There are many activities that tourists can engage in while visiting Volcanoes National Park. Though the park is more known for gorillas trekking, there are many more amazing things to do in PNV and several other adventures can be enjoyed in the park.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking
Mountain Gorilla Tracking is the most popular adventure carried out in the Volcanoes National Park. Today the park remains the most prominent within the Virunga attracting tourists interested in gorilla treks – visits to see these great apes in their natural environment. There are ten habitauted gorilla groups with an estimation of up to 80 gorilla permits being issued every day. Only 8 tourists are assigned to each of the 10 habituated groups making a total of only 80 gorilla permits to be available per day.
Gorilla Safaris
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Ethno Botany Tour
Visitors to the park can take an ethno botany tour with traditional healers. This field tour wil introduce you to herbs and plants that help to treat different ailments. It is followed by a visit to the local pharmacy, an opportunity to meet individuals who are under treatment and follow up their recovery stages.
Kinigi – Iby’Iwau Cultural Village
This offers a number of activities and the opportunity to experience Rwandan traditional living and what it makes it authentic. Grind millet and sorghum on the local grinding stone to make food, cycle a wooden bicycle around the village, shoot arrows with the Batwa People, listen to village elders explaining their tradition and practices and so much more.
There is even the opportunity to enjoy the traditional Intore dancers. Banana and sorghum are staple food products in Rwanda. Learn about the four different species if banana plants and their use by joining the Banana and Soghurm Beer Production Experience.
Markets in Musanze
The Musanze markets are worthwile exploring. Enquire about the village walks where local Rwandese women demonstrate cooking traditional Rwandese food. This includes food preparation and how to package food in banana leaves, and the use of various spices until the meal is served.
TheBrick Making Tour visits the clay fields where you can watch and learn the art of brick making with clay. Clay bricks are wrapped in banana leaves to dry over a two day period before being pressed in a wooden frame. This tour is often coupled with the opportunity to get your hands dirty and help build a community house.
Other Things to Do
The Park does not only focuses on gorilla tracking, but also conducts additional activities such as trekking and hiking which today are well organized, varying from 2 day ascent of the impressive Karisimbi to a non – tiring nature walk to a group of stunning crater lakes, although the most thrilling innovation is that today tourists can actually visit the habituated groups of the endemic golden monkeys.
Hiking in Volcanoes National Park
For the sport enthusiasts there are a number of hiking trails in the majestic Virunga Mountains, or you can enjoy cycling the area, boating on the twin lakes or even try your hand at fishing within the nearby lakes.