feature of mountain gorillas is their size and strength. Mature females weigh between 150 and 200 kilograms, while males weigh between 200 and 250 kilograms. They live between 35 and 45 years if they survive to adulthood without major threats. Their offspring are born after a nine-month gestation, weighing between three to five kilograms, and wean at around three and a half years old.
A mature female gorilla can have between four to six offspring in her lifetime, though there are exceptions like Kampanga, who gave birth to eight. Currently, the oldest gorilla is Kibyeyi, a 49-year-old female from the Hirwa group. The youngest is a one-month-old from the Sabyinyo group.
Their daily life mirrors that of humans, focusing on survival activities such as feeding mainly on vegetation and bamboo shoots. An adult gorilla consumes food equivalent to 15% of its body weight daily, meaning a 200-kilogram gorilla eats 30 kilograms of vegetation each day.
After feeding, they rest for over an hour. At night, they make nests at chosen sites and sleep. Their social structure includes families with dominant males, typically silverbacks with a white stripe on their backs, females, and young ones.
Families are usually led by a dominant male responsible for their protection and territory. Fourteen families are currently habituated for tourism, with no more than eight tourists per family per day, totaling 112 visitors daily. However, as the gorilla population grows, new families form, first monitored by researchers before being introduced to tourism.
The first families open to tourists were Susa, Sabyinyo, and Group 13, now known as Agashya, starting in 1979 when American researcher Dian Fossey began studying their behavior and habituating them to human visitors.
A clear example of family expansion is the Susa family, which split into Karisimbi, Igisha, and Isimbi families. This pattern continues as the gorilla population increases.
This knowledge is compiled from researchers and experts working in Volcanoes National Park and partners like The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Gorilla Doctors, and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.
To protect the park’s wildlife, 149 daily rangers monitor the animals in the high-altitude forests, while 27 staff assist tourists visiting the park.
