Welcome to Virunga National Park congo

Congo Gorilla Trek Guide

Congo Gorilla Trek Guide – Virunga Mountain Gorillas Tours

Welcome to the authentic guide offering travel info that helps travelers to book Gorilla trekking safaris to democratic republic of congo. find complete info  related to how to book gorilla permit, which safari company , where to stay, gorilla groups to visit in virunga, other safari activities in DR congo, Nyiragongo Hiking tour, Africa Safari companies , Nyiragongo Hiking permit.

Virunga GorillasVirunga National Park is a 7800 square kilometer World Heritage Site that lies on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it borders Uganda as well as Rwanda. It is the oldest national park in Africa and the second oldest in the world. It is named after the Virunga Mountain (volcanoes) range that lie in the south of the park. the park however is much larger and stretches all the way north to envelop Lake Edward as well as the Rwenzori Mountains.

Virunga National park in democratic republic of Congo is among the virunga mountains ranges, and its the home for the mountain gorillas, due to the increase in the cost of the gorilla permit in Rwanda ,it has drawn many travelers to virunga for gorilla trekking adventures .  Virunga National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, but was labelled a site in danger in 1994 due to political conflict and poaching.

The park boasts an astounding biodiversity due to the large variety of habitats it offers. In the southern sector the Mountain Gorillas attract most attention but the montane forests are also home to other primates such as Chimpanzees, Golden monkeys, Blue monkeys and black and white colobus. Forest Elephants and Buffalo are also found in this area as is the very shy Golden Cat.

The central area of the park consists mostly of savannah with species such as Lion, Leopard, Kob, Hyena, Topi, warthog etc. The lake, once containing the largest population of Hippo’s (over 20.000), is now slowly regenerating after many troubled years and Hippo’s and Crocodiles are once again a common sight.

When to go gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park 

Virunga Mountain GorillasThe first decision to make when planning a Gorilla Safari here is what sort of break you want – a week lying on the beach, for instance, or a two-week trip combining the best of bush, beach and wine, primates, Culture, or a looping road trip that includes a variety of sights but no domestic flights, and so on.

If you’re looking for a Primate Safari you’ll need to either fly into Kigali from November to March, or to Entebbe to enjoy the subtropical  lake Kivu islands from April to October. Gorilla Safari is good all year round in Democratic republic of congo – it’s more about where you go than when.

If you’re limited for time you should ideally fly into Goma, do a little exploration of the Virunga National Park, then take a ferry to cross to Bukavu and visit the Kahuzi Biega National Park to enjoy Eastern lowland gorilla trekking after the nyiragongo and Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga. Two weeks is enough, but you’ll be happy with three weeks once added on a visit to the lwiro primates and Idjwi Island.

How to Get to Virunga National Park in DR Congo

In Virunga National Park the mountain gorillas are found in the southern sector (Gorillas and Volcano) where the gorilla trekking starts from , the station is called Bukima , there are various routes to enable you arrive at Bukima to enjoy gorilla trekking adventures in Virunga Mountains of Democratic republic of congo.

  • From Uganda, cross the border in Bunagana, from where the Mountain gorilla  Groups of  Jomba and Bikenge are easily accessible within 1 hour. The border crossing is easy, and a local visa can be bought at the border for only 50$, however this visa is not a fully recognized visa and can only be used to visit the park and subsequently leaving the country at the Bunagana border post again.
  • From  Rwanda, cross the border at Gisenyi/Goma, the border crossing is easy if you pre arranged a visa, if not it will be difficult or expensive (300$ if bought at the border).
  • Fly into Goma, from within the DRC many flights connect to Goma, from outside the DRC Entebbe is the only city connected by TMK. Once again make sure you have a pre arranged visa try and check with Ethiopian Airlines as they have flights to Goma.

How to secure a gorilla Permit & Nyiragongo Permit to Virunga National Park.

To go for gorilla watching safari in virunga, your advised to secure the gorilla permits which can be secured through the tour operator or through the official website of the park.

Nyiragongo Climbing permits are also sold at Virunga and they are less expensive compared to the gorilla permit .

 

 

error: Content is protected !!