Rwanda National Park- Park Des Volcans
Parc Des Volcans - Rwanda Mountain Gorilla
Parc Des Volcans - Rwanda Mountain Gorilla
Parc Des Volcans - Rwanda Mountain Gorilla
In 1847 two American explorers, Thomas Savage and Jeffries Wyman, presented a paper to the Boston Society of Natural History describing 'A new species of Orang from the Gabon River'; but it was not until the 20th century that the mountain gorillas of Rwanda were discovered by the outside world. Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga Mountains, which is a range of six extinct and three active volcanoes situated in Rwanda, Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat," wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, "are great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest - the Virungas". Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Parc des Volcans protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range - home of the rare mountain gorilla - and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath.
Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Parc des Volcans protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range - home of the rare mountain gorilla - and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath.
An exciting trek through the cultivated foothills of the Virungas offers stirring views in all directions. The park is probably best known for being the place where Dian Fossey, the American primatologist worked for almost 20 years. It is largely because of her tireless work that the gorillas were saved from extinction.
This is the definitive location to track the rare and captivating mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in Africa. This area happens to be one of the most beautiful sights in Africa. Many travelers rate a visit to these beautiful creatures as one of the highlights of their trip in Africa. It isn’t however, a joy ride. The guides can generally find the gorillas within one to eight hours of starting out, but this often involves a lot of strenuous effort scrambling through dense vegetation up steep, muddy hillsides, sometimes to more than 3000m.
An encounter with a silverback male gorilla at close quarters can be a hair-raising experience if you’ve only ever seen large wild animals in the safety of a zoo. Despite their size, however, they are remarkably non aggressive animals, entirely vegetarian, and usually quite safe to be around. For most people, its a magical encounter.
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