Congo gorilla trekking
Congo gorilla trekking : Trekking gorillas in the Democratic republic of Congo is an authentic and adrenaline rushing experience and this is ideal for guests looking to visit the gorillas at the most affordable price and in a very virgin forest. The gorilla trekking in the Democratic republic of Congo is done in the Virunga national park and the Mgahinga gorilla national park. These two national parks offer two different gorilla treks and these are the mountain gorilla treks and the lowland gorillas.
The Virunga national park is the most visited national park in the DR Congo and is located in the heart of the country bordering Uganda and Rwanda, the other two homes of the mountain gorillas. The Virunga national park is a world heritage site and is sitted on an area of 7,800 kilometers squared and within this area is an estimated population of about 200 gorillas living mostly in the southern part.
The Virunga national park
The Virunga national park welcomes great numbers of visitors on a yearly basis looking to enjoy these gentle giants however there are a number of restrictions put in place to guide the trekkers on the experience.
Some of these guidelines align around the gorilla family to trek, the size of the group, the price of the permit or even the time to take in the natural habitat of the gorillas. These guidelines are set and followed so as to maintain the natural state of the forests and leave little to no impact of human interference.
The gorilla trekking in Virunga national park only allows a maximum number of 8 visitors per gorilla family per day and these are the only available permits for booking per day. This helps monitor the group and also minimize the transmission of disease from human to mountain gorillas.
There is also a restriction on the age of the individuals allowed to take on this trek and only those aged 15 and above are issued a gorilla permit and are allowed to access the park for this activity. The mountain gorilla trekking activity is flagged off by a morning briefing held at the Bukima Ranger post at 8 am and thereafter guests are assigned rangers and guests can set out into the forest.
Guests trek for about 2 hours up to 7 hours until you meet the gorilla family of the day depending on how far into the forest the mountain gorillas may have moved for that day. Once you meet the gorillas, guests can enjoy a magical hour in their natural habitat as they watch the mountain gorillas go about their day. The gorilla trekking activity ends by 7 pm and is a daily activity at the park.
The mountain gorillas of the Virunga national park can be visited any time of the year and this applies for both dry and wet season. The dry season months run from June to September the later in the year from December to February.
The wet seasons run from the March to May and later October to mid-December. The gorilla permit goes for 400 USD per person which is the most affordable of the other gorilla destinations.
The Kahuzi Biega national park
The Kahuzi Biega national park is the home to the lowland gorillas and this is another type of gorilla trekking that the DR Congo offers. The lowland gorilla trekking activity is costed at 400 USD as well and this activity is available for booking every day of the week.
The Kahuzi Biega national park is located in the Sud Kivu in the Bukavu district and can be accessed by road via the Rwanda DR Congo land border or by water on Lake Kivu from the Virunga national park. Guests connecting from the Virunga national park can connect using a 3-hour speed boat to the Bukavu port.
There are a number of accommodations that guests can book themselves into and spend a night close to the park. The lowland gorilla trek is familiar to the mountain gorillas just that the terrain of the forests differs.
Get in touch with us and let us know which trek you may be interested in or take on a Congo safari offering both gorilla treks. We look forward to hearing from you about your visit.
