Overview
Congo Gorilla Safari from Uganda: To begin with, Virunga National Park is one of the most diverse tropical rain forests in Africa. Additionally, it is Africa’s oldest forest famously known for gorilla trekking among all the other activities that take place there. The park is located in the Eastern part of Congo.
Some of the activities there besides gorilla trekking include birding, hiking volcanoes, chimpanzee tracking, and many others. It is also important to note that DRC is one of the only three countries with the remaining endangered mountain gorilla species in the whole world. The other countries with this privilege include Rwanda and Uganda. More to that, gorilla trekking in Congo is done in Virunga national park which is a neighbor to the Volcanoes national park of Rwanda. Therefore, your journey either starts from Rwanda or Uganda to the Democratic republic of Congo.
Pamoja tours and Travel Company can help you organize any sort of safari-like mid-range safaris, budget, and luxurious safari. Feel free to check our website and in case you need any amendments or didn’t find what you are looking for, feel free to send us an email. We will help in customizing your budget and make sure that it suits your interests.
How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in DRC?
Pamoja tours and travel company as a company, provide all tour packages for all our clients, depending on your budget and the activities of interest. You can opt to do any as we plan and organize your trip according to your own interest. Contact us for more information about packages of gorilla trekking for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Congo Gorilla Safari is a lot cheaper than any other gorilla national park in East Africa. This is because DR Congo is trying to promote its tourism sector due to the effects of the previous conflicts on the tourism sector.
Conversely, Uganda and Rwanda’s tourism sectors were already promoted in the early years. You can only go trekking for these magnificent species when you have secured a valid gorilla trekking permit. Getting the permit requires prior booking especially during the peak seasons when a lot of tourists flock to the national parks for trekking.
There are few steps you can attain the permit and we can help you get the permit.
- Once you contact us with the confirmed dates of your safari, we shall check for the availability of gorilla permits with Virunga national park Congo headquarters.
- Once the permits are available, we will book your permits and send you an invoice for your permit payments.
- When you finish paying for your permit, we will send you scanned copies of your gorilla trekking permits and with these, you are set for trekking.
Gorilla permit cost;
Gorilla trekking permits for each tourist in DRC cost US400$ in the peak seasons which are in the months of January, February, June, July, August, and September. In the other months of the year; March, April, May, October, November, and early December, the gorilla permits in DRC cost US200$ per person and this offer runs from 15th March to 15th May and then from 15th October to 15th December.
The best time to go trekking.
There are good months of the year where the park receives less rainfall in its drier months of January, February, June, July, and August. These months of the year are when slopes are drier and the vegetation is not fully grown. These conditions make it easy to see the gorillas and some other animals.
The other months of March, April, May, October, November, and mid-December which are wet are also good enough for those with budget safari desires. Usually, the permits and accommodation in DRC are on a discount for trekkers during that period. Virunga national park is in the tropics and therefore, you should expect rainfall any time of the year. Congo as a country offers normal and discounted gorilla trekking permits. However, but you need to book for the permits earlier in about 3-4 months before your trek.
Accessing the park
Accessing the park from Uganda requires you to either use road or air transport.
You can fly to Kisoro or Kasese from Kampala or Entebbe International airport using the domestic flights organized. Once you reach the Southern part of Uganda, from Kisoro, Kabale, or Kasese, it’s a 3-4 hours’ drive to the park. From Kisoro, connect to Gisenyi Rwanda through Cyanika border and cross from Gisenyi to Goma DRC. Then, drive towards Bukima to the park headquarters. This implies that those who wish to drive to Virunga national park without using a domestic flight can follow the same route.
Accommodation
There are accommodation facilities in Virunga that range from budget to luxury accommodation facilities. Accommodation facilities’ costs range from 90USD to 400USD depending on the type of accommodation you are booking. This should be booked earlier enough especially in the high and peak seasons since there are a few accommodation facilities around the park. Pamoja tours and travel company can provide more information about the accommodation according to our expertise. We are sure that we will give you the best advice here.
Budget options in DRC include;
- Bukima tented camp,
- Kibumba tented camp
Mid-range accommodation;
- Tchegera island camp
- Lulimbi tented camp,
Luxury options; Mikeno lodge.
What to expect in DRC on Congo Gorilla Safari
• Nyirangongo volcano hike
This is one of the most amusing lifetime adventures that all tourists can engage in for an unforgettable experience. More to that, it is one of the active volcanoes that still exist in the world with an elevation of 3470m which has erupted at least 34 times since 1882. You can easily view the volcano on your gorilla trekking safari in DRC. Also, you need to be physically fit enough to take this hike and be health cautious for your own safety and health.
• Mountain gorilla trekking
This is the most famous activity in the Virunga national park with about 6 gorilla families open for gorilla trekking in the park. These include;
- Bageni gorilla group
- Nyakamwe gorilla group
- Munyaga gorilla group
- Lulengo gorilla group
- Mapuwa gorilla group
- Rugendo gorilla group
- Humba gorilla group
- Kabirizi gorilla group
Amongst all these groups, Kabirizi is the most famous for gorilla trekking. This is because it is the largest group of gorillas with over 3 dozen gorilla individuals. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn and share the world of great apes in their natural habitat.
• Bird watching
Being one of the eldest and dense forests, there are a number of bird species that inhabit the forest, swamps, river, and grasslands. This gives you a vast place to watch and spot different birds making this bird expedition one wondrous activity to engage in while on your safari. About 706 bird species are available for watching in the forest. All you need is a guide, a pair of binoculars, and a book guide to enjoy your safari.
• Chimpanzee tracking and habituation
These are the second most popular activities to do in Virunga national park. In addition to that, tracking gives you an hour of an encounter with the chimps. On the other hand, chimpanzee habituation gives you a full day adventure with them. Furthermore, you can see the chimpanzees in the forest (that is where tracking takes place). While there, you will get to watch the different feeding and food gathering habits as well as their behaviors in their natural habitat. You will also need gorilla trekking permits for this kind of activity in Congo which you can easily book with us.
• Nature walks in Virunga national park while on Congo Gorilla Safari.
Walking through one of the oldest national parks with a long river that lies in the vicinity of different dense vegetation, unique tree species, and unique landscape is one of the most thrilling adventures in Congo. The park has different bird species which are available for watching in this dense forest. There are plenty of species to learn about with the help of well-informed guides, these nature walks can be fabulous.
Recommendation
Pamoja tours and travel company helps with organizing gorilla trekking safaris for all our customers who wish to have the experience in east Africa. We organize all gorilla safaris from budget to luxury gorilla safaris from Uganda to DRC as per your request. Our staff has a variety of information and location knowledge in relation to all East African countries. Besides, we have a fleet of safari vehicles that are the best in transporting all our clients throughout the safari. Organizing such trips is definitely easier with us. We plan and book for every necessity for your gorilla trekking including accommodation facility suggestions and advice.
