The Forest walk or the Guided Nature walks
Taking a forest walk or a guided walk is also an amazing way that you can get to see the different attractions that live in and around the Volcanoes National Park. In your group with your ranger, you will walk deep into the forest and spend some good time searching for the species that might interest you like the tree species, vegetation as well as the wildlife that live in the jungle. You will also expect to view many other primates other than the gorillas , you will see some monkey species and the most interesting ate the golden monkeys which will give you a completely different experience that is compared to gorilla trekking.
The golden monkeys like staying at the lower levels of the bamboo forests and you don’t have to walk for long here to find them which is not the same case with gorilla trekking that requires a lot of time since they go up in the upper zones on the mountains. When you come to meet them, you will be so surprised by their beauty as their name suggests. These have got a shiny reddish gold color on their backs and this means that they balance in with the golden color of the bamboo stems. These nature walks give you an improved knowledge about the ecosystem.
The nature walks are also so good for bird watching. Bird watching needs that low movement so that you can spot even the few bird species that hide in the tree branches and you will miss viewing them during the primate watching trek. You can also take photos of the wildlife, vegetation cover and lots of many other attractions.
What to carry and wear for a guided nature walk
The forest walk needs the same preparation as the primate walking experience and these include;
- The Hiking boots are also the best shoes since the jungle is wet much of the time and muddy plus being slippery. The simple shoes will make your movement a bit tough.
- Trousers and they should be long sleeved since these will protect you from being disturbed by the thorns and the broken tree branches that can cause bleeding. There are also some risky plants including the stinging nettle and these might cause discomfort when they touch the skin.
- Remember to carry drinking water since you will need it. You can also carry packed food in you are to stay out for long hours. But also remember to keep the bottles and the rubbish with you since littering is not allowed. You have to follow the guider’s rules and regulations in order to have a wonderful nature walk.
The other places that you can visit also include; Dian Fossey tomb hike, the Karisoke Research centre at the Karisoke , which is also a place between Karisimbi and Visoke thus the name Karisoke. She was a primatologist and an anthropologist that spent a lot of time in ensuring the conservation of mountain gorillas. Her anti-poaching war also led to arrest of many and it’s the main reason why she was killed in December 27th / 1985 and was found in her tent lying in the pool of blood. She was later put to rest in Karisoke with in the grave yard, close to many gorillas that were killed by the poachers. This Dian fossey hike is an amazing mixture of intelligent, emotional, physical experience for the tourists since it’s so inspiring to get to learn about her as well as her work towards saving the mountain gorillas.
When carrying out the hike, you will move through the thick volcanoes national park jungle and you need to be physically fit and patient. This tour also starts in the morning and this means that the driver will drive you from the head quarter to where the trail starts. The ranger will take you to begin your walk along the fairly steep slopes to the research centre where you will find Dian Fossey ‘s grave and this walk will take 2 or and half hours. You will get chance to enjoy the scenery and the hike with variety of different primates, birds and many more.
This hike is also considered as an act of credit to her for all the nice work that she did during her whole stay in Rwanda. All her efforts towards gorilla was the reason why mountain gorillas can also be found in Volcanoes National Park.you can also visit this tomb after trekking the mountain gorillas in the volcanoes.
