Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park
Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park is the most memorable activity in that you can take part in the park famous for housing the world’s largest lava lake that can be seen when you take part in mount Nyiragongo hike, Senkwenkwe gorilla orphanage which can give you the chance to take care of the orphaned gorillas for a day, there is a lot in the park that you will find interesting gorilla trekking in virunga national park will give you the chance to understand more about the endangered mountain gorillas by spending one hour with them. With covid-19 in the democratic republic of Congo a number of tourism activities have been changed and this has affected the number of travellers that take part in gorilla trekking in the country, there has been a number of safety measures that have been introduced by the park management to avoid the spread of the virus to the tourists and the primates during the activity.
GORILLA TREKKING IN VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK
Gorilla trekking is among the most rewarding activities in virunga national park that you can take part in for a memorable Congo safari. The park is a home to number gorilla families that can be visited to understand more about the endangered primate species. After presenting your gorilla trekking permit, you will be led to Kibati area of the park where gorilla trekking starts from, after the briefing session, you will be led to the forest of mount Mikeno where you will get to the habituated gorilla families in the park. When you get to the families, you will get the opportunity to spend an hour with the families understanding their behaviour in the park, their feeding patterns, their co-existence with one another, their diet which comprises of bamboo shoots, fruits, edible leaves, termites and other invertebrates.
During gorilla trekking in virunga national park, you will also have the chance to see a number of bird species like, red faced woodland warbler, Ruwenzori double collared sunbird, Collared Apalis, Ruwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, strange weaver, Archer’s ground robin, red faced woodland warbler, rewarding views of the virunga mountains like mount Nyiragongo, mount Nyamuragira and mount Mikeno, a number of primate species like black and white colobus monkey species, vervet monkey, mona monkey and other rewarding attractions.
SAFETY MEASURES THAT ARE CARRIED OUT IN THE PARK
- The park has decreased the number of people that that part in gorilla trekking from 8 people to 6 people which helps to avoid.
- Travellers are advised to put on their face masks while they take part in this safari to avoid contracting the virus in case you come in contact with an infected traveller while taking part in the activity.
- Before accessing the park at the Grande barrier, you should present your negative Pcr covid-19 test to show that you are not a threat to the gorillas and your fellow tourists.
- While taking part in this safari, you should fulfil social distance to avoid spreading the virus in case you come in contact with travellers that might have come in contact with the virus.
- You should follow the lead of the guide while taking part in gorilla trekking in virunga national park because he will take you through the safe trails of the park to ensure you are not attacked by any vicious animals in the park.
- During gorilla trekking in virunga national park, you are accompanied by an armed ranger who will protect you from any vicious animal attacks however because the guide takes you through a number of safe trails, which will help to avoid any vicious animals while trekking through the forests.
- Tourists are advised to disinfect surfaces and vehicles they travel in to avoid the spread of the virus.
