Photo: MONUSCO Photos · CC BY-SA 2.0
Virunga National Park
Africa's oldest national park — mountain gorillas and an active lava lake.
About
Virunga was gazetted in 1925, the first national park on the continent, and it spans everything from Rwenzori glaciers to lowland forest. It shelters a third of the world's mountain gorillas and Nyiragongo, a volcano holding one of the largest lava lakes on earth, which trekkers climb to sleep on the crater rim. The park's rangers have paid a heavy price protecting it through decades of conflict.
Highlights
- Mountain gorilla trekking
- Nyiragongo crater lava lake
- Rwenzori foothills
- Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage
Things to book in Virunga National Park
No experiences listed yet
Where to stay in Virunga National Park
Zuri has nothing to list here. Virunga's own visitor site says gorilla and Nyiragongo treks are closed until further notice, and eastern DRC's security situation is why. The park still lists Mikeno Lodge, Kibumba and Tchegera on its site, but with the treks suspended their status is worth confirming with the park directly before planning anything. Travellers wanting to track mountain gorillas now do so from Rwanda or Uganda, where permits are on sale as normal.
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