Congo Gorilla Safaris
Gorilla trekking in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gorilla trekking in Congo is one of a kind, interesting and adventurous experience. Gorilla trekking happens in Virunga national park and Kahuzi-Biega national park.
Virunga national park is one of the old and diverse rain forest national parks in Congo famous for gorilla trekking and other activities like bird watching, chimpanzee trekking and nature walks.
Gorilla trekking in Congo is considered to be one of the most outstanding destinations in Africa where you are able to go for both mountain and eastern lowland gorilla species.
All the national parks where one is able to do gorilla trekking are close to each other and that is what is termed as the Virunga massif.
Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park.
Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park is a unique and memorable activity. The park is among the few destinations where you are able to see gorillas in their natural habitat. It is located in the eastern part of Congo bordering Uganda and Rwanda.
This park hosts a good number of habituated gorilla families which you can trek from, each of the gorilla family has their own unique and rare characteristics and dynamics offering you a different trekking experience.
Gorilla trekking in Virunga demands one to go through thick forests trekking, this can sometimes be tiresome but it’s rewarding at the end. Once you get to encounter them, you are given one hour to be in their presence as you observe them feeding and playing.
Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi-Biega national park.
Kahuzi – Biega national park is located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo famous for harboring eastern lowland gorillas. Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest living gorilla species and they differ from the endangered mountain gorillas.
Lowland gorilla trekking was first done in the year 1973 and it was protected to conserve the eastern lowland gorillas also known as Grauer’s gorillas. These are the largest among the four gorilla species.
Trekking these eastern lowland gorillas requires you to go and hike through thick and dense forests which are a little bit demanding but rewarding as well. The activity is distinctive because the park has several gorilla families from which you can trek.
The park has 12 gorilla families 2 of which are habituated and open for trekking. The two habituated families are Chimanuka the biggest family with over 36 individuals and Mugaruka which were named after their silverback
The activity may last longer depending on where the gorillas will be found on a specific day. When you get to encounter these gorillas, you are given one hour to interact at a reasonable distance as you take some photos for memories.
Process of booking a gorilla permit in Congo.
Choose a date of your convenience that you would like to do gorilla trekking.
Contact the virunga or Kahuzi-Beiga national park website, email or call directly to check availability.
Once you have checked availability, provide your personal information which includes the group you would like to trek and how many people will be trekking with you.
Pay for the permit through different methods that will be provided by the website, through email or shared on the phone call.
Once you have paid, you will automatically receive a confirmation of your permit booking via email.
Print out the permit and prepare for your trek.
Best time to do gorilla trekking in Congo.
Both national parks receive the same weather. From June to September and from December to February, are the best times that one should consider when going for gorilla trekking in Congo. These are dry months and the weather is relatively stable where the trails are less muddy making trekking easier.
You can as well trek gorillas during the months of march, may, October, April and November but its more demanding and hectic since vegetation is grown and trails are slippery making the activity harder.
Price of a gorilla permit in Congo..
In virunga national park, the price of a gorilla permit goes for.
USD 400 for foreign nonresidents.
USD 200 for foreign residents.
USD 30 for Congolese citizens.
In Kahuzi-Beiga,
USD 400 for foreign residents.
USD 200 for foreign residents.
USD 30 for Congolese citizens.
How to get to Virunga and kahuzi-Beiga national park.
Both the parks are found in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo which is easy to access by air, you can do this flying to Kigali connecting you to Gisenyi town to Goma town in Congo. From there you can head to the headquarters of either Virunga or kahuzi-Beiga depending on where you would like to experience the adventure from which is about a 2-hour drive.
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