The Virunga National Park Congo is a UNESCO world heritage site and founded on April 1925. It is arguably the best national park to visit for those who wish to experience Africa’s true natural beauty. It is a testament to the great beauty and biodiversity in this park that even with the sometimes volatile security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, many tourists still desire to pay a visit. Virunga National Park is the oldest in Africa and lies on 7800 Square Kilometers of land. The game park sits along the Great Albertine Rift to the East of DR Congo and bordering Uganda to the West.
The Virunga National Park Congo has three sectors -The northern, southern and central sectors. The northern sector covers parts of Semiliki River basin and is dominated by Savannah vegetation and sections of montane forests. Because of the high altitude and presence of Mount Stanley, Alpine vegetation can be found in this sector and it is the largest glacial region in Africa. The southern Sector of the Park contains seven volcanoes hence the name “Virunga Massif”. These volcanoes where brought about by tectonic movements in the earth’s crust leading to great volcanic activities. The two most prominent of the seven volcanoes are Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamulagira.
The climate in the Virunga National Park Congo and the general Albertine Rift is greatly influenced by Inter tropical Convergence Zone movements and southern El Nino oscillation. The park experiences both rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season occurs between March and mid-May and between September and November. Because of the abundant vegetation and climate, the Virunga National Park is blessed with great variety of fauna.
The primate species found in the park is second to none in Africa and include Mountain Gorillas,Chimpanzees, Blue Monkeys, Central African Red Colobus, De Brazza’s Monkey, Dent’s Mona Monkeys, Golden Monkeys, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Hamlyn’s Monkeys, Mantled Guereza and Olive Baboon among others. Apart from the mammals, reptiles and birds, Virunga National Park local tribes like the Batwa, Mbuti, Hutu and the Tutsi live in sections of the park. These tribes benefit from the tourism activities in the park by earning a living as porters and local tours guides. Some of them showcase their rich cultures and heritage to tourists through songs, traditional dances, languages, traditional homes and food among others.