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19-711: The park was first gazetted in 1925, as a small area bounded by Karisimbi, Bisoke and Mikeno , intended to protect the gorillas from poachers. It was the very first national park to be created in Africa. In 1929, the borders of the park were extended further into Rwanda and into the Belgian Congo , to form the Albert National Park, a huge area of 8,090 km, run by the Belgian colonial authorities who were in charge of both colonies. In 1958, 700 hectares of

38-462: A buffer zone between the national park and its fauna and flora and the surrounding human communities. The buffer zone will be used for agriculture, particularly agroforestry, which will benefit the park and the humans together. It is expected that this arrangement will reduce "human-wildlife conflicts by 80 percent". Work was expected to start in 2022 and last five years, working with a budget of US$ 255 million. The Rwanda Development Board announced that

57-777: A pilot program will begin in 2024. Mount Bisoke Mount Bisoke (also Visoke ) is an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Albertine Rift , the western branch of the East African Rift . It straddles the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , but the summit is located in Rwanda. It is located approximately 35 km northeast of the town of Goma and

76-501: Is often shrouded in fog. Bisoke is one of the mountains that provide habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla , and the Karisoke Research Center founded by Dian Fossey is in the valley to the west. Being within two national parks, it is by law off-limits to most standard wilderness industries such as logging , farming , or mining . Aside from visitors to the parks searching for gorillas or other wildlife,

95-469: Is relatively small. The park is best known for the mountain gorilla ( Gorilla beringei beringei ). Other mammals include: golden monkey ( Cercopithecus mitis kandti ), black-fronted duiker ( Cephalophus niger ), African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ), spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ) and harnessed bushbuck ( Tragelaphus scriptus ). The bushbuck population is estimated to be between 1760–7040 animals. There are also reported to be African elephants in

114-590: The Albertine Rift Mountains , which border the western branch of the East African Rift . They are located between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu . The name "Virunga" is an English version of the Kinyarwanda word ibirunga , which means "volcanoes". The mountain range consists of eight major volcanoes. Most of them are dormant, except Mount Nyiragongo 3,462 metres (11,358 ft) and Mount Nyamuragira 3,063 metres (10,049 ft), both in

133-580: The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda in subsequent years, but these are always stopped quickly by the Rwandan army and there is thought to be no threat to tourism in the park. Buhanga Eco-Park, an ancient woodland containing Rwanda's most interesting folklore, and Musanze Caves, constructed 62 million years ago after the last estimated volcanic explosion, are both located inside

152-573: The Rwandan Civil War (1990–1994), Rwandan genocide (1994), First Congo War (1996–1997) and Second Congo War (1998–2003), and Burundian Civil War (1993–2005). During this time, military action and refugee relocation wreaked ecological havoc (including deforestation and poaching of endangered species ) upon the Volcanoes and Virunga National Parks and the surrounding area. In recent years, both parks have been somewhat secured, and

171-652: The DRC. Recent eruptions occurred in 2006, 2010 and May 2021. Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano at 4,507 metres (14,787 ft). The oldest mountain is Mount Sabyinyo , which rises 3,634 metres (11,923 ft) above sea level. The Virunga Mountains are home of the endangered mountain gorilla , listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species due to habitat loss , poaching , disease, and war (Butynski et al. 2003). The Karisoke Research Center , founded by Dian Fossey to observe gorillas in their native habitat,

190-605: The adjacent Lake Kivu . Bisoke, like all the peaks in the Virunga Mountain Range, is a volcano created by rift action on the forming divergent boundary of the East African Rift which is slowly bisecting the African Plate . Bisoke has two recorded eruptions which happened in 1891 and 1957. The most recent eruption happened 11 km north of the summit, and it formed two small cones on

209-462: The gorillas from extinction by bringing their plight to the attention of the international community. She was murdered by unknown assailants at her home in 1985, a crime often attributed to the poachers she had spent her life fighting against. Fossey's life later was portrayed on the big screen in the film Gorillas in the Mist , named after her autobiography. She is buried in the park in a grave close to

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228-406: The limits of Volcanoes National Park. Vegetation varies considerably due to the large altitudinal range within the park. There is some lower montane forest (now mainly lost to agriculture). Between 2400 and 2500 m, there is Neoboutonia forest. From 2500 to 3200 m Arundinaria alpina (bamboo) forest occurs, covering about 30% of the park area. From 2600 to 3600 m, mainly on the more humid slopes in

247-561: The park were cleared for a human settlement. Between 1969 and 1973, 1,050 hectares of the park were cleared to grow pyrethrum . The park later became the base for the American naturalist Dian Fossey to carry out her research on the gorillas. She arrived in 1967 and set up the Karisoke Research Centre between Karisimbi and Visoke. From then on, she spent most of her time in the park, and is widely credited with saving

266-664: The park, though these are now very rare. There are 178 recorded bird species, with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virunga and Rwenzori Mountains . In 2022, the Government of Rwanda announced plans to expand this national park from 13,000 hectares (50 sq mi) to 23,000 hectares (89 sq mi). Of the new 10,000 hectares (39 sq mi), park activities will expand into an estimated new 3,740 hectares (14.4 sq mi) and an estimated 6,260 hectares (24.2 sq mi) will be used to create

285-491: The peak is popular with mountaineers . It can be climbed in a day from the Rwandan side, and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) leads two-day excursions to it and nearby Mount Karisimbi , most often out of the nearby city of Ruhengeri . The climb is considered steep but walkable. The local tourism industry was devastated during the 1990s by several bloody uprisings and wars in central Africa including

304-468: The research center, and amongst the gorillas which became her life. The Volcanoes National Park became a battlefield during the Rwandan Civil War , with the park headquarters being attacked in 1992. The research centre was abandoned, and all tourist activities (including visiting the gorillas) were stopped. They did not resume again until 1999 when the area was deemed to be safe and under control. There have been occasional infiltrations by Rwandan rebels from

323-436: The south and west, is Hagenia -Hypericum forest, which covers about 30% of the park. This is one of the largest forests of Hagenia abyssinica . The vegetation from 3500 to 4200 m is characterised by Lobelia wollastonii , L. lanurensis , and Senecio erici-rosenii and covers about 25% of the park. From 4300 to 4500 m grassland occurs. Secondary thicket, meadows, marshes, swamps and small lakes also occur, but their total area

342-458: The tourism industry of the area has been recovering, despite ongoing conflicts and, from 2020-2022, the damage caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. Virunga Mountains The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro ) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa , in the area where Rwanda , the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda meet. The mountain range is a branch of

361-664: The volcano's north flank. There is evidence that the area where this eruption occurred is still geologically active, suggesting the likelihood of future activity at Bisoke. The volcano has two crater lakes , one being the largest of the range. The mountain is within the Rwandan Volcanoes National Park and the Congolese Virunga National Park . The steep slopes of the peak are densely covered with equatorial rainforest and alpine meadows . The summit does not gather snow, but

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