A safari in Virunga National Park Congo

A safari in Virunga National Park Congo

A safari in Virunga National Park Congo : Virunga national park is a national park in the Democratic republic of Congo and you would wonder why you would opt to travel to this part of Africa. Virunga national park is one of the oldest national parks in Africa with a rich and bio diverse territory blessed with many attractions to explore. The landscaping in the area is one highlight with the greenery and abundant wildlife and birdlife that you may spot on a birding safari in the Virunga plains.

The Virunga national park was previously named the Albert National park and is in a rain forest covering an area of 7,800 square kilometers and 3,000 extra miles bordering Mount Rwenzori ranges and the Queen Elizabeth national park of Uganda in the north and the Virunga Mountains in the south. This Virunga national park is located in the Eastern part of the Democratic republic of Congo. Virunga became recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 because of the rich diversity within the boundaries of nature, heritage and eco system making it among the first protected areas.

Virunga national park is managed by a Congolese National Parks authority known as the ICCN, institute congolais pour la conservation de la nature along with a partner known as the Virunga foundation which is a UK based operative that used to be known as Africa Conservation Fund. This park will surely offer you the ideal African safari experience with authenticity at the most.

There is much to look out for like the last few remaining mountain gorillas in the world, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, wildlife in the Lulimbi sector, bird species and plant life along with virgin nature trails to discover. The region is rich in culture and you may be able to have some visits to the communities for this experience which is all an African safari lover would want.

The Virunga national park is famous for the mountain gorilla presence but there is some wildlife that you can look out for and this makes it a one stop destination. The wildlife that you may see on your safari in Virunga national park is majorly spotted when in the Lulimbi sector of the park and these include forest elephants that you may see on your treks in the forest, lions, buffaloes, antelope species like the kobs, Elands, Okapis on a great sighting day and lions as well.

The Lulimbi sector is bordered by the Lake Edward that is famous for its hippopotamus concentration being the largest in Africa. You can spot crocodiles too and a number of bird life while on the guided safari walk in the park so be sure to carry a pair of binoculars for this.

How to get to Virunga national park Congo

The most common means of accessing the Virunga national park are air and water transport. The Virunga national park is located in Goma town making it accessible by both land and water according to your interest and place of origin.

If you are looking at using road, you may take a flight into Rwanda at the Kigali International airport and drive 5 hours west of the country on the smooth and tarmacked roads and cross into the Democratic republic of Congo via the Gisenyi-Goma border at the Grande barrier border where the Virunga tourism office is strategically located. Movement from the Grande barrier to the park is organized by the tour operators or Virunga national park strictly accompanied by the convoy of Virunga security personnel to ensure safety of guests on their visit.

You can also take a 15 minute drive from the Goma International airport to the Grande barrier border building. The Goma International airport lands the Ethiopian airlines once a week on a scheduled plan however much it was affected by the lava flow from the 2002 Mount Nyiragongo eruption. Return flights from Goma are usually available after 7 days so it is advisable to take a return flight from Kigali in case you have fewer days on safari. Please be advised you will need different visas between these two neighboring countries.

There is another land border on the Uganda-DR Congo side known as the Bunagana border but that one is not as operational for tours headed to the Virunga national park maybe the 2 days Jomba community safari package. The water option only applies for guests coming from Bukavu/ Kahuzi Biega national park. You can take a 3 hour speed boat transfer from Bukavu to Goma for your Virunga safari.

While in Virunga national park, be sure to take on a mountain gorilla trekking experience by purchasing yourself a gorilla permit at only 400 USD for foreign travellers and at 200 USD in the low season. Take on a chimpanzee habituation experience in the Mahura forest, Safari walk in the Lulimbi sector, hike the active Mount Nyiragongo with a group other 20 individuals or take a calming nature walk in the park on the authentic and virgin nature. You can check out our safari packages and choose the most suitable and let us arrange for you.