The Virunga National park form part of Virunga mountain ranges that extends to Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. The Virunga National park is located is Easter Democratic republic of Congo and is one of the most biologically diverse protected park in the world with half of the biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa found in this Park.
The park has two world wonders, which include the Nyiragongo active volcano and the mountain gorillas among others.
This was the first park in Africa founded in 1925 and was known as Albert National park then by King Albert 1 Belgium before it was renamed Virunga National park in 1969 in the post independent Congo. It was found with the main reason of protecting the mountain gorillas living in the Virunga forest.Many questions are always asked concerning Virunga national park and some of the questions and answers to Virunga National park are as below;
How Big is Virunga National park?
Virunga national park covers an area of 7800 square kilometers stretching from the Virunga Mountains in the South, the Rwenzori Mountains in the North, bordering Volcanoes National park in Rwanda.
From the time the park was founded, there was much development of the park and conservation under the Belgium rule of the country that saw many tourists come to visit the park. There was training of the rangers, building of park headquarters and infrastructure. Poaching was greatly reduced and the number of animals in the park increased. There was over 6000 tourists visiting the park per year
However, with Congo attaining her independence, in 1960, there was deterioration in every sector of the country and Virunga National park was not an exception. Poaching started again, there was little conservation and reduced number of tourists visiting the park. It was in 1969 that President Mobutu revived the sector and the park in particular that he rebuilt the park headquarters, trained more park rangers, establishing the first Congolese Wildlife Authority and tourists started coming into the country again with over 7000 tourists registered per year.
This was however short lived as Mobutu started losing grip on power in 1980’s and there was prolonged conflict in the country. This saw the next 25 years plunge the area into conflict and this was worsened by the 1994 Rwanda genocide and liberation war that saw rebels occupy the park and this led to anarchy in the area, poaching increased, and there was no tourism going on in the park.
However, order has since returned in the area and saw the tourism sector rejuvenated under ICCN and conservation has been improved more that ever before. The international donors are aiding in the park’s development, the infrastructure has greatly improved, more ranger guides has been trained and more tourists are coming into the country.
Things to Do in Virunga National Park
There are lots of things to do in the Virunga National Park. Here are the most tourist activities that travelers experience within the Virunga National Park;
Nyiragongo Volcano
Nyiragongo Volcano is located in the east of Congo DRC, at around 19 km from Goma and is the most active volcano in the world. In 1977 and 2002, flows of very liquid lava broke out from cracks in the volcanic slopes. The lava covered 17 km reaching the town of Goma in just a few minutes, killed dozens of people, and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
The eruptions temporarily drained the Lava Lake in the summit crater while volcanic gases suffocated the heather forests on the upper slopes. Now the forest is recovering, and the wildlife is beginning to return. The climb up to and down from Nyiragongo is strenuous and takes about 4-5 hours in often hot conditions, but the path is relatively easy and not excessively steep; there are a lot of rare birds and small mammals along the trail.
Mountain Gorilla Treks
A visit to mountain gorilla family is a life changing memorable experience. Mountain gorillas are highly intelligent, thrilling, good natured, and fascinating to observe. The silver back’s powerful presence is awe-inspiring, yet his calm clearly earns him the title, “gentle giant”. People are equally struck by the tenderness and care that mothers show their young. And then, of course, there are the juveniles who spend most of every waking hour at play 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 gorilla trekking tours are led by park rangers and usually depart from Bukima patrol post. Treks usually require 1-2 hours of hiking in each direction, depending where the mountain gorillas spent the previous night and the difficulty of the terrain.
Chimpanzee Habituation Walks
You can also go for chimpanzee habituation walk in the forests around park headquarters in Rumangabo. All guests staying at Mikeno Lodge can join this team on their daily visits to the chimpanzees. 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.
Mountain Rwenzori Trekking
Virunga National Park also offers spectacular trekking and climbing trips to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north of the park. Those who trek and climb in the Rwenzori will experience a stunning variety of landscapes, including bamboo forests, alpine meadows, lakes, and snow capped peaks.
The flora and fauna of the Rwenzori is equally diverse. Forest elephant, Okapi, chimpanzees, and numerous bird species make the Rwenzori their home. The best weather in the Rwenzori usually happens from January through mid-March and June to late August.
Planning a Tour to the Virunga National Park?
Because of the stable political situation in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, it’s easy for tourists to access Virunga National Park via Rwanda and Uganda land borders once you have a DRC visa. Visit www.virunganationalpark.org for DR Congo visa information.
Looking for a tour to the Virunga Mountains? There are tours listed here that depart from Kigali, Gisenyi or Kisoro. Check Tour and Activity Desk for times. All bookings can be easily done by local tour operators depending on your rightful choice. Enjoy gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park at your preferred accommodation status.
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