Virunga National Park
As one of the first protected areas in Africa, the Virunga National Park should be high on the must-visit list of any serious safari-goer to the continent. It lies in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Albertine Rift Valley and borders Uganda and Rwanda.
About two thirds of Lake Edward falls within the park’s boundaries. The wildlife also derives nourishment from the waters of Lake Kivu in the south while the forests on the slopes of a handful of volcanoes creates a unique habitat where specific ecosystems thrive.
The park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, stretches over an immense area of more than 8 000 square kilometers, rising almost 5 000 meters form the floor of the Semliki River valley to the peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains. The volcanoes of Nyiaragongo and Nyamuragira are responsible for a rich fauna and flora consisting of more than 3 000 species, including the endemic eastern gorilla.
There are a few options to get to Virunga National Park. From Goma it is about an hours drive while the option to fly into Kigali in Rwanda and then crossing the border to Goma is also a possibility.
Virunga National Park was formerly known as Albert National Park. · Established in 1925, it is Africa's first national park
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Virunga National Park activities are safe for anyone interested in them because of the security personnel that accompany you in order for you to have a safe activity, the park rangers and military accompany the tourists so that they are protected and also their property during the numerous activities
The property includes the spectacular massifs of Rwenzori and Virunga Mountains containing the two most active volcanoes of Africa. The wide diversity of habitats produces exceptional biodiversity, notably endemic species and rare and globally threatened species such as the mountain gorilla.
Despite years of civil unrest in the region where mountain gorillas live, conservation efforts have found success. Findings show populations in the Virunga Massif have grown to 604 individuals, up from 480 individuals in 2010. This puts the total global wild gorilla population over 1,000 individuals
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