Virunga Conservation Area/Virunga Massif is comprised of three National Parks which share borders. These are Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla National park in Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. Altogether, the three parks shelter roughly 0ver 500 mountain gorillas habituated into 19 gorilla families. 1 gorilla group in Mgahinga Gorilla Park, 10 families in Volcanoes, and 8 families in Virunga Park. In both destinations, each gorilla family is viewed by eight people per day for a maximum of an hour. Gorilla trekking in all parks is proceeded by a brief introduction to the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking to ensure a peaceful and enjoyable gorilla encounter.
Virunga National park
Located in Eastern DR Congo, Virunga National park is a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural world heritage site with diverse wildlife and habitats. The rainforest park was established in 1952 and it’s one of Africa’s oldest National Parks. Virunga Park comprises over 3000 fauna and flora species 300 of which are endemic to the Albertine region. Besides gorillas, Virunga National park shelters 2 active volcanoes which make it a distinct destination. Mount Nyamuragira stands at 3,058 square kilometers and its the most active among the 8 mountains. The other active one is Mount Nyiragongo which stands at 3,470 meters above sea level. The volcano last erupted in 2021 but did not cause much damage. The volcano is apparently closed for hiking but we shall update you as soon as it’s open! Regarding gorillas, Virunga Park consists of 8 habituated gorilla families. These are Mapuwa, Lulengo, Rugendo, Nyakamwe, Kabirizi, Bageni, Humba, and Munyanga gorilla families. Each gorilla family calls for 8 permits hence a total of 64 gorilla permits per day. A single gorilla permit in Congo costs $450 and it’s the cheapest compared to Rwanda & Uganda.
Volcanoes National park
Volcanoes National Park is located in Northwestern Rwanda and is second to Virunga in terms of size. Despite its small size of 160 square kilometers, Volcanoes National shelters the highest population of mountain gorillas in the entire Virunga Conservation Area. According to the 2018 gorilla census in the Virunga Massif, over 350 gorillas are inhabited by Volcanoes National park which makes it the number one-stop center for gorilla trekking safaris in the Virunga Massif. Rwanda Development Board together with African Parks has habituated 10 gorilla groups to ease gorilla treks in VNP. These families are Hirwa, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Titus, Pablo, Susa A, Amahoro, Agashya, Umubano, Bwenge, and Kwitonda gorilla families. There are 80 permits issued each day. Due to the increased population of gorillas, Volcanoes Park is currently undergoing expansion to create more space. The park also entails dormant Mount Karisimbi and Bisoke both safe for hiking. With an elevation of 4,507 meters above sea level, Mount Karisimbi is the highest Volcano in the Virunga Massif. The 2 Days Karisimbi hiking tour enables you to conquer this volcano. The summit of the Volcano is covered by snow translated in Kinyarwanda as “Amasimbi” hence the name Karisimbi. On the other hand, Mount Bisoke stands at 3,696 meters above sea level and lies on Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Interestingly, the volcano can be hiked in one day which gives short-time travelers a chance to enjoy this adventurous experience. Other attractions in Volcanoes Park include the endangered golden monkeys, Musanze caves, Bulera & Ruhondo twin lakes, Dian Fossey graveyard, and many others. The park also boosts over 180 bird species which makes it a haven for birders. The park is roughly 3 hour drive from Kigali International Airport and it’s the most accessible gorilla park suitable for short-time travelers. A 1 Day Rwanda gorilla tour with early pick up from Kigali can be easily done with no struggles. You MUST possess a valid gorilla permit when visiting Volcanoes Park to see gorillas. Each Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500!
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga gorilla park is a small but interesting gorilla destination in the Virunga Massif. Located in the Kisoro district south western Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla Park shelters only one Nykagezi gorilla family. Mgahinga is dubbed “where silver meets gold” because it shelters both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. This makes it a primate destination in Uganda, East, and Central. Initially, the Nyakagezi gorilla family would cross borders to Congo which made it hard for travelers. However apparently, the gorilla family has fully settled in Mgahinga open for trekking. Like in other gorilla parks, the Nykagyezi family is visited by eight people which guarantees the availability of 8 gorilla permits per day. Each permit costs $700 for foreign nonresidents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX 250,000 for East African citizens. The park also shelters three extinct Volcanoes i.e Mount Gahinga (3,473m), Mount Muhabura (4,1`27m), and Mount Sabyinyo (3,669 m).whsoe summit is shared by Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. The Batwa cultural trail in Mgahinag Gorilla Park offers you a wide understanding of these forest people and how they lived with gorillas in the forests for 1000s of years. Golden monkey trekking, bird watching g and nature walks are other interesting activities you should not miss on your Uganda safari to Mgahinag Gorilla National Park.
NOTE: Trekking gorillas in all parks offer you the best ad accurate experience. Each destination is unique and so are the gorilla families in each of the three parks. A combined gorilla trekking package covering the three parks is therefore the best for better comparisons!
