Virunga National Park was gazetted in 1925 to protect the unique flora and fauna including mountain gorillas. It is the oldest national park in Africa with amazing wildlife and physical features like volcanoes, vegetation cover, crater lakes, streams and rivers which flow within the dense forests. The park is also home to volcanoes, the rare okapi, forest buffaloes, African elephants, spotted hyenas, jackals and birds. Virunga national park was part of the greater Virunga conservation area which included Uganda and Rwanda. The area was split and divided amongst the three countries forming the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda among other wildlife sanctuaries. Congo remained with Virunga national park.

Congo tourApart from the amazing Nyiragongo volcano, one other key attraction in the park are the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are endangered species but thanks to gorilla tourism and wildlife conservation Agencies, their overall numbers have gradually improved. As we write this, there are now over 1000 individuals in the wilds of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The Virunga national park is one of the few places in the world where travelers can go for gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is considered one of the most exciting wildlife activities in the world. Virunga National Park stands out from other national parks because it is the only gorilla park where one can also visit a gorilla orphanage. The Senkwekwe Centre was set up by the Virunga Foundation to take care of young gorillas who lost their parents due to poaching or where rescued from animal traffickers. You Might be interested in our 2 days Congo gorilla safari package.

Mount Nyiragongo Volcano: This amazing attraction is located in Virunga National Park. The Nyiragongo Volcano is one of the most studied active volcanoes in Africa. The mountain is an ideal research subject researchers/scientists who are interested in studying active volcanoes and their impact Congo Wildlife touron the environment. Nyiragongo is one of the few if not the only volcano where tourists are allowed to climb just for the purpose of seeing a boiling lava lake. Because of its unique offering, it is one of the most visited natural attractions in Congo at the moment. Hiking Mount Nyiragongo is often done in combination with gorilla trekking in Virunga national park. It takes hikers 2 days to do climb and descend the volcano. The erupting magma offers a magnificent view in a way that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. Taking photos and videos close to boiling magma will win you a lot of respect and admirers once you get back home.