About Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Virunga National Park

About Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Virunga National Park: An off-the-beaten-path excursion into untamed harsh land. Hike one of the world’s most active volcanoes, journey through the forest to see endangered monkeys, and meet the men and women who are fighting to keep them safe.

Preparing for a gorilla trek in Congo might be difficult if you are unfamiliar with the country and its national parks. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, once known as the Belgian Congo and, more recently, Zaire, has endured a succession of conflicts that have resulted in civil turmoil. However, being Africa’s second biggest country, with a population of 78.74 million people, it offers tremendous untapped human and natural resources. Her future financial potential is ascribed to enormous amounts of oil, gold, diamonds, and other mineral resources.

Furthermore, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is endowed with abundant tourist resources, including extensive virgin tropical rain forests such as the Congo, mountains, bubbling crater lakes, water bodies, and rare bird and animal species like as the Okapi and pygmy chimp (Bonobos), many of which have yet to be found. While several of her neighbors may boast of possessing the majority of the surviving mountain gorilla families, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only nation in the world where you can see both lowland and mountain gorillas. They even have the critically endangered golden monkeys.

About Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Virunga National Park.

Your tour begins in the eastern city of Goma, where a professional guide will accompany you through immigration formalities before bringing you deeper into Congo’s jungle. Visit the Senkwekwe Orphan Mountain Gorilla Centre, the world’s only institution that caters for orphan mountain gorillas, which are regrettably victims of escalating poaching and trafficking pandemics. This encounter will provide you with an incredible insight into the hardships that this species endures in the wild.

Your journey continues north to the Virunga National Park, a wildlife sanctuary and ecological hotspot. Feast your eyes to luxuriant woods, wide savannahs, lava plains, marshes, volcanoes, and the Rwenzori Mountains’ glaciated summits. Mountain gorillas are bigger than lowland gorillas and have darker and thicker coats that enable them live at chilly high altitudes. Both subspecies graze on tree leaves, shoots, and fruits. Both subspecies reside in families/groups led by a dominant male silverback who is in charge of the group’s safety and keeping misbehaving individuals under control. Mountain gorilla groups are typically bigger, with more than 30 members present at times.  Males in both gorilla subspecies tend to stay with the group longer, however females typically depart to join other silverbacks or groups once they reach adulthood.

Mountain Gorillas are critically endangered, and just about 700 of them live in this national park. Your tracker will welcome you before you begin your trip through deep woodland, which will be led by amazing park rangers. Observe these captivating monkeys as they sleep, eat, and interact with one another in their natural surroundings, only metres away. Understanding their enthralling behaviors is a life-changing and amazing experience.

Because the Rangers always know where the gorillas have been, the odds of sighting them in Congo are excellent. However, obstacles along the path may lengthen the time it takes to locate the group. These difficulties include inclement weather, topography, and the distance between the starting site and the location of the specific gorilla troop. When you find the gorilla troop, anticipate the dominating silverback to scrutinize you. The silverback will normally let you go after properly screening for any potential threats.

You will be given one hour with the gorillas. This is the time to observe and photograph the dominating male silverback, other group members grooming each other, breastfeeding moms, playing children, obstinate teenagers climbing up and down the short trees, and any other male silverbacks. You could even see some members building nests for an afternoon sleep or to prepare for the night. You will see incredible things and views that will remind you of how humans act – take plenty of shots.

Hike Mount Nyiragongo with a professional guide and cook, passing through ghostly lava fields and dense woodland. The world’s largest lava lake awaits you, a captivating maelstrom of seething fire and gas that will keep you enthralled for hours. As you relax into one of the 12 shelters positioned on the crater rim, your lodging will be unlike any other on Earth. Drift off to sleep amid the sounds of lava boiling and exploding, and wake up to spectacular morning vistas of the Congo.

Combining Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Virunga with Kahuzi Biega National Park.

When you arrive in Kahuzi Biega National Park, you’ll go on a rainforest journey through lush montane and bamboo in search of the Grauer’s Gorilla. This magnificent Eastern Lowland primate is the biggest of the four-gorilla subspecies, but its population has declined considerably in the last 20 years. This up-close encounter with a monster of this magnitude is certainly unforgettable.

Combining Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Virunga National Park with Lake Kivu.

Visit Lake Kivu, a vast body of water surrounded by the breathtaking splendor of Virunga. Consider rocky volcanoes and lush green slopes densely forested with tea, coffee, and banana farms. Take a boat to the remote island of Tchegera, which is teeming with animals and a haven for nature lovers. You may see the island’s Blue Monkey in addition to fantastic birds and wildlife. Spend your time strolling, kayaking, and paddle boarding, or simply relaxing and taking in the beauty of your surrounds. Fly to the 230-kilometer-long Semliki River, which links Lake Edward with Lake Albert in Central Africa. Enjoy breathtaking vistas of Africa’s greatest glaciers and perpetually snow-capped mountains.

How to get to Virunga National Park?

After reserving your gorilla permit, hotel, and visa, you may be wondering how you will go to a vast nation like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or more specifically Virunga National Park. The first stage is to arrive at either Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport or Uganda’s Entebbe Airport.

Flights to Kigali often arrive in the late afternoon or evening, meaning that you may need to spend the night in Kigali before proceeding to the Congo border because the border offices are not open 24 hours a day.  The next day, you should start your trek to the border early in the morning. The drive from Kigali to Gisenyi takes roughly 4 hours.

If you have all of the necessary papers, crossing the border into Congo from Rwanda or Uganda usually takes less than 10 minutes. Before booking your ticket, ensure that you have a valid Visa and a yellow fever vaccination card.