D.R Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo is yet another popular gorilla trekking destination on the African continent and it is only this country where visitors can track both mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas in their natural habitats making it a unique hot spot for gorilla trekking on Africa safaris.

There are only two gorilla trekking destinations in Democratic Republic of Congo and these include Virunga national park for the endangered mountain gorillas and Kahuzi-Biega national park for Eastern lowland gorillas. These two popular gorilla trekking destinations have made the country popular as far as gorilla trekking is concerned.

Gorilla Trekking in Virunga National Park.

Formerly known as Albert National Park, Virunga is a top gorilla destination in Congo and is situated in the eastern part of the country bordering Rwanda and the great mountain Rwenzoris of Uganda. Going for Congo safaris without spending some time with endangered mountain gorillas feels absolutely incomplete as the chances of sighting them in Virunga is over 95% as there are about 200 gorilla individuals in this national park making it a variety for visitors to choose from.

Kabirizi gorilla family group is one of the gorilla groups in this park and the largest host of over 30 gorilla members. Other gorilla families in Virunga National Park include Mapuwa gorilla family, Humba family, Rugendo family, Nyakamwe family, Lulengo gorilla family, Munyaga gorilla family, etc.

The largest gorilla family in Virunga National Park is Bageni group that split from Kabirizi with about 26 gorilla members. Humba group also split from Nyakamwe gorilla family due to continued misunderstandings that developed between two brothers, Nyakamwe and Humba. Nyakamwe gorilla family is made up of 11 gorilla individuals and derives its name from the group leader and dominant silverback known as “Nyakamwe”.

Munyaga gorilla family is yet another group with 7 gorilla members and is sheltered in Bukima sector.

Humba gorilla family is made up of 10 gorilla members while Rugendo gorilla family has eight gorilla members and Mapuwa with 22 gorilla individuals.

Just as it’s the case in Uganda and Rwanda, gorilla trekking tours in Congo start after the briefing in the morning where visitors are instructed on rules and regulations to follow while gorilla trekking. After of which visitors can embark on the trekking journey that involves getting through deeper forests, hiking and searching these human-like primate species.

Virunga national park also offers a rare opportunity for visitors to engage in other gorilla trekking activities like visiting the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage which is situated just close to the park where visitors can spend their time caring and encountering these orphaned mountain gorillas rescued from poaching and other illegal wildlife activities.

Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Apart from Maiko national park which does not offer gorilla trekking opportunities, Kahuzi-Biega National Park is the only spot for tracking Eastern lowland gorillas, one of the two sub-species of eastern gorillas. The mighty park is situated near Rwanda’s Lake Kivu bordering Rwanda and Burundi. Almost all visitors who go for Congo safaris never miss out on visiting Kahuzi-Biega national park so they can spend their quality time with the rare Eastern lowland gorillas.

There are about 140 eastern lowland gorillas where visitors can track them in about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on their location as they also tend to move in thicker forests to search for food. Unlike mountain gorillas, Eastern lowland gorillas are notably bigger than the former.