Gorilla Trekking in Virunga National Park

Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park is one of the most amazing activities that a tourist who participates in a Congo tour can engage in. Virunga National Park is the ultimate tourism destination that a tourist should visit to have an amazing time.

In the park a number of activities can be carried out like chimpanzee trekking, bird watching because a number of bird species can be seen in the park like the Rwenzori Turaco, Crowned hornbill, Black Kite, dusk turtle dove, Moorland chat, blue flycatcher, lagden’s Bush-Shrike, nature walks, boat cruise, game viewing where you will see a number of animal species including amphibian species and reptile species. But among the different activities in the park, gorilla trekking is one of the most amazing and rewarding activities that can be carried out.

Virunga Mountains

There different Congo gorilla families can be found on mount Mikeno in the park, for tourists interested in carrying out gorilla trekking in virunga national park, they will have to hike mount Mikeno and also hike through the forests on the slopes of the mountain. Gorilla trekking in virunga national park starts at the Bukima area where briefing about the gorilla trekking activity is carried out before you participate in gorilla trekking.

With gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, you will get to know the interesting aspects of the different gorilla families like the Bageni gorilla family, Munyaga gorilla family which is one of the famous gorilla families in the park whose adult female gorilla gave birth o twins which is quite an unusual thing when it comes into gorillas because they usually give birth to only one infant, the group is also known for its bald-headed gorilla kadogo among other gorilla families in the park.

Guidelines of gorilla trekking

Avoid making eye contact with the gorillas while in the presence of the gorillas because it will make them react violently towards you this is because of the fact that to them staring at the gorillas in the eyes it is a challenge
Avoid feeding the gorillas your packed lunch to gorillas to avoid contraction of diseases
A distance of 7 metres should be maintained between the gorillas and the tourists in order for tourists to carry out their activities without any inconveniences.
Avoid making noise while you get in contact with the gorillas it will trigger them as a threat which can lead them to react in a violent way which might be fatal.
Follow the lead of the guide in order to avoid any accidents in the park during your gorilla trekking activity.

Gorilla trekking packing list

A raincoat because it can rain at any time in the park which can disrupt your activity in the park.
Hiking shoes because mountain Mikeno can be hard to hike, therefore good hiking shoes are necessary for you to hike through the thick vegetation of the park in order to access the Congo gorilla families.
A camera to take beautiful pictures of the gentle giants in order to have beautiful memories of your gorilla trekking experience in the park.
Binoculars although they are optional, during your gorilla trekking experience, you will see a number of bird species to make your experience memorable.
Insect repellent because the park is home to a number of insect spreading diseases.

Gorilla trekking permit

A Gorilla trekking permit in Virunga National Park can be obtained through a trusted tour company or tour operator who will help you obtain a package in Virunga national park which will include gorilla trekking, accommodation, and transportation to and from the park. However, it should be noted that the gorilla trekking permit in Congo is only at a fee of 400USD which is quite cheap compared to gorilla trekking in Uganda and in volcanoes National Park where gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is at a fee of 1500USD.

Senkwenkwe gorilla orphanage

During your gorilla trekking experience, you can also visit the Senkwenkwe gorilla orphanage which was established to give refugees to orphaned gorillas whose parents were killed as a result of poaching in virunga national park. Due to the Congo war, a number of gorillas were killed which left many orphaned gorillas.

As a way of giving a second chance to the orphaned gorillas, the park management established the Senkwenkwe gorilla orphanage in order to protect and take care of the gorillas and when they are ready to get back to the wild. At the orphanage, you will get the chance to take care of the gorillas for a day by feeding the infants, cleaning their resting areas, play with them among other interesting activities that will make your gorilla trekking experience in Virunga national park memorable.