When to travel to Virunga national park
When to travel to Virunga national park? Virunga national park is open for tourism any time of the year so you can travel whenever you feel like go on a Virunga safari tour. When to visit Virunga national park is one of the most asked questions by most of the tourists who are interested in coming to the Democratic Republic of Congo especially those who are yearning to trek mountain gorillas in their natural habitats at the lower price. Since a gorilla permit in Congo goes at 400USD while in Rwanda is costs 1500USD and 700 USD in Uganda. While planning to fly to Goma international airport of Congo for any Virunga tour package, ensure to with a valid tourist Congo VISA that allows you to enter the country.
Congo tourist Visa sold at only 105USD for a period of 14 days which may be enough for you to enjoy activities of the park and to the neighboring destinations for other trek or wildlife safari. Virunga national park is blessed with a lot of tourist attractions that attract a larger number of travelers and these include trekking the endangered mountain gorillas, visiting Senkwekwe orphanage center, hiking the active Nyiragongo, wildlife viewing along with the Lulimbi sector, chimpanzee habituation, all these activities are open for tourists all year round. Another thing to consider while coming to the Democratic Republic of Congo is valid yellow fever and you will not be allowed to access the country without this card however you can take a vaccine from here and issue a card.
While one planning to take on any of the Democratic Republic tour packages, there are questions that are used to be asked and one of them is what is the best time to visit Virunga national park. The answer is the driest season because of the different reasons like during this season is when the hiking trails are not too slippery and muddy which favors you to enjoy the activities of the park without disturbance, another reason in the dry season there are clear views in the park. So, this is the reason why this is the most recommended time to visit Virunga. But the truth is, you can visit this park at any time of the year depending on your interest.
The wet season is best for budget travelers who are interested to see the mountain gorillas so book yourself a Virunga gorilla permit during this period which is sold at only 200USD while in the dry season it costs 400USD. Another reason why one should visit the park during the rainy season is that most of the lodges reduce the rates as a way to attract more travelers since during season is when the park receives few visitors. Therefore, budget travelers, this is the best ideal for you because it helps you to save some money which can be used for other costs of the trip.
This Park is known as an equatorial forest so at any time of the day it can rain even if in the dry season. The driest months of Congo are divided into seasons that are from June-August and another one from December-February while the wet months are March, April, May, September, October, and November.
Some of the activities to do while in Virunga national park.
Mountain gorilla trekking is the key tourist activity that attracts most travelers in the country. It is home to various gorilla families which are already for tracking and some of the gorilla families in this park are the Rugendo gorilla family, Bageni gorilla family, Mapuwa gorilla family, Munyaga gorilla family, and many others. The activity offers an exciting experience 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. Therefore, book yourself a Virunga gorilla permit at only 400USD and enjoy the best experience in the world.
Chimpanzee habituation, Virunga national park also offers this activity. So, while on your Congo safaris, participate in chimpanzee habituation and 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.
Hiking 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’s crust.
Birders go to Virunga national park and watch over 700 bird species, these are some of the bird species one can see on his/her birding trip in this park as include. the Ruwenzori turaco, African Fish Eagle, Ross’s turaco, Narrow-tailed sterling, Chubb’s cisticola, Grey-throated Barbet, and others.
Guided nature walks in Virunga national park give you a chance to know more about the forest while viewing different park attractions which include the green vegetation, the dense forest where you will see over 700 bird species, wildlife animals like zebra, duikers, and others.
Where to spend a night in Virunga national park.
You should note before deciding when to travel to Virunga national park that the park is located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo with limited accommodation facilities if compared to other natural habitats to mountain gorillas like Volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Virunga national park features accommodation facilities for all different travelers like the luxury, the mid-range, and the budget and these include Kibumba tented camp, Mikeno lodge, Nyiragongo summit shelter, Bukima tented camp, Lulimbi tented camp, Tchegera island tented camp, and others. They offer a private and quiet atmosphere for relaxation after enjoying beautiful views of the Virunga Forest, guided nature, visiting the endangered mountain gorillas, wildlife viewing. Also provide high-quality services to the tourists through friendly staff, comfortable beds, server both international and local dishes and among others.
So, the answer to this question is complicated so that is why tourists are advised to focus more on their interests and what favors you than looking for the best time. Book with Africa Adventure Vacations and help you to decide this. Are you planning to visit Virunga national park? send an email or contact us and guide you in preparing your trip to a quiet destination until you go back to your homeland.
