Sign in with Facebook- Join for free
- Sign In
Sign in with Facebook
Pro
CHEAPEST GORILLA PERMIT
Con
To be honest the only con I can think of was that it rained. Really nothing to worry about seeing as tho' it is a jungle!!
In a nutshell
If you can go there, do it!
PARK RANGER PROFILE - PHILLIPE
DAO Says: Philippe Rwangano Bitege was born in Kanombe, central Rwanda, in 1958. He is married and has 5 children. He started working in the park as a kitchen worker in 1997. His employer at that time, the Italy Zaire Tourism company, went bust and he was invited to become a Ranger....
DAO Says: Martin is one of the 2 Rangers who guided me through the Parc National de Virunga to find the Mountain Gorillas. In fact it was Martin who whispered to me “we have crossed them” to let me know I was about to finally see one of these amazing creatures. Martin is a young...
DAO Says: No. You do not get a choice. I have been asked about the mask in my photos. Older photos here on VT will show people near the Mountain Gorillas without any masks. Not any more. There are only 700 Mountain Gorillas in the world and they live here and just over the border in...
THE BEST TOUR GUIDE TO SEE THE GORILLAS
DAO Says: Would you like to see the Mountain Gorillas? Cheaply and safely? The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a challenging place to visit, but the permits are the cheapest in the world to see the Gorillas and you can use the best guide in the business to guide you past any...
kentishgirl Says: This is a once in a lifetime experience. It doesnt come cheap - our permit alone was around 300USD....And boy did I feel guilty about spending that money on this trek once I saw the villages we were passing through.But, it gives locals jobs - so thats all good, and this is...
kentishgirl Says: You are in the jungle, there are no toilets. You are going to see a family of only 600 individuals left in the world. If you have a cold or are sick you might not be allowed to go. There is no smoking, no eating and no drinking around the gorillas - they dont want our...
kentishgirl Says: We walked for hours to track the Gorillas, with armed guards through the rainforest/jungle....they had their walkie talkies and they knew roughly where the gorillas had been the day before. These animals can only wander a kilometre a day - not far at all really - but when...
kentishgirl Says: I will always remember driving towards the rainforest where we were to track the gorillas.We drove through small villages, shacks which were the locals homes up against the potholed muddy road. Men were walking back from the hills with a dead chicken which they had bought...
kentishgirl Says: Crossing the border between Uganda and the former Zaire - now DR Congo was an easy experience, we had a bit of a wait for our day visas to be processed but once that had been done the only thing holding us up were ourselves as we were busy chatting to the friendly locals!I...
Overlanders Truck: Fresh pork Anyone?
Yogues Says: Although there are no restaurants in the Virunga National Park, we met some Overlanders from England and Australia who traded two T-shirts and a five gallon bucket for two pigs. They roasted the pigs over a spit, cooked up some vegitables, potatoes, bread, etc., ad we had...
Yogues Says: Once you get to the boarder of Uganda and Zaire (DNC), you have to hoof it from there. We hired some local kids for $1.00 each (payment upon delivery) to lead us to the ranger station. Once we were about halfway there, an enterprising kid said they would each need another...
YOUR CAMERA IS GOING TO GET WET
DAO Says: The park is a natural rain forest near the Equator. That means it rains all year long. In fact they average 1975mm (77.7 inches or 6.5 feet) of rain! If you look closely at these photos you will see the rain. I took 3 cameras and used 2. Both were damaged to some extent. One...
DAO Says: DO NOT RUN OK. That sounds counter productive, but Gorillas can run at speeds of 25 mph (40 kmh) through dense jungle. They could easily see your running as a threat and rip off an arm or leg with very little effort. What you have to do is QUIETLY and slowly sink to the...
Yogues Says: I was very saddened to see this article on MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22627399/) about Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (fka Zaire). The park is now completely overrun by armed militia and the Rangers can't even go in to check on the status...
kennedyrw Says: Today no danger in virunga national park like before in the time of war wich oposed Congoleses and Rwandese troops, tourists ar visiting Gorillas in this park without any problem for now since 2004.
DAO Says: If you want something in this National Park there are 2 rules:1) You have to bring it with you2) You have to take it back outThere are absolutely no facilities in the Park for humans in the Park except for one squat toilet at the entrance. Between the heat and humidity you...
It does rain in a rainforest!!
shortbutkute Says: Make sure you don't be completly stoopid like me and forget your waterproof jacket!! On our way back from the gorillas it started bucketing down and yes, I was extremely wet and cold.Long trousers and 3/4 - long sleeve shirts advisable, because of the sun and plants...
shortbutkute Says: In September 2005 I went on a day trip trekking through Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Africa Travel Company.There is a lot of information floating around on different websites saying the Congo is a dangerous place to visit, you must be mad to...
DAO Says: I normally carry around a large VT Flag. In fact 2 - and one is massive. So as I began to pack and plan my Gorilla Tracking in the DRC I thought:“Do I really want to wave around a large white flag around a wild animal that could get mad and rip off one or more of my limbs?...
Plan a Parc National de Virunga vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Parc National de Virunga locals
The gorilla trek is the main reason people visit this area.Don't forget to get to know the locals on the way. It always amazes me how they always have such huge...
Q: I am trying to locate a mountain 15-20 miles north of lake Kivu, which was named mount sharp by an explorer Grogan in about 1890....
A: The Kivu provinces have been shattered by conflict for almost 20 years now, and while the violence is coming and going in waves, presently there is a new rebel offensive....
Read 4 Replies
1
I HAD THE PARK & GORILLAS ALL TO MYSELF !
Why did you go see the Gorillas in the DRC? OK. Actually friends and family asked “DRC? Are you crazy?” The reasons (plural) I decided on DRC were: • I had not visited the DRC before • I wanted to...
2
"Mum, I Went to Congo to see the Gorillas"!!!
Was exactly what my email home read when I was safely back in Kisoro - Uganda. To think that I was going to give up the chance of tracking the mountains gorillas now that I have done it is a sin!......
3
Gorilla trek into the Congo - Virunga Nat. Park
In September 2005, I travelled with Africa Travel Company on a 14 day round trip from Nairobi. The day of our trek started early leaving our Kisoro campground and travelling to the border in our...
4
Trekking for the Mountain Gorillas
I spent 4 months in Kenya in 1993, taking many trips around East Africa. One of the most exciting and amazing trips I took was to then Zaire to the Virunga National Park to visit with the Mountain...
5
VIRUNGA THE HOME OF MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK THE HOME OF MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IS LOCATED IN THE EASTERN REGION OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO THE FOMER ZAIRE, JUST AT ABOUT 45KMS FROM GOMA TOWN. YOU CAN REACH VIRUNGA VIA...
Build your own Parc National de Virunga page
