Virunga National Park – DR CONGO
About the Park
This is not only one of the Parks to visit in the Democratic Republic of Congo but rather an exciting destination to spend some time while in the African continent for your discoverable Safari vacation.
For first time visitors to this exciting Park expect of sparing some time for another visit to Virunga National Park because on your first visit you will be tempted by the great excitements, memories and experiences offered by this Democratic Republic of Congo’s must visit.
It may sound like kidding as you are reading but trust me you will witness what am trying to highlight on board on your first day in Virunga National Park most especially when you are in for different exciting activities performed in the suburbs of this Park.
Virunga National Park is among the list of Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Parks to visit and this Park has played a great role as far as uplifting Democratic Republic of Congo’s tourism industry highlighting it on the list of top exciting destinations to visit in Africa due to its exciting attractions which invite in huge percentage of tourists from different countries of the World per year.
When I tap on the location button, this amazing Park is located in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo along DR Congo’s border with Uganda and Rwanda extending from south in the Virunga Mountains to the North in the Ruwenzori Mountains, this park is part of the Virunga Massif. It’s ranked to be the oldest National Park in Africa formerly called Albert National Park.
How to get there? Virunga National Park is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo which is in the central part of Africa. Travelling from different countries of the World to Democratic Republic of Congo is usually done by air transport means.
Currently all visitors to Virunga National Park access it from Rwanda via Goma border which is a nearby country in the Eastern part via. There is an option of flying direct to the surbubs of Democratic Republic of Congo but this is not recommended for tourists due to some characterized insecurity issues.
Now all visitors to Virunga National Park arrive in Rwanda at Kigali International airport and transfer from Kigali to Goma border where you cross from to Democratic Republic of Congo, it’s usually recommended to be more suitable when you arrange all transportation services from Kigali to Goma border with a local tour operator.
Reaching Goma border, there are some documents required at the customs to be issued with entry permission. These documents include entry Visa, Valid passport and yellow fever vaccination card.
After clearing at the customs, all transportation services from Goma border to Virunga National Park will be safely provided by the Virunga foundation using their well-conditioned Safari jeeps. While in Democratic Republic of Congo, you will be under the Virunga foundation and all the Safari services will be provided by the Virunga foundation in association with your local tour operator used
Top Attractions in the Park. Virunga National Park, one of the popular destinations to visit in the African continent is recorded with wide range of different exciting attractions which attract in different tourists from different countries of the World and these attractions are listed below.
Mountain Gorillas.
One of the mostly wanted attractions which usually try to take up travelers’ minds and interests in the World are the shy endangered ground dwelling herbivores Mountain Gorillas which usually tend to be more exciting and attractive when you meet face to face in the Jungles.
These apes are not a widely spread species in other words are rarely seen and in the all World you can easily find, see or meet with them in the African continent particularly in central and eastern part of Africa of which one of these unique destinations is the Virunga National Park of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Highlighting about Mountain Gorillas are a subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla species, they are black in color, tailless and bigger in size when compared with the Lowland Gorilla Species. These Gorilla species are vegetarians mostly feeding on tree leaves, grass, young bamboo shoot and stem plus some fruits within the feeding range like coconuts, oranges, mangoes, grapes and more.
They usually leave in groups which are known as Gorilla families comprising of male and female adults, juveniles and infants. Each Gorilla family is led by a male dominant Silverback which is responsible for protecting its group members, looking for what to eat and construction of temporary grass thatched huts for shelter
Mountain Nyiragongo.
This is an active popularly known Volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo which attract in different tourists from different countries of the World very interested in experiencing what it offers.
It is recorded with an elevation of 3470 meters, it is located in the Virunga National Park just north of Goma border and Lake Kivu, and then in the west it’s the Rwanda border, its crater which contains a lava lake is about two kilometers wide. This Crater also has two cooled lava benches.
The first eruption of this active volcano took place in 1977 which led to destruction of the nearby geographical features like Wildlife plus people’s lives. The last eruption occurred in 2002 and further destroyed the nearby towns.
Climbing this active volcanoes is usually an exciting adventure done in a group starting from kibati starting point and reaching at the top characterized is the cool temperatures tending to be very cold and that’s why it’s always advised not to forget the jackets and other wearing gears.
Chimpanzee Primates.
These are primates which are ranked to be the closest to human being features with 99% DNA resembling factor, they are black in color, tailless and omnivores feeding both on fresh and grass. Chimpanzee primates live in communities which comprises of about 10 – 30 members.
They feed both on ground and up in the tree branches, they spend most of their time feeding and after feeding they return to their sleeping areas for night stay. While in Virunga National Park, these primates are found in Tongo forest which is part of Virunga National Park.
Top Activities done in the Park. Several exciting activities are done while in Virunga National Park and that’s why most of the tourists who visit Africa for Safari vacations like spending some time in the amazing Virunga National Park.
Some of the exciting activities performed while in Virunga National Park include the mostly wanted exciting Mountain Gorilla trekking, Mountain Nyiragongo Hiking and the Chimpanzee habituation walk usually done in Tongo forest.
Mountain Gorilla trekking usually involves meeting with these Gorillas in the Jungles while in a group of eight people plus Park ranger guide, it requires a permit which costs $400 USD per person.
Mountain Nyiragongo Hiking is an exciting excursion to take while in Virunga, it’s usually done in two days and it costs $300 USD per person, hiking stick at $5 USD, $24 USD for porter and $100 USD for the Mikeno package per person.
Chimpanzee habituation walk is usually done in Tongo forest in a group of four people and it costs $100 USD per person.
Where to Stay on a Visit. Virunga National Park is recorded with well and good looking accommodation facilities reserved for tourists and other visitors to the Park to spend some amazing nights. These accommodation facilities include Mikeno Lodge if you are interested in luxury facilities and Kibumba tented camp for mid-range services.