VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK-BEST PLACE FOR GORILLA TREKKING. 

Virunga National Park is the best place for Gorilla trekking. It is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Virunga National park has one of the best diversity in Africa.

The half sub Saharan Africa Mountain Gorillas inhabit in the Virungas National park. However for a long time there have been threatened by political conflicts in DRC thou somehow they still survive.

The park was established in 1925 by King of Beligium King Albert 1 who first named it Albert National park . The park was gazetted in order to  protect the endangered mountain Gorillas that are found in Uganda ,Democratic Republican of Congo and Rwanda.

Virunga is measured approximately 7800 sq km from Virunga Mountains in the south to Rwenzori in the North. Virunga national park is a habitant to the mountain Gorillas in the world with also a number of birds, reptiles, mammals including giraffes, Buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, primates including chimpanzees, monkeys and many more.

Mountain Gorillas are the major tourist attractions in the park and Virunga is one of the few parks in the area with endangered mountain Gorillas.

People always track the mountain Gorillas because the park is less congested compared to other tracking regions in Africa.

A number of eight people is allowed to trek the mountain Gorillas. The time of trekking depends on the location of the mountain Gorillas where they last fed or played.  It may take 30 minutes to 7 hours of locating them, then your given one hour to spend with the mountain Gorillas.

Your allowed to stand 7meters away from the endangered species because many human diseases  due to their closeness between humans and Gorillas would risk of contamination. A fewer number of people to trek  helps on the reducation of spreading of diseases from humans to Gorillas.

The minimum age for Gorilla trekking is 15 years of individuals to trek. The trek takes place during the day time, between 8am with a briefing session to 6pm with a Gorilla celebration. It is strictly 1 hour which is allowed to spend with the mountain Gorillas.

Virunga National Park protects the mountain Gorillas, thus there many do have and don’ts in Virunga National park in case you’re sick or have an infection you’re not allowed to trek the mountain Gorillas or come near. Be sure to follow the rules and reglations of gorilla trekking.

The cost of Gorilla permit in Virunga National Park from the local tour operators costs 400 USD per person well as in Uganda its charged 600 USD and Rwanda 1500 USD.

Mountain Gorillas in Virunga National Park, are visited throughout the year, however during the wet sessions it’s hard to access the area.

Rwanda and Uganda have a big number of Gorilla trekker and the permits are always purchased in advance.

Travelling to Congo you need to carry a yellow fever vaccination as part of the requirements. Hepatitis A, typhoid, meningitis and rabies injections not forgetting anti malaria that  are prescribed.

Expect to discover the great sceneries, uncomfortable journey on plan. Congo is in a stabilized state too and it’s becoming more popular to tourists who visit Africa.

DRC faces two rainy seasons, the one which runs from October to November and another in March till the end of May. The rain comes from tropical rain forests in Congo. The other months include June to September to February number of Tourists chooses to travel during this season when the rain has reduced and a lot of sun is there.

December is known to be one of the busiest months of the year in the Virunga National Park. During low season, the rates on lodges are reduced due to few numbers of clients and the permits are as well reduced in low seasons of March to May and October to November at a cost 200 USD.

Congo has a raised landscape and this explains the cool climate. Gorilla trekking is an extraordinary experience worthy for the visit of the primates in the Virunga Park.

The primates are charming, friendly smart and playful, their leaders are the silverbacks, they live in groups which include silverbacks, females, black backs they inhabit the forested areas.