The Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park) straddles Rwanda's northwestern borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. It is contiguous with Virunga National Park in the DRC and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

The Volcanoes National Park was established in 1925 and it covers 160 km² (62 sq mi) of rainforest in the Virunga Mountains, which is one of the most beautiful areas in Africa. The park includes 7 volcanoes:

• Gahinga (3,474 m)
• Karisimbi (4,519 m)
• Mikeno (4,437 m) is located in the DRC
• Muhabura (4,127 m)
• Muside (3,000 m)
• Sabinyo (3,634 m)
• Visoke (3,711 m)

Most people come to the park to visit the sanctuary that is home to the rare mountain gorillas. Dian Fossey spent 13 years of her life living amongst the gorillas, studying them, until she was murdered in 1985 (probably by poachers). Without her efforts the primates would have disappeared long ago.

You will need to hire a guide to find the gorillas and the trip requires hours of scrambling through dense vegetation and over muddy hillsides. For most people the encounter with one of the gorillas in the wild is a hair-raising experience. Because trips to the gorillas are very popular, you will have to book them well in advance at the Rwandan tourist office in Kigali.

Treks to the volcanoes in the park range from several hours to several days. A guide is compulsory and camping is only allowed in designated areas. Some of the available treks include:

• Gahinga (3,474 m) and Muhabura (4,127 m) - The trip to these volcanoes takes 2 days. They are fairly close to one another, so they can both be visited in one trek.
• Karisimbi (4,519 m) - Rwanda's highest mountain can be climbed fairly easy. The trip will take about 2 days and you can spend the night in a metal hut, halfway up the mountain. The top of the Karisimbi Volcano is often covered in snow and even on the lower slopes is can be very cold, so bring warm clothes and a good sleeping bag.
• Lake Ngezi (3,000 m) - This lake is a good place to visit if you want to see wildlife, as the animals come to drink there. The trip takes about 4 hours.
• Sabinyo (3,634 m) - You can reach the top of this volcano in about 4 hours. The return trip can be done in two.
• Visoke (3,711 m) - The trip to this volcano takes about 7 hours. From the top of the volcano you can see the Crater Lake and there are magnificent views over the surrounding area.

The headquarters of the Volcanoes National Park is 2 km from the town of Kinigi, which itself is some 10 km from Ruhengeri. There is a campsite at the park entrance, but most people prefer to stay in Ruhengeri and take a taxi from there.

The Volcanoes National Park is 80 km northwest from Kigali.