Gorilla trekking safaris in Congo
Gorilla trekking activities are one of the top most activities that attracts a lot of tourists to travel from all over the world to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo which is a home to a variety of many endangered mountain gorilla species which are one of the main tourist attractions which have led to the increase number tourists who have led to development of the tourism industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Democratic Republic of Congo shares boarders with countries like; Uganda and Rwanda which are also known to be harbouring many endangered mountain gorilla species and therefore this gives freedom to the species to move freely from one country to another however, each of these countries fully controls their own portion.
Where to go for Gorilla trekking activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mountain Gorilla species in the Democratic Republic of Congo are allocated easily in places like; Virunga national park which harbours only the mountain gorillas and in Kahuzi Biega national park which is a home to Eastern lowland gorillas.
Virunga National Park.
Virunga national park is known as one the best destinations for individuals who have their big interests in trekking mountain gorillas could ever travel to. This national park is dominated by a montane tropical forest, which covers a total surface area of about 7800 square kilometers and stands at an elevation of 5000meters high above the sea level, which is favourable for the mountain gorilla species due to the fact that they prefer staying within high altitude areas as their natural habitats.
Virunga national park is a home to over 300 endangered mountain gorilla species, which makes a high-end destination to many tourists who are on their safari within the country. more so, this national park also has 8 habituated mountain gorilla groups/ families such as; Humba, Munyanga, kabirizi, Mapuwa, Bageni, Rugendo, Lulengo, Nyakamwe that tourists move within the tropical rain forests with an aim of tracking mountain gorillas with their habituated groups.
Gorilla trekking activities with in Virunga national park always begin early in the morning at 7:00am however, tourists are advised to arrive at least an hour before at the park headquarters where they are always briefed by the park rangers about the dos and don’ts that they are supposed to follow while trekking the endangered mountain gorilla species within their natural habitats such as; individuals are not supposed to eat or drink while in the presence of mountain gorillas and they advised to keep a distance of at least 7 meters between them and the mountain gorilla species in order to avoid any harm. Later after the briefing, tourists are being put in different groups with a maximum number of eight people depending on which habituated gorilla groups that they are going to track as each group is being assigned to a park guide whose role is to lead and guide tourists during gorilla trekking.
Gorilla trekking activities in Virunga national park are worth someone’s visit because tourists also get chances to look at other animal species as they tour and explore more through the national park such as; grey checked mangabey, white colobus monkeys, the red tailed monkeys, black colobus monkeys, bird species among others. More so, tourists within this national park can combine gorilla trekking activities with other interesting activities like; bird watching, wildlife game viewing, guided nature walks, game drives and many others.
Kahuzi Beiga national park.
Kahuzi Beiga national park is known as the largest national park found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it famously known and commonly visited because of its Eastern Lowland mountain gorillas, which large and bigger in size compared to the Mountain gorillas that are easily spotted with in Virunga national park. Kahuzi Beiga national park shares boarders with Rwanda.
Kahuzi Beiga national park is a home to over 3800 Eastern lowland gorillas, which are declared to be endangered by the international union for conservation of Nature. This national park also has 12 families and 5 habituated gorilla groups that tourists can also check out and are always available at any time and these gorilla groups include; Nganwa, chimanuka, Mpungwe, Bonnani, mugaruka. Gorilla trekking activities in Kahuzi Beiga national park always go for about 2-6 hours depending on where the gorilla species are located and after they are being found, tourists are always given one hour to interact with the gorilla species and they get chances to observe and learn about their behaviours and characters such as; how they eat and feed their young ones. More so, gorilla trekking activities in this national park always begin the morning hours and tourists are always briefed about the rules and regulations that they should follow while trekking the gorillas and they are being assigned with a park guide who helps to lead them through during the trekking and always gives them an opportunity to ask questions about whatever they would love to understand better while trekking.
Cost of a Gorilla trekking permit in Congo.
Congo is one of the best destinations that one could opt to travel too for Gorilla trekking activities because its gorilla trekking permits are cheap and affordable according to other countries like Uganda where it costs 700 USD per person and Rwanda at 1500 USD per person. A Gorilla trekking permit in the Democratic Republic of Congo is charged at a fee of 400 USD per person hence making it known as the only destination in Africa which has a discounted budget for the gorilla trekking permits which gives a chance to travelers to enjoy and explore all through the true African Jungle as they acquire new and good experiences.
Where to stay while on Gorilla trekking safaris in Congo.
The Democratic republic of Congo has a variety of accommodation facilities that are always available for the guests who travel to the country for gorilla trekking activities. These accommodation facilities are found within and outside Virunga national park and Kahuzi Beiga national park. however, these lodging facilities are ranged differently and put in different classes such as; they range from Budget, mid-range, and luxury facilities and they include; Bukima tented lodge, Coco lodge Bukavu, lake side hotel, kibumba camp, Exodus hotel, Begonias hotel, Orchids safari club, Volcano summit shelter, Mount Kahuzi hotel and many others.
Best time to go for Gorilla trekking in Congo.
Tourists planning to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo for gorilla trekking activities can always choose to travel at any time of the year however, the dry season is considered as the best when tourists should opt to go trekking because during this season, there are less rains or no rain which prevents any destructions and the grass vegetation is always short which enables tourists to capture good classic views of the endangered mountain gorilla species within their natural habitats. More so, the dry season is also considered as the peak season when most tourists travel to Africa to enjoy on their African Safaris. Tourists should note that this dry season is between months of June, August to September and from December to February.
Contact our trusted tour operators in case of any more information and inquires about gorilla trekking in Congo and Book with our tours and travel companies like; Achieve Global safaris or Explore tours Rwanda who offer the best tour packages on your Gorilla trekking safaris to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
