Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park is a popular safari destination on a Congo safari. Virunga National Park is known as a home of the Apes giant species the gorillas, mammals, reptiles, bird species, amphibians and many others. The park is located on the eastern edge of the Congo Basin, Virunga is graded as the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, the park is such gorgeous because of the fire and ice for its diverse habitats originating from the Rwenzori peaks to the savannah and volcanic plains that makes tourists to select it has the first one on the bucket list on a safari. Virunga national park is among the oldest national park in African that established in 1925, majorly to protect the endangered mountain gorillas.

Virunga national park is made up of three sectors the northern sector that stretches from Virunga massif in south to Rwenzori mountain bordering Uganda in north, central sector is around Lake Edward, Ishasha River valley, then southern sector also called montane tropical forests that is a home of active volcanoes and mountain gorillas on the slopes of dormant Mikeno volcano.

Attractions in Virunga national park.

Mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorillas are the major safari attraction in Democratic Republic of Congo. No matter the diverse beautiful that are full on this planet, exploring the exciting the mountain gorillas in Virunga national park are such incredible and attractive to various tourists in Congo. The park is very beautiful with the vibrant forest habitants that harbors the various gorilla species in the park, which makes the Virunga National Park to be daily visited on a Congo safari. The mountain gorillas in the park can be best sighted during the vb experience where you observe the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.

Other animal species that are found includes elephants, buffalos, antelopes, topi, warthogs, waterbucks, Nile crocodiles, bushbucks, duikers, Giant forest hog, antelopes, and among many others.

Chimpanzees.

Virunga national park is a primate’s safari destination, with the chimpanzees that are the second attractions inn the park. Tourists who are primate lovers then Virunga national park is the right safari destination to be explored. Virunga national park has got the large numbers of the chimpanzees that happen to be over sprayed in the park that makes tourists to visit the park.

Virunga Mountains.

Virunga Mountains are very top attractive attractions in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Virunga mountains are shared among the three safari destinations that is Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The Virunga volcanoes in Democratic Republic of Congo are found in Virunga National Park. These incredible natural attractions offers the tourists with the perfect hiking experiences in the entire world. Virunga national park has got the exciting Africa’s most active volcano mountains that is Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Nyamuragira.

Bird species.

Its a home of the large numbers of the bird species that are over 706 bird species. Various tourists love the park because of the presence huge number of bird species in the park. Virunga has got the number of colorful and attractive bird species including the Albertine rift, migratory, resident species that makes bird watching safari in Virunga national park the most incredible. Some of the bird species in Virunga national park includes Stripe breasted tit, Rwenzori turaco, Black bishop, African goshawk, Rwenzori batis, Yellow-billed Barbet, Double-toothed Barbet, Madagascar bee-eater and among others.

Activities to do in Virunga National Park.

Gorilla trekking.

Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park

Gorilla trekking is the top safari activity to do on a Congo safari in Virunga national park. During gorilla trekking that’s when the tourists adventure the park, through sighting the various gorilla families in the park like rugendo, Munyaga, Mapuwa, Bageni and among others. Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park begins with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during the gorillas trekking at the park headquarters. After the briefing the tourists can be divided into different groups of 8 people per group then each group given the park guide.

The park guides led you into the jungles while looking for the gorillas, during the safari activity the tourists can be able to sight various wildlife across, and after finding the gorillas the tourists are given one hour to be with the presence of the gorillas while observing their characters and behaviors, how they feed, that’s the period the tourists take pictures and record the videos of the gorillas to take and show people at home after the safari.

Hiking the Virunga Mountains.

A Congo safari can never be complete minus carrying out hiking the Virunga Mountains. There are active Virunga Mountains and during hiking these provides the best natural safari experience. The park has three out of the eight Virunga Mountains that is Mount Mikeno, Mount Nyiragongo, and Mount Nyamaragira. On a hiking safari in Congo the tourists are rewarded with the best hiking facts about the Mount Nyiragongo hike with the active lava that can be clearly witnessed bubbling in the earth’s crust and among many other facts.

Bird watching.

For the bird lovers, Virunga National Park is the classic place where you can enjoy the bird watching safari. The park is a home of over 706 bird species where some are endemic to the Albertine Rift, migratory species that offers the bird lovers the awesome bird watching safaris. The bird species to be observed during bird watching safari includes the blue turaco, long-tailed cisticola, Chubb’s cisticola, olive pigeon, black kite, paradise fly catcher, blue headed coucal, alpine chat, Rwenzori batis, Narrow-tailed starlings, Madagascar Bee-eater, Double-toothed Barbet

Chimpanzee trekking.

Virunga national park being the home of the diverse primates, also it harbors various numbers of the chimpanzees where the tourists can carry out chimpanzee trekking while looking for the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking takes place in the forests early in the morning with a briefing about chimpanzee trekking, then you explore in the jungle and look for the chimps after finding them you engage in various safari activities like watching them play, feed, grooming, making their nests and among others.

Guided nature walks.

Guided nature walks is another safari activity that takes place. This is the best way where the tourists together with the presence of the well experienced guides explore Virunga national park on a foot while reaching in all the park parts where the vehicles do not reach. During the nature walks that’s when the tourists encounters the animal species in the park like the zebras, duikers, lions and among other animal species as they are grazing, bird species, green vegetation where the river flows within, again during the activity that’s when the tourists can take the beautiful pictures while walking through the plains with the clear background of the amazing landscape.

Visiting Senkwenkwe orphanage center.

On a Congo safari , tourists as well can visit Senkwenkwe orphanage center that is situated in Rumangabo near the park headquarters. This orphanage caters for the orphaned gorillas. In Senkwenkwe orphanage center there are 4 gorilla families like Maisha, Ndeze, Matabishi, Ndakasi. On a safari at the center you can see the rescued eastern low land gorillas, and as well engage in the different activities like feeding, watching them play and many more others.

Landscape viewing and photography.

There are beautiful landscape with the volcanoes, valleys covered by the montane and afro alpine forests that makes the park to be the most impressing one for landscape viewing and photography.