Volcanoes Safaris is a luxury safari company specializing in gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in East Africa, founded in 1997 by Praveen Moman in Uganda. The company was among the first private operators to build permanent luxury lodges near the mountain gorilla habitats of Uganda and Rwanda. Volcanoes Safaris operates four lodges: Mount Gahinga Lodge and Bwindi Lodge in Uganda, and Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, all positioned near gorilla trekking starting points in the Virunga Volcanoes and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The company's lodges were designed specifically to support gorilla conservation. Virunga Lodge in Rwanda overlooks the Musanze volcanoes and operates entirely on solar and biogas energy. Bwindi Lodge sits at the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to approximately half of the world's remaining 1,000 mountain gorillas. Each lodge is small-scale, typically with 8 to 10 rooms, to minimize environmental impact.
Volcanoes Safaris established the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) in 2009, which runs community and conservation projects around its lodge locations. Projects include building schools, supporting local agriculture, and funding gorilla veterinary care through partnerships with the Gorilla Doctors organization. The company also supports the monitoring of habituated gorilla groups and contributes to the park fees that fund national park management.
Rates at Volcanoes Safaris lodges typically range from $400 to $900 per person per night on a full-board basis, excluding gorilla trekking permits, which cost $700 in Uganda and $1,500 in Rwanda as of 2024. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operational offices in Kampala, Uganda.