Visit Virunga Gorilla National Park – Congo
The Virunga National Park formerly named Albert National Park is a 7,800-square-kilometre (3,000 sq. mi), the park was founded primarily to protect the mountain gorillas living in the Virunga massif that were controlled by the Belgian Congo. The Park stretches from the Virunga Mountains in the south, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. The park was established in 1925 as Africa’s first national park and is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site since 1979. In recent years, poaching and the Congo civil war has seriously damaged its wildlife population. The park is managed by the Congolese National Park Authorities; the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and its partner the Virunga Foundation, formerly known as the Africa Conservation Fund (UK). The current park director since 2008 is the Belgian Prince Emmanuel de Merode. This was the first park on the continent of Africa.
ACTIVITIES DONE AT THE PARK
Mountain gorilla trekking
A visit to the mountain gorilla family is a life changing experience. Mountain gorillas are highly intelligent, good natured, and fascinating to observe. The silverback’s powerful presence is inspiring, yet his calmness clearly earns him the title, “gentle giant”. People are equally struck by the tenderness and care that mothers show their young ones. And then, of course, there are the juveniles who spend most of every hour playing and never cease to make visitors smile. We believe your time with Virunga’s mountain gorillas will leave you feeling changed for the better.
All treks are led by park rangers and usually depart from Bukima patrol post. Treks usually require 1-2 hours of hiking in each direction, depending on where the mountain gorillas spent the previous night and the difficulty of the terrain.
To safeguard the health of Virunga’s gorillas, visitors will be required to wear surgical masks (provided) when in the presence of gorillas. Children must be 15 years of age or older to go on a gorilla trek. Time with the gorillas is strictly limited to one hour and if you don’t feel well at the time of your scheduled trek (i.e. you have a cold, fever, diarrhea, or persistent sore throat) – please cancel. Mountain gorillas are extremely susceptible to human illnesses. Gorillas have died after being exposed to human respiratory viruses and other common ailments.
Gorillas are sub divided-into family groups with different attributes with silver backs that act as leaders. The silverback’s powerful presence, his calmness, the care that mothers show their young ones and the playful juveniles is overwhelming. Mountain gorillas are good natured and fascinating to watch.
Chimpanzee habituation
The day begins when a group of local trackers leave their camp at 4:30 am to locate where the chimpanzees spent the previous night. Lodge guests set out at 6:00 am to find the chimpanzees. Groups are limited to 4 people and time with the chimpanzees is restricted to one hour.
Birding
The park is a birders spot and therefore birding here is a unique way of relaxation and taking time. The sounds and noise from the tremendous bird species usually rise you up very early in the morning at around 5:00 am as they sing with in the trees. You are compelled to get out of bed as these sounds are extra ordinary and persuasive. This makes Virunga National Park exceptional and rare to find anywhere else. In Virunga national park, there a number of different bird species that inhabit the thick forest vegetation namely but not limited, the Grey-throated Barbet, Double-toothed Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, Madagascar Bee-eater, Narrow-tailed Starling to mention but a few.
Hiking on mountain Nyiragongo
Mt. Nyiragongo is a beautiful volcano covered with vegetation and sometimes is dusted with snow that features the world’s largest lava lake. It is a home to a variety of animals, including chimpanzees, monkeys, and bushbuck. Nyiragongo is greatly feared during eruptions because of the low silica content of its lava that flows. In 2002 Mt. Nyiragongo erupted and lava flows were clocked at 100 km/hr (62 mph) and reached all the way to Lake Kivu. Trekkers to the summit of Nyiragongo volcano always begin at the Kibati patrol post, 30 minutes by car from Goma and one hour from Rumangabo. Normally the park rangers lead all treks, and porters are always available for hire. The fitness of each group determines on the average time required to reach the summit usually takes 4 – 6 hours. Climb begins at 1989m (6,525 ft.) and ascends to 3470m (11,382ft) in a short time.
People interested in trekking are always advised have proper hydration and should speak to their physicians about taking preventive measures before making the climb in case they are prone to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Hiking always begins at 10:00 am with a ranger station. Check in at the Kibati station by not later than 9:15 am on the day of their climb. Trekkers are strongly advised to bring full rain and cold weather gear as the temperatures at the summit are usually below freezing. Failure to bring proper gear leads to hypothermia.
Nature Walks in Virunga
Nature walks are usually taken to appease the mind and adventure. Taking time to trail gives one an opportunity to spot different forms of nature like birds and relaxing from the noise of civilization and stress.
Walks in Virunga National Park are done to various areas like the Gorilla Orphanage center at Senkwekwe situated in Rumanagabo near the park headquarters where they will experience four gorillas that were saved from being trafficked by the poachers who hunt them in the thick forest vegetation for exportation and trade and also take part in tracking the chimpanzees at the thick forest of Tongo.
Accommodation
There is good accommodation at the park and the surrounding areas. One example is Mikeno lodge which is a hidden gem within Virunga National Park. The bungalow accommodation is spacious, luxurious & very private, each with fabulous tree or valley views. Each bungalow has its own fireplace, with staff light every evening while out enjoying the dinner. The Mikeno Lodge is a 90 minutes drive from Goma and offers large bungalows and a good restaurant. The lodge and restaurant are located within a forest and offer beautiful views of the rift valley and Nyiragongo and Mikeno volcanoes. Nature walks and visits to local places of interest can be arranged and there is an abundance of bird life, as well as resident blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, and baboons. Chimpanzees are also frequent visitors to the area which makes it spectacular and a must visit. Book with terrain safaris or send us an email at in**@*************is.com
Terrain Safaris Uganda-Rwanda – Gorilla, Birding, Wildlife Tours
