Celebrating the beginning of Volcanoes Rwanda Safari at Mount Gahinga Lodge

11 September 2018

Celebrating the beginning of Volcanoes Rwanda Safari at Mount Gahinga Lodge

Celebrating the beginning of Volcanoes Rwanda Safari at Mount Gahinga Lodge

 
Praveen Moman, the founder of Volcanoes Safaris, first went walking near Gahinga in 1966 aged twelve with his father Kuldip Rai Moman. Over thirty years later, in 1997 he returned to the region to help rebuild gorilla tourism and the following year started to build Mount Gahinga Lodge, the first Volcanoes Safaris lodge, with a focus on Rwanda Safari. Those were difficult days in the aftermath of the genocide and upheaval in the Great Lakes region. Today Mount Gahinga Lodge is a much-loved jewel and symbolizes the connection of Volcanoes lodges with communities and conservation.It is the perfect base to go gorilla tracking, track the rare golden monkey, climb a volcano, walk through local villages and most of all to share the culture of the Batwa. In May 2018 the VSPT launched the Gahinga Batwa Village, a permanent settlement for over 100 members of the Gahinga Batwa community. From October the lodge will have a direct private footpath to the entrance of the Mgahinga National Park.

The Moman Banda

In August we launched a Deluxe Banda named the Moman Banda to mark the centenary of Praveen’s father Kuldip Rai Moman's birth in 1918. The colourful crafts in the room are handmade by the Batwa women at the nearby Volcanoes Batwa Vocational Centre. The earthy natural tones complement the locally made furniture and the beautiful Ugandan handwoven textiles.

 New video release: Celebrating Gorilla and Communities

To mark the centenary of Kuldip Rai Moman's birth, a film entitled Celebrating Gorillas and Communities has been released highlighting the work of Volcanoes Safaris since 1997. Click to play it.

Kuldip Rai Moman

Aged 18, Kuldip's wanderlust took him from India to East Africa where he worked for the British colonial government in remote places. Kuldip was a great adventurer, lover of wildlife and wilderness, obsessively chasing the blue skies of Africa. In 1972 the family became part of the Asian expulsion from Uganda and became refugees to the U.K. Kuldip died in 2007. In 1997 this love of adventure led to the setting up of Volcanoes Safaris in Uganda and then in Rwanda by his son Praveen Moman.