Gorilla tracking in Congo is the most popular and done activity that takes place in Virunga National Park-Congo. The Park sites in the Eastern Part of Congo that borders Rwanda and Uganda and is accessible through Uganda at the Bunagana border and Rwanda at Gisenyi.
Gorilla trekking in Congo gives an opportunity to come face-to-face with the rare endangered species which is an incredible experience for tourists to have in Congo before he dies. The Mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park share 97% of their biological with humans, this means that they are entirely fascinating to see in their natural environment.
Currently, the wild population counts 1063 mountain gorillas and Virunga National Park shares almost half of it. The park has about 8 gorilla families that are habituated to human interactions, for gorilla tracking every day in all year round that makes the activity the most thrilling experience in Congo.
Gorilla trekking activity in Congo requires every visitor to obtain a gorilla permit that gives access to see wild gorillas in their natural environment. The gorilla permit in Congo costs $ 400 per person per trek and this is the cheapest gorilla trekking experience. It‘s very possible to book a gorilla permit through an online on The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) which is responsible for the issuing of the gorilla permits in Congo.
The process of tracking gorillas in Congo starts in the morning around 8.0am with a briefing from ICCN ranger guides at Park headquarters about the rules and regulations while trekking gorillas. The distance you hike depends on which gorilla family, you visit as well the difficulty of the hike to reach the particular gorilla family can vary dramatically.
Each gorilla family is different and unique in its way which makes it an adventurous experience of this amazing activity. The gorilla family that found at the close of the park headquarters can be found in not more than 1 hour that requires little energy pass through the forest. Generally, the tracking hours in Virunga National Park-Congo takes about 3 hours through passing in the cattle field, thick vegetation, and deeper rain forest.
Such an amazing experience requires some physical fitness in order to enjoy the activity or one may opt to hire the porter to take you through at a little fee. The armed ranger guide is always available to give you security just in case during your gorilla tracking. Once you find them (Gorilla family) you’re allowed to take 1 hour with them at 4 meters distance, watching as they eat, play and taking care of their little ones is absolutely amazing to see such incredible creatures.
Feel free to take as much as photos and videos you can along as flash camera is off, your one hour will elapse and nothing much to do just going back to the park headquarters. As we the gorilla expert in the eastern African region, we highly recommend to plan your trip/safari at least 5 months in advance in order to secure your gorilla permits and accommodation.
The accommodations facilities that are found within the Park and surroundings are both offer a full board service, luxury at affordable prices.