For those who want exceptional gorilla safari experience, Democratic Republic of Congo is the best option for you to visit 2019. Encounter Congo gorilla safaris are exceptional in a way that travelers have a chance to meet and interact with two gorilla species unlike in other destination.
Gorilla trekking can be done in Virunga National Park for mountain gorillas or Eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Also, the two gorilla trips can be combined to ensure a more magical gorilla encounter. Unfortunately, Congo mountain gorilla safaris are currently on halt till 2019 due to cases related to kidnaps and killing of travelers and ark rangers.
However, gorilla treks to the sister Kahuzi Biega national park are open hence an open chance for travelers. The Virunga National Park can be accessed from Kisoro town in south western Uganda. Kisoro town (Nearby town to the Boarder) is 2-3 hour drive from Kigali in Rwanda, and 6-8 hours from Kampala (Uganda’s Capital).
Transfer to the Bunagana at the Democratic Republic of Congo border, cross and drive to the park Headquarters to be briefed about gorilla tracking dos and don’ts before setting off into the forest to track gorillas in Parc National des Virunga of Congo for the incredible experience.
In the course of searching for the mountain gorillas, you will be exposed to excellent birding and primates such as the Golden Monkeys, Blue Monkeys, Black and White colobus monkey, and giant forest hogs among others.
You will stay with these beautiful primates for one hour for observation and photography. Gorilla tracking through the forest, hills and swamps can be tough, arduous and tiring, sometimes taking up to 8 hours in the forest. But coming face to face with the great primates is well worth the effort.
Whereas Virunga national park is a first priority for most travelers on Congo gorilla safaris, Kahuzi Biega national park is undeniably a concealed gem.
If you love gorillas, add Kahuzi-Biega National Park to your list of places to visit rewarding you with an off beaten kind of experience. The park is less visited but a few travelers who have been there before review Kahuzi Biega National Park as an exceptional and gorgeous place to visit.
The national park is situated in eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo in the western bank of Lake Kivu and DR Congo’s border with the republic of Rwanda.
The national park covers 6,000 square kilometres spreading over two volcanoes of Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega all situated in the heart of the national park.
Exceptionally, Kahuzi Biega National Park is the only home for the surviving eastern lowland gorillas, which is the biggest gorilla specie in the wild.
Due to its unique diversity comprised of critically endangered gorilla, birds, and tropical rain forest, Kahuzi Biega National Park was in 1980 qualified as one of the UNESCO world heritage sites every traveler should not miss visiting.