Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park

One of Africa’s most biodiverse conservation areas, the 7,900km2 Virunga National Park encompasses glacial peaks, active volcanoes, vast lakes, montane moorland, open savannah, and a full span of high-, medium- and low-altitude rainforest. With more than 700 bird species recorded, it is Africa’s richest protected area in terms of avian diversity, and it is also home to more than 200 species of mammal, including mountain gorilla, eastern lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, lion, elephant, buffalo and the bizarre okapi (a striped horse-sized relative of the giraffe).

The park’s most popular and physically challenging activity is the hike up Nyiragongo, a live volcano whose perfect cone rises above Lake Kivu to an altitude of 3,470m. The hike terminates at a camp on the windswept crater rim, above sheer windswept cliffs that hem in a live lava lake which bubbles away like a terrifying black-and-red casserole, regularly spewing golden flumes of molten rock into the air.

The Congolese portion of the Virungas is home to seven habituated mountain gorilla groups, and a total of 36 tracking permits is issued daily. The gorilla-tracking experience here is comparable in most respects to its counterpart in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, but permits are far cheaper, and there is the option of overnighting high on the mountains, at a tented camp offering sensational views to Mounts Karisimbi & Mikeno – the two tallest Virunga volcanoes – while Nyiragongo smouldering red and ominous on the nocturnal horizon.

Other activities include chimpanzee-tracking and hiking in the Congolese portion of the Ruwenzori Mountains, but the latter is considered unsafe at the time of writing.