The Democratic Republic of Congo or simply Congo – Kinshasa has gained fame due to its booming tourism potential. The country has diverse natural resources that have attracted handsome number of tourists and among those include gorillas. D.R. Congo, unlike other gorilla destinations is home to two main subspecies of gorillas – Mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National park respectively. For travelers to access any of these national parks, they out rightly need Congo gorilla permits.
The cost of Congo gorilla permits.
Virunga national park is located in the Eastern region of the country, north of Lake Kivu. The park has 9 gorilla families and each can be visited only once in a day by a group of 8 tourists for one hour. Congo gorilla permits in Virunga National Park each costs $400 for foreigners and $200 for Congolese and this price is fixed all year round. This is an amazing national park bordered by 2 active volcanoes (Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira) that offer adventurous experience of hiking and magical sight-seeing.
Another destination is Kahuzi-Biega national park located near Bukavu city in south of Lake Kivu, eastern Congo. It is an amazing national park hosting the largest gorillas in the world, found in the lower slopes of two dormant Volcanoes – Mount. Kahuzi and Mount. Biega. Congo gorilla permits in Kahuzi-Biega national park each costs $450 but during low season months, prices of these permits tend to drop halfway to $200. These are the only two places in D.R. Congo where you can trek to find the endangered gorillas in their natural habitat.
During a Congo gorilla trekking tour, visit might spot other numerous species of flora and fauna ranging from primates, bird species and stunning vegetation cover and this will mark unequaled experience of your lifetime. The experience normally takes about 3 to 5 hours and an hour will be spent in the presence of these great apes.
What is the best time to trek gorillas in D.R. Congo?
The best time to trek gorillas IN Congo is during dry season when there is no or little rainfall. National parks are dominated by tropical rain forests and this implies that they receive enough rainfall all year round. However, the dry season is always busiest time when most travelers come to Africa for gorilla trekking and other incredible wildlife safaris. Therefore, during this high season, Congo gorilla permits tend to be on a very high demand. Dry season starts from mid-December to February and June to mid-October.
During rainy seasons, however, there are fewer tourists and it is a low season in D.R. Congo. This happens in March to May and October to November and during this time, there are few tourists compared to the peak dry season. During this time, trails are muddy in the forest and also roads are impassable making trekking quite challenging and difficult. An advantage here is that Congo gorilla permits in Kahuzi-Biega national park are subsequently reduced to half price during this time.
Do you want to book a Congo gorilla permit now or later? You can either book through a trusted gorilla safari company or directly from the offices of Virunga national park in Goma. You can also a Congo gorilla permit through their websites of Virunga tourism and Kahuzi – Biega conservation area respectively. You are advised to book your permit early enough before the actual trekking day, at least 3 months before.
Where to stay while on a gorilla trekking safari?
Most tourists wonder where to stay on a gorilla safari in Congo but the truth is that there are countless accommodation facilities around all the gorilla parks as well as other neighboring cities of Goma and Bukavu. These accommodation properties here range from budget to luxury depending on your choice and budget, offering best services and restaurants offer both international and local meals, incredible views of lush forests and other natural features.
