Family travel in DR Congo
DR Congo is the best choice for a family travel holiday, offering the most memorable experiences such as primate trekking, birding, and hiking. For family travel in DR Congo, Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park are both located in the eastern part of the country. These two national parks protect several animals but the famous ones are the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.
Family travel in DR Congo is most enjoyed when all the members are above the age of 15 years and this is because they will be allowed to participate in all activities. Chimpanzee trekking, mountain gorilla trekking, eastern lowland gorilla trekking, birding, and hiking are the top highlights of the safari.
Primate trekking
Primate trekking is one of the activities that can be enjoyed as a family. Primate trekking can be done in Kahuzi Biega national park where chimpanzee trekking and eastern lowland gorilla trekking are done or gorilla trekking and chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park. Family travelers need to know that to be part of primate trekking you must be aged 15 years and above and you do need a trekking permit.
Trekking chimpanzees or mountain gorillas starts with trekkers waking up early in the morning for breakfast, driver guides transfer them to the park offices where they meet wardens who take them through rules and regulations of the trekking activity. after the briefing, armed ranger guides do lead the trekkers into the jungle to search for these apes.
During the search, the hikers are able to meet different park animals such as kobs, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, warthogs, aardvark, red river hog, duiker, okapi, elephants, buffaloes, olive baboon, grey checked mangabeys, and red colobus monkeys among others. When the primates are located, the trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them, watch them do daily activities, take photos, and learn about their habits.
Hiking during family travel in DR Congo
Hiking safaris in DR Congo are great for families on a safari to DR Congo. On a family safari to DR Congo, you can have hiking safaris on Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Mikeno, and Mount Nyamuragira in Virunga national park as well as Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega in Kahuzi Biega national park.
Hiking safaris n these mountains do start early in the morning with participants moving to the park offices where they meet wardens to teach them about the rules and regulations of the hiking activity. Later armed ranger guides do like the hikers through different hiking trails to the summit of the mountain. However, during the hiking, hikers are able to meet different park mammals, birds, primates, and different vegetation covers.
When the hikers reach the summit, they are able to have a view of lava lakes on mount Nyiragongo and mount Nyamuragira, surrounding places such as lakes, national parks, Virunga volcanoes, mount Rwenzori, homesteads, and plantations. Hikers get back to their groups and descend the mountains with opportunities of meeting animals and birds.
Birding during the family travel in DR Congo
DR Congo is one of the best birding destinations in Africa. During the travel family, some of the best birding areas you can visit include Kahuzi Biega national park a home to 540 birds and Virunga national park a home to 706 bird species. During the family birding safari in DR Congo, you will encounter birds such as streaky seedeater, thick-billed seedeater, doherty’s bushshrike, grey-headed negrofinch, black-headed waxbill, pin tailed whydah, luhder’s bushshrike, banded prinia, chestnut-throated apalis, mountain illadopsisi, alipine swift, cardinal woodpecker, olive woodpecker, mountain oriole, white-eyed slaty flycatcher, and African olive pigeon.
Other notable bird species in Kahuzi Biega national park and Virunga national park include common buzzard, harrier hawk, tambourine dove, white-necked raven, olive thrush, Angolan swallow, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, red-chested cuckoo, mountain oriole, chinspot batis, banded prinia, malachite sunbird, narina trogon, and barred long-tailed cuckoo among others.
Best time for family travel in DR Congo
Family travels in DR Congo can be done at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The drier months are the best for family travel to DR Congo and they are characterized by little or no rainfall which makes the trekking and hiking trails in the parks less muddy, the vegetation is always thin giving clear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Families can still visit DR Congo in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities and permits. However, during the rainy season, the hiking and trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of the park animals, and the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Where to stay on a family safari travel in DR Congo?
Tourists going for a safari in Virunga national park as a family don’t have to worry about where they will stay because there are several accommodation facilities that can accommodate large numbers of travelers in and around the parks. These range from budget to mid-range to luxury options and in Kahuzi Biega national park, they include L’Orchids Safari Club, Hotel Begonias, Lake Side Hotel, Exodus Hotel, and Coco Lodge among others. Virunga national park lodges include Lulimbi Tented Camp, Nyiragongo Volcano Summit Shelters, Bukima Tented Camp, Mikeno Lodge, Tchegera Island, Kikumba Tented Camp, and much more.
