A trip to visit Mountain Gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

The safaris usually start at RDB (Rwanda Deveolpment Board) at Kigali

The Virunga Mountains that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are home to around 480 mountain gorillas, more than half of the world’s entire population (the rest live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda). In Volcanoes National Park, the Rwandan part of the Virungas, ten gorilla groups are now habituated for gorilla safaris, more than anywhere else in the world.

Special bond: Sigourney Weaver played Dian Fossey in the film Gorillas In The Mis

The first hurdle is the permit. Visitor numbers to see the gorillas are (thankfully) strictly controlled, and limited to about 80 people a day. If you want to visit on a particular date, you may have to book up to a year in advance. I enlisted the help of a local travel agency in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and they worked some magic with the local permit office so that you can able to get a place to coincide with your stay in Rwanda. Tours start at 7am at the entrance to the Volcanoes National Park,.

A week to ten days is perfect to explore much in The Volcanoes National park

A noticeboard at the park's visitor centre contained a breakdown of visitor numbers from the US,UK,Canada,Jamaica, South Africa, Egypt,Tunisia and others from East African community. So here you need to learn some Kinyarwanda so that you can be able to enjoy with local community.

Rwandese girls dancing with baskets known as Agaseke in local language

If you’re a keen photographer, taking your own pictures of mountain gorillas is one of the most magical photo sessions you’ll ever experience. Do bear in mind that the light can be poor in the rain-forest and that use of flash is not permitted. You might also need to protect your camera against heavy rain.

The visibility in Rain-forest is somehow poor (in The Volcanoes National Park)

You should keep a distance of 7m from the gorillas, although of course the gorillas themselves are unaware of this and will often get very close, in which case you should try to move away. Mountain gorillas share 98% of our DNA and as such are very susceptible to catching human infections, particularly respiratory ones, but they don’t have our immune system to deal with them – a common cold could eventually prove life-threatening

Gorilla trekking safaris offer a magical encounter that transcends any other 'wildlife' experience we know.

King of the jungle: One of the silverbacks in the Volcanoes National Park

In the way to The Volcanoes National park you will be able to see The River Nyabarongo

Rwanda traditional dance during a trip to The Volcanoes National park, you will enjoy this too!!

Dian fossey was American zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist who undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by anthropologist Louis Leakey. Her 1983 book, Gorillas in the Mist, combines her scientific study of the mountain gorilla at Karisoke Research Center with her own personal story. It was adapted into a 1988 film. Fossey was murdered in 1985; the case remains open

               Dian Fossey in November 1984 photograph by Yann Arthus-Bertrand