Virunga National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorilla and a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath. Created in 1925, it has an area of some 3,050 square miles (7,900 square km) and contains a vast diversity of habitats. The park’s southern tip rests on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, a short distance from the town of Goma to the east. The Virunga Mountains lie between Lakes Kivu and Edward and extend into Rwanda and Uganda. The great volcanoes of this range, clothed in cloud forests, include the dormant Mikeno, Karisimbi, Visoke, and Sabinio (Sabinyo), as well as the active Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira. Farther north are the Rutshuru Falls and the Mai ya Moto sulfur springs. Much of the park’s central region is occupied by Lake Edward. To the northeast the Mountain Rwenzori Range soars to more than 16,000 feet (4,880 metres).
The park is home to abundant wildlife, including forest elephants, whose numbers began decreasing in the late 20th century, and lions, which also face various threats. Hippopotamuses, rare mountain gorillas, okapis, antelope, warthogs, and pelicans all live in Virunga as well.
Despite being a UNESCO world heritage site, Virunga is constantly threatened by war, poaching and illegal activities as well as unpreventable natural disasters.
The major attraction at the park currently is the Mountain Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, and Mount Nyiragongo hiking.
The Nyiragongo hiking, is one of its kind, with a night over the mountain, overlooking the molten lava. The Nyiragongo hike takes two day, with the first day for ascending and descend the next day.
Virunga National Park, is one of the 3 destinations in the world where one can see the mountain Gorillas in addition to Uganda at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, as well as in Rwanda at Volcanoes National Park.
1/3 of the world’s gorilla population is found in Virunga National Park.
The cost of the gorilla permit at Virunga National Park is 400 dollars per person.
Virunga is an Oasis of hope, not only for the region, but also for Africa and for the whole nature of our planet.
You can easily access Virunga National Park, through Rwanda border, with a flight through Kigali airport.
You can combine the Congo safari with Uganda Safari and Rwanda Safari.
Plan your tour to Virunga National Park, for gorilla trekking or Mount Nyiragongo hiking with One More Adventure Safaris, who will help you to curate a perfect itinerary to the region.
You can as well combine a gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park, with gorilla trekking at Kahuzi Bienga National Park.
Once you start a trip planned by One More Adventure Safaris, you fall into the One More Adventure rhythm. No request is too small, neither complicated, we curate the entire trip with you, from start until when you meet your interest and budget at hand. Our rapport with the local guides and continuous assessment of your interests and needs demonstrated the diamond standard of all safari specialists. We are also available outside working hours when a couple of things needs to get done.