Activities to do in Virunga national park
Travel to the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and engage in different amazing safari activities of Virunga national park. This Park is popular for having one of the most active volcanoes in the world which is known as Mount Nyiragongo. Apart from that, it is also a natural habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas that are sighted within the Virunga Mountain ranges as well as over 700 bird species which is best for bird lovers.
Virunga national park is also the best place for study purposes mostly for the plant researcher because it is surrounded by different vegetation covers and these include the savannah grasslands, montane forests, and savannah grasslands, and many more. During your vacation or holiday, visit this best tourist destination in the country and participate in its various activities which will make your Congo tours unforgettable. Some of the safari activities you will enjoy while in Virunga national park include the following.
Mountain gorilla trekking
A visit to Congo Park without participating in gorilla trekking is incomplete so on your to-do list in Virunga national park, this activity is among them where you will be able to trek one of many habituated gorilla families in the forest. some of the gorilla families in this park are the Munyaga gorilla family, Rugendo gorilla family, Bageni gorilla family, Mapuwa gorilla family, and many others. Gorilla trekking wonderful experience done while hiking the big forest and also listening to the number of interesting histories that will be told you by your ranger when searching for mountain gorillas within the park.
While hiking high elevation where mountain gorillas are usually found, you will see a lot of other attractions for example many bird species like the African Fish Eagle, Ruwenzori turaco, narrow tailed sterling, grey throated, and many other species you will see while searching for your assigned gorilla family to trek. As you continue with your trekking, you will also meet other primate species like the red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, the grey-cheeked mangabey including the chimpanzees.
Book your gorilla permit at only $400 which is not expensive like that one of Rwanda in Volcanoes national park which sold at $1500 per person per trek and gorilla trekking permit in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga national parks which is goes at $700 per tourist per trek.
Chimpanzee habituation
Chimpanzee habituation experience is among the activities in the Virunga national park and it was introduced in 2014 by the Frankfurt Zoological Society. Spare some time, participate in chimpanzee habituation and get an opportunity to spend more time with these animals which are unlike chimpanzee trekking that allows one-hour interaction. You will carry this activity with a team of researchers and trekkers who makes the chimpanzee communities get used to the human presence. Therefore, participate in the chimpanzee habituation process and know more information about how the habituation team makes these primates get familiar with people, how they feed them. Are you aware that each year chimpanzees eat about 35000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits? So, visit Virunga and know more. A chimpanzee habituation permit sold at $100 per person.
Hiking the volcanoes
Virunga national park has three Virunga Mountains that one can hike on his/her trip in the park and one of them is mount Mikeno plus among the two active volcanoes on earth which are known as Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. On your Congo safaris try to hike Mount Nyiragongo where you will enjoy an exciting experience that cannot be found elsewhere in the world and also see other interesting facts about this mountain like the active lava bubbling in the earth ‘crust.
Bird watching
This is one of the top safari activities to do in Virunga national park where bird lovers visit the park to spot over 700 bird species, some of them are endemic to the Albertine Rift while others are migratory. These are some of the common bird species one can see on his/her birding trip in this park as include. The African Fish Eagle, Miombo wren warbler, Ross’s turaco, Ruwenzori turaco, Narrow-tailed sterling, Chubb’s cisticola, Grey-throated barbet, and others.
Guided nature walks
When you participate in guided nature walks in Virunga national park, expect to explore more about the Virunga Forest and also see different park attractions which include the green vegetation where rivers flow within, the dense forest where you will see over 700 bird species. You even have a right to carry out photography while you pass through the plains where most of the animals in the park are sighted like zebra, duikers grazing, and others.
You can also visit the Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary which is found in between Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park. This sanctuary was formed to protect the orphaned chimpanzees that lost their family members during the conflicts against the citizens. During the second war in the country many of these primates were left injured while others dead, this is the reason why conservationists and ranges established the Lwiro sanctuary to protect and ensure a better life for the chimpanzees. When you visit the sanctuary, you can also participate in daily activities like feeding the infants, playing with them, and many more.
Therefore, on your Congo safari do not miss out to travel to Virunga national park and enjoy its tourist attraction with an exciting experience that cannot be found in every tourist destination of Africa. These activities to do are starting from trekking the rare mountain gorillas, spending more time with chimpanzees, bird lovers this best destination to visit, for guided nature walks is wonderful and many more.
