A visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus in Musanze
The Rwanda tourism entered in the year 2022 in style with a great addition to its number of destinations; The opening of Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, founded by Ellen Lee DeGeneres and her partner Portia de Rossi, an American television host, to support the conservation; protection and study of gorillas as well as training of the next generation of African conservationists; and build the conservation capacity of local communities. Now a visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus in Musanze is open to travelers from all over the world to come and testify to the conservation efforts carried out to protect Gorillas, said to be sharing 98% of their DNA with humans.
The Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus was built in the Northern Province of Rwanda, in 12 kilometers to the mountain of the Volcanoes National Park, which accommodates the famous mountain gorillas, listed among the world’s endangered species and only remaining in great lakes countries namely Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The campus was built in the memory of a renowned Conservationist Dian Fossey who dedicated her life to the protection of gorillas and was killed in 1985 in the same area, and her tomb is also one of the visited sites in the area.
You may ask you self what to expect from a visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus in Musanze, when you arrive at the center, you will be welcomed by amazing structures with round roofs, standing separately in the ground that took four years to be completed. When entering inside, the first building serves as a reception and gallery with resources displayed to your attention. With a visit to the campus also expect to meet other visitors mainly tourists, researchers and scholars all visiting the facility. The second building is the Research Centre and hosts the offices of campus staff, it has the genetic laboratories where researchers carry their researches from. The third building is reserved for research centres where training, conferences and workshops will be carried out. It’s worth noting that the buildings are made from 90 percent of local materials which make the center unique and beautiful. The materials have been made in respect to the protection of the environment.
In the background not far from the building, you will see the volcano chain, the natural bedding of the gorillas. If you are trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park don’t miss out a visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus. You will get to see the natural proximity of human beings and gorillas from the displays of skeletal portraits of both human and gorillas. There are also games in the gallery that people can play to understand the behavior of humans.
A visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus would be easier to tourists who are coming to trek gorillas or are by passing at Musanze as it is located around the Volcanoes and in the same areas that hosts good lodges and Hotels classified in all categories to fit with everyone’s budget from standard, mid ranges luxury and super luxury facilities. For a better combination and design of your itinerary, reach out to travel consultants at Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris to help you arrange your safaris by taking care of every detail including booking of accommodation, entrance permits and transportation and all other logistics during your stay in Rwanda.
