Best Time to Trek Gorillas in Congo

When is the ideal time to visit the Congo to go trekking with the gorillas? When organising a gorilla safari in the Congo, it is essential to know when the gorillas are most active. Because of its relatively low visitor volume in comparison to other national parks protecting gorillas, Virunga National Park has earned the reputation as Africa’s oldest park while preserving most of its original landscape. Situated on the Rwandan and Ugandan borders, the park encompasses the Virunga Conservation Area in the Congo.  

While gorilla trekking in the Congo is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, there is an extra bonus to visiting during the dry/peak season, which is when the animals are most active. Virunga National Park is located in the southern hemisphere of the nation, which is one of the few in Africa where the equator crosses. The country shares this characteristic with Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda. Gorilla tracking is only one of many amazing activities offered by Congo’s Virunga National Park, which welcomes visitors 365 days a year and offers something new every month (Silverback Gorilla Tour).  

On the other hand, if you visit the Congo during the dry season, you will have an unforgettable and gratifying gorilla tracking safari seeing mountain gorillas. During the winter months (December–February) and the summer months (June–August), there is no precipitation. It may rain during this period, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have an exciting experience—after all, the park is a tropical rain forest located conveniently in a country that crosses the equator.  

Yet, these months are the busiest since every tourist wants to visit the park for an unforgettable experience, and permits to see the gorillas are in short supply. If you want to have an experience of a lifetime in Congo-Virunga National Park, we strongly suggest that you reserve your gorilla permit at least four months in advance.  

The low season for gorilla tracking in the Congo is from March through May, as well as from October through November. Even if there is a little more rain during this month, you will still be able to have this mystical experience. Actually, this is the most exciting moment to do it.