The second largest country in Africa, Democratic republic Congo has an area of 2,344,858 sq km. Much of it is tropical with vast stretches of Congo basin rainforests and Virunga Mountains home to diverse wildlife including mountain gorillas which are the country’s top tourism attraction. The capital Kinshasha in the west of the country is served by several airlines including Fly Dubai which operates daily flights with en route stop in Uganda’s Entebbe. This provides easy connection for travelers from many destinations around the world where Fly Dubai operates including Russia, Middle East and Asia.
Most travel advisories regard some parts of unsafe to visit especially in the natural mineral rich areas of Katanga, north and south Kivu where armed rebels are fighting to regain control of resources. It is true there are threats of insecurity however, today; the eastern parts of DR Congo are safe to visit for safari.
For tourists planning to visit D.R Congo, the areas to visit are the capital Kinshasha in the west and the eastern parts which include the UNESCO world heritage Virunga national park home to mountain gorillas, Mount Nyiragongo an active volcano and Kahuzi Biega national park which protects eastern lowland gorillas. The city of Goma is located nearby Virunga national park and has an airport served by international airlines and charter planes.
Safaris to Congo have become known to travelers. Off the eastern side of DRC it’s the perfect destination for wildlife enthusiasts and one of the only places in the world to see the mountain gorillas. These apes, inspired the documentary Virunga, a must watch for those traveling to DRC, you will get to know the struggle for conservation of gorillas amidst the armed rebel conflicts. Visiting virunga, you are sure to encounter gorillas in their natural habitat.
The Eastern parts of Congo are neighboring Rwanda and Uganda which are politically stable nations. It is therefore safe for tourists to access Goma city or virunga national park better from Uganda or Kigali Rwanda. It is best to use tour operators because they take tourists every day and virunga national park rangers will provide security.
A safari to eastern Congo is centered primate adventures including tracking the mountain gorillas, or their counter parts the lowland gorillas and hiking the volcano.
National parks to visit for gorilla safaris and volcano hiking
Virunga national park
Virunga national park is located in eastern DR Congo covering an area of 7800 sq km. the park is home to mountain gorillas but also rich in biological diversity of wildlife including Okapi (only found here), chimpanzees, forest and savannah elephants, lions, hippos, and more than 700 species of birds. Virunga however is popular for mountain gorilla trekking safaris and visitors should be prepared for hiking and trekking in wet and thick rain forest. There are 6 habituated gorilla families and Bukima is the ranger station to start your gorilla trek. With rangers and guides, you are sure to encounter a gorilla family and get up close and personal.
Mount Nyiragongo active volcano hiking
Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano is also found in Virunga national park. Nothing beats the view of a 2km bubbling Lava Lake when you hike to the summit rising at 3,470 meters above sea level. Visitors sleep on top in the hut cabins so you should bring sleeping bag. On your 2 days trek, you will come across lave rock fields, steamy geysers, and see a variety of plants, birds.
Kahuzi Beiga national park (eastern lowland gorilla tracking)
Kahuzi Beiga is also located in Eastern DR Congo towards south kivu. The park was made a UNESCO world heritage site to protect the last population of eastern lowland gorillas about 300 individuals left. Seeing eastern lowland gorillas is one of the unique primate adventures and can only be done Kahuzi Biega national park. There are two habituated lowland gorilla families and treks start at Tshivanga visitor center. The park is mostly accessible on safari from Rwanda which paves way for visitors interested in visiting both DR Congo and Rwanda.
Kahuzi biega has a mixture of ecosystems including tropical rain forests, wetlands, and river habitats. It is a biological diverse forest, with about 1000 plants, several animals, including eastern chimpanzee, forest elephants, bongo, owl faced monkey, leopard and more than 340 species of birds. Visitors can experience and appreciate the biodiversity of the forest by doing a nature walk to the waterfalls.
How to get there
Eastern DR Congo can be easily accessed from Rwanda and southwestern Uganda. Most safaris going to Virunga national park or Kahuzi biega start in Kigali and drive for 3-4 hours to Goma city or Bukavu. Consider flying to Kigali Rwanda or Uganda, you will connect to D.R Congo in a safe and secure way. There are also opportunities to enjoy boat cruise on Lake Kivu en route to virunga.
Before you apply for a visa, tourists must first confirm a trip or pay for accommodation. once you have proof for visiting Virunga you can use those details to apply for a visa at visit Virunga website.
If you are considering visiting eastern DRC do not land at Kinshasha, because the road distance is very long and unpredictable.
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