Volcanoes Safaris

A prominent pioneer of mountain gorilla- and chimpanzee-based ecotourism in Uganda and Rwanda, Volcanoes Safaris was the first company to open tourist lodges close to the main ape-tracking hotspots in these countries. Today, it operates the most extensive chain of upmarket lodges geared specifically towards visitors seeking to spend time in the company of these beguiling forest-dwelling creatures.

Uganda hosts three Volcanoes lodges. Bwindi Lodge borders the Buhoma Gate of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the country’s premier gorilla-tracking venue. Kyambura Gorge Lodge is perched on the edge of the forested Kyambura Gorge, a top-notch chimpanzee-tracking destination set amidst the savanna and lakes of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which also hosts large numbers of lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo.

The name Volcanoes refers to the Virunga Mountains, a magnificent string of dormant and active volcanoes whose forest and bamboo-clad slopes rise to an elevation of 4,507 metres along the border of Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo. On the Ugandan slopes of the range, Mount Gahinga Lodge, built in 1997, is the only lodge bordering Mgahinga National Park, where visitors can track mountain gorillas as well as the endangered bamboo-dependent golden monkey, or undertake challenging but beautiful day hikes to a trio of lofty volcanic peaks.

Established in Rwanda in 2004, Virunga Lodge is the oldest lodge to serve Volcanoes National Park, which many regard to be the finest gorilla tracking venue of all. The lodge possesses a stunning hilltop location offering scintillating views west towards the volcanic cones of the Virungas and east to Lake Bulera. In addition to gorilla tracking, the lodge makes a great base for tracking golden monkeys, ascending to the Virunga Peaks, and hiking to Dian Fossey’s grave at the abandoned Karisimbi research centre.

Volcanoes’ lodges are small (up to 10 units) and offer a winning combination of spacious modern guest rooms, attractive African-influenced decor, and superlative food and service including a personal butler. The company’s hands-on owner-manager Praveen Moman is deeply committed not only to the conservation of Africa’s great apes and their forested habitats, but to offering support to Batwa hunter-gatherer and other communities living outside the parks.