Map of Virunga National park
Map of Virunga national park- The park covers an area of 790,000 ha and is endowed with outstanding diversity of natural habitats, ranging from swamps, snowfields of mount Rwenzori at an altitude of over 5,000 m, lava plains and savannahs on the slopes of different volcanoes. A number of mountain gorilla individuals live in the park, over 20,000 hippopotamuses can also be spotted as well as different bird species, both endemic and non-endemic.
The park is a home to about 218 mammal species, 706 bird species, 109 reptile species and 78 amphibians. 22 primate species can be sighted in this paradise, three of them are among the great apes of the world that is; mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), the eastern plain gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi).
Yes, Virunga is a unique national park with a chain of active volcanoes and rich diversity of habitats that can’t be found anywhere is Africa and the world. that surpass those of any other African park. On your visit to this amazing conservation area, expect to see a union of savannas and plains, marshlands and afro-montane forest belts to unique afro-alpine vegetation cover and permanent glaciers at the summit of mount Rwenzori at a height of 5000 m above the sea level. This park comprises of the spectacular massifs of Rwenzori mountain as well as the active Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes.
Look at the map of Virunga National Park, it is located in the center of the Albertine Rift, of the Great Rift Valley. In the southern part of the park, tectonic activity due to the extension of the earth’s crust in this region triggered the formation of Virunga massif, comprising eight volcanoes, seven of the are totally or partially located in the park. While the northern part of the park covers 20% of the Rwenzori massif