Entrance Fees for Virunga National Park

Entrance Fees for Virunga National Park are the charges that a traveler seeking to Explore Congo pays at the entrance before they are allowed to access the park. Virunga National Park is the oldest park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is strategically located just 14 kilometers away from Goma town that is on the eastern border of the country with Rwanda. Entry to this park happens every time but the day you can access the park is also according to the accommodation choice. All the visitors coming to Virunga National Park have about 3 options of access. You may decide to fly into the country direct, however, book an Ethiopian airlines flight that lands directly at Goma international airport. Other visitors may opt to fly into Rwanda and land in Kigali at the Kigali International Airport and drive for about 4 hours until you reach the Grande Barrier border post where the guests of the park sign in to receive the permits that allow them to do the activities in Virunga National park. This is also where you are asked to present your credentials like the valid DRCongo tourist VISA, a valid yellow fever card and also confirmation of the trip booking. Trips to Virunga have to be booked in advance not on arrival as they are also the only way you are granted a tourist VISA to access the country. This tourist visa is however only valid for 14 days but allows you to visit both Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park. You may check out our safari packages that let you visit both parks in a few days.

Virunga national park has one of the great ecosystems and within its boundaries are most of the tourist attractions one may be looking for. There are mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, active volcano mountains, a number of the wildlife species in the Lulimbi sector and abundant birdlife as well with a great savannah plain and climate. Virunga national park handles all activity that goes on here that is they are responsible for issuing permits for the several activities of the park, they are also in charge of the accommodations in the park, all the security team is from Virunga. The main office of the Virunga national park is well situated at the Goma border in the Grande Barrier post were all checking in and tours to Virunga start. The headquarters of the park are however in the park in the Bukima gorilla sector Rumangabo of which you can visit them on your visit to Mikeno Lodge.

The different activities offered by Virunga include the mountain gorilla trekking where a Congo Gorilla Trekking permit (Entrance fees for Virunga for gorilla trekking ) to be able to enjoy this 4-hour experience with the mountain gorillas goes for 400 USD per permit per person per day. Mountain gorilla trekking in DRCongo is authentic and a great choice despite the negative media about the country as this is one of the treks where you get to see the most number of gorillas on one visit. You can even see up to 40 individuals going about their day, the younger gorillas playing, the mothers taking care of the young ones and then the dominant male, the silverback ruling like the king and leader it is. This is the cheapest permit of all the 3 countries offering mountain gorilla trekking as compared to the mountain gorilla permit of Rwanda that is 1,500 USD then the Uganda Gorilla Trekking permit that is currently 600 USD. There is also a gorilla orphanage that you can get to visit while at your stay in Mikeno lodge free of charge. This Senkwekwe Gorilla orphanage is a place that has given hope to the gorillas that have narrowly survived the hands of poachers and effects of the region’s civil wars as they are taken care of and fed to health. This could be a great way to top up your gorilla safari in Virunga national park so make sure to book yourself into the luxurious Mikeno lodge so as to have access to these orphaned gorillas.

Virunga national park also offers visits to the world’s largest lava lake that is Mount Nyiragongo hike that is an overnight hike. This permit costs about 300USD (Entrance fees for Virunga for Mount Nyiragongo Hike) excluding meals which you can top up 100 USD so as to book a Virunga backpack that is inclusive of a cook/ meals for the overnight hike, a sleeping bag, and bottled water. Taking on an overnight hike can be tricky so you need to be fully equipped and prepared before booking your permit. This volcano at the top has visible red hot boiling magma but the degrees at the top can get as low as 0 degrees so be sure to carry enough warm clothes to take you through the night. If you would like to spend more than one night at the top, this is possible however it is only done twice a month on specific allocated dates by Virunga and a maximum of 4 people and we can book for you these slots.

Virunga also offers chimpanzee habituation in the Mahura forest where there is one family of chimpanzees that have been jointly habituated by Virunga and the stakeholders and now guests are also welcome to be a part of this experience. You set off to the forest as early as 6 am in search for the chimps and spend about 4 hours with then return to your accommodation for a late lunch. There are several packages where chimpanzee habituation has been fixed for example the Great Ape package, Virunga Expedition, Rutshuru expedition so get in touch for your quote to be a part of the first to habituate the Virunga Chimpanzees.

There are also wildlife safaris in Virunga national park however these are only done in the Lulimbi sector that is on the southeastern shores of Lake Edward in the savannah plains of the Ishasha sector that is famously known for the tree-climbing lions. Visitors of Virunga national park are allowed an afternoon safari nature walk and game drives where they enjoy the wallowing hippos in the Ishasha River. On these nature walks and game drives, you get a chance to see savannah elephants drinking on the river banks of river Ishasha and can have a barbeque lunch. On top of all these engaging activities, you may whine down with a visit to the Tchegera Island for one or more nights and spend the next day kayaking, snorkeling, paddleboarding or even nature walks to enjoy the breeze and shed off some of the stiffness from the hikes.

Explore Rwanda Tours is undoubtedly the tour agent you should get in touch with to arrange for you a successful Virunga national park trip that will surely meet your interests.