Best time to visit Virunga National Park

Best time to visit Virunga National Park is that time of the year when every traveler feels like its so convenient to go on a Virunga Safari Tour. This is one of the most commonly asked questions by the travellers interested in coming to the Democratic Republic of Congo especially for a tourist visit to Virunga National park. There are a few requirements before you book your flight either to Kigali International airport or Goma international airport, for example, you need to have a valid DRCongo tourist visa that will grant you access into the country and this is only obtained after purchasing a Virunga tour package.

This tourist visa costs only 105 USD and is an easier visa to get as compared to the extended DRCongo traveling visa that goes for 225 USD. The DRCongo tourist visa is valid for a period of 14 days that is 2 weeks which are more than enough for you to enjoy the park and get back to your home country or connect to the neighboring countries for another trek or wildlife safari. There is so much that this park offers that bring in a large number of visitors like the 3rd bunch of remaining mountain gorillas and gorilla orphans, Nyiragongo an active volcano that can be seen any day throughout the year, a chimpanzee family is also available for viewing, and a breathtaking wildlife sector. Another requirement to check is a valid yellow fever card as this is one of the first things you will be asked to present before you are accepted into the country. If you do not have one, you will definitely have to take the vaccine there and issued a card.

When deciding to take on any of the DRCongo tour packages, there are things that you will have to consider like your budget, your interests, the time you have to be off work or your daily commitments and that is where you begin to wonder what the best time to visit the destination is. You usually get the answer of the drier season is better to visit your destination because of several reasons like it is easier to get through the forests or the views are clearer in the dry seasons or that is the most popular time for tourists so it is when most tourists feel safer. Yes the dry season is better but for Virunga, I can say both seasons are good that makes it a throughout the year destination.

The biggest reason for this opinion is the discounted gorilla permits that are offered for the wet season that runs from 15th October to 15th December so booking yourself a visit during this period is not such a bad idea. The Virunga gorilla permit on a normal day is sold at 400 USD but during this period, you can get yourself a permit at half the price that is 200 USD. Also the wet season could be a good time to travel as hotel have subsidized rates and this can also cut on your budget. The Virunga package is sold as a fully inclusive tour of permits, accommodations, visas and transportation but in this period, the rate is lower for all the visitors.

Best time to visit Virunga National Park

The Virunga national park is in an equatorial forest so rain downpour is expected any time of the day or months so don’t be surprised if you visit in the dry months and you experience a rainy day. The dry months of Democratic Republic of Congo are late December, January and February then again June, July August and September then the wet months will be March, April, May than October, November and early December when the rains are going down.

So the answer to this question should not depend on the weather but majorly on what favors, your interests as a traveler and getting in touch with the right operator can help you decide this. There have been many successful tours in the park throughout the year with Explore Rwanda Tours despite the season so let it not hold you back. Are you ready to take on this tour, get the preferred dates, fill out our contact form and let us guide you in the planning of this once in a lifetime experience in the Virunga National Park of DRCongo up to when you get back to your home country.