Volcanoes National Park lies to the northwest part of Rawanda and is bordered with Virunga National Park in Congo. The park inhabits the mountain gorilla and consists of five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountain that are covered with bamboo and rainforest. It was the first national park to be established in Africa and in 1929, its border was further extended to Rawanda and Belgian Congo to form Albert National Park. In 1962, when Rawanda gained independence, the new Government officially overtook the maintenance and preservation of the park from the Congo Government.
The vegetation of the park varies according to the altitudinal range. The flora of the park comprises of the Neoboutonia forest that lies at an altitude of 2400 to 2500m, Arundinaria Alphina lies at an altitude of 2500 to 3200m, covering 30% of the park area. To the south and west of the park lies the Hagenia –Hypericum forest that covers 30% of the park and is one of the largest forests of Hagenia Abyssinica region. It is home to various fauna species such as Mountain Gorilla, golden Monkey, Black-Fronted duiker, buffalo, Spotted Hyena and bushbuck. The park consists of 178 species of birds that include 13 species and 16 subspecies, which belong to Virunga and Ruwenzori Mountains.
Image Source : Panoramio