Transportation to Virunga national park
When we talk about transportation to Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we mean all possible ways of getting to the park for tourism. There are several ways of accessing parc de national Virunga in DR Congo that is to say by Air, road, and water transport.
Travelers planning trips to the park, usually depart either from Goma or Kigali if using ground transportation to Virunga national park however, a few fly-in to Goma international airport before being picked by the national park representative for onward transfer. Please take note that every Saturday, Ethiopian airlines operate direct flights from Ethiopia to Goma, and it’s once every week. Flights have become much cheaper in recent years but the best option to fly to Goma is Ethiopian Airlines.
Transportation to Virunga national park by Road
International travelers fly into Kigali international airport and drive to Virunga national park through Gisenyi/Goma border. The drive from Kigali to Virunga national park via the Goma border post is approximately 5hours drive. Most international flights often arrive in the late afternoon or evening and for such arrivals, we recommend visitors spend a night in Kigali before they embark on their journey to the park the following day.
Virunga national park is located 32 km west of Goma and transport from Goma to the park can be arranged by trusted travel agencies like Africa Adventure Vacations and Virunga national park.
Getting to the park Kigali Rwanda: The road trip from Kigali city to the park is around 5 hours via Gisenyi. And from Goma to the park, it takes like 1½ driving to reach the Park Headquarters of Bukima Sector.
Getting to the park from Kisoro Uganda: A journey from Uganda to Virunga national Park is quite long and tiresome. Most travelers opt to spend a night in Kisoro where they start their trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo via the Bunagana border.
Transportation to Virunga national park by Air
Travelers can fly and land at Goma International Airport and later drive to Virunga national park. Goma is the main airport in Eastern DR Congo however, it was affected by the Nyiragongo eruption of 2002 though it was redeveloped to boost the tourism industry in the region.
Please take note that tourists who fly directly to Goma and stay for a shorter period can book their return tickets via Kigali international airport unless they stay for more than 7 days.
Ethiopian Airlines is the most reliable carrier that operates weekly flights to Goma and it arrives at 2: 30 pm. Regarding the Value Added tax, Goma international airport charges $50 for all travelers flying out from the airport.
Transportation to Virunga national park by water
Water transport on Lake Kivu is mainly used by tourists who want to connect from Bukavu to Virunga national park by use of a ferry. Ferries move from Bukavu via Idjwi Island to Goma and this takes approximately 6 hours
Visitors may opt to use a speed boat that takes 3 hours whereas a public boat takes about 5 hours to arrive at the landing site of Goma. From Goma, you are then driven to Virunga national park and the journey takes about 1½ hours.
Riding on a slow boat costs you $50 while the private boat ride costs between $300 to $400. You can as well make reservations in advance for swift boats. These swift boats require advance bookings to obtain tickets
