It Virunga . National Park[1] is a national park in the east of Congo-Kinshasa, near the border with Uganda and Rwanda. The park was founded in 1925 in the Belgian Congo as National Albert Park (after King Albert I of Belgium), making it the first national park of Belgium. Africa. Covering an area of 7,800 square kilometers, it stretches from the volcanic Virunga Mountains in the south to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north, encompassing the entire western shore of Lake Edward. The park borders Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Arrive
By plane
The nearest international airport is Goma Airport (IATA: GUM, ICAO: FZNA).
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
Info
History
In 1979 Virunga was placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. In 1994 the status was changed to 'threatened'. In particular, poaching and illegal logging for charcoal production are a major threat. The park was also used as a refuge by rebels during and after the Congolese Civil War.
In August 2008, the Belgian Prince Emmanuel de Merode was appointed as park director. He leads a team of about 700 armed park rangers.
Landscape
Flora and fauna
The Virunga National Park is home to many animal species that are threatened with extinction. Most famous are the extremely rare mountain gorillas.
climate
Going into the park
Tickets/Permits
The permit to see the mountain gorillas costs about €400 (2010). That is 100 euros less than in Uganda and Rwanda.
The permit to climb the active Nyiragongo volcano costs about €200. You can spend the night on the top with a view over the largest lava lake in the world.
Travel around
See
do
Visit the mountain gorillas - The mountain gorillas are located in the Mikeno area, about 2.5 hours drive from goma. They can also be accessed from Bunagana (border of Uganda). The visits are also a bit more authentic and in smaller groups than in Uganda or Rwanda. There are several associations that organize this, but booking is always done through the ICCN (Congolese Wildlife Authority) office in Goma. You can also book directly with ICCN ([email protected]). They can also organize transport.
To buy
Food
Drink
To sleep
lodge
Camping
Hinterland
Safety
The national park is located in the Kivu and this region still suffers a lot from the violence during the Second Congo War (1998-2003) and the Kivu conflict (2004-present). There are also large numbers of internal refugees and refugees from neighboring Rwanda. The latter mainly as a result of the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath.
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