Things to do in Virunga National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Virunga National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The main dry season, July driest, and the best future window for forest trails, the volcano climb and lake trips. No month makes the park open or safe at present.
The short dry season, less reliable and still fairly wet, workable for a future trip with rain gear assumed.
The long rains, with April and May among the wettest months, muddiest trails and deteriorating roads north.
The short rains and the wettest stretch of the year, October and November, the least good time for trekking or lake travel.
Best things to do in Virunga National Park
Senkwekwe Centre
The orphaned mountain gorilla centre at Rumangabo, visited as part of a Mikeno Lodge stay, closed with the park.
Rumangabo
The park headquarters village, with forest trails, birding, the Congohounds and Mahura Forest chimp walks.
Where to stay in Virunga National Park
Rumangabo, park headquarters
gorilla trek bases when the park is open
The forest headquarters village where Mikeno Lodge and the Senkwekwe Centre sit, about an hour north of Goma.
Bukima and Kibumba, gorilla sector
sleeping at the trailheads
The camps by the ranger posts for gorilla treks and the Nyiragongo climb, on the road north from Goma.
Lake Kivu
rest nights before or after treks
The park's island camp on Tchegera, a short boat ride from Goma, used as the calm bookend to a trek trip.
Eastern sector, Ishasha River and Lake Edward
savanna add-ons to a gorilla trip
The remote Lulimbi camp in the Ishasha valley, combined onward with Ishango at the head of the Semliki River.
Think twice about
- All of Virunga National Park and North Kivu, at present
The park is closed to tourism since March 2020, North Kivu is an active conflict zone and Goma is under M23 control. There is no open sector to substitute.
- Roads from Goma to Rumangabo, Rutshuru and Kibumba
These corridors have seen repeated fighting and armed group activity and were front lines in the 2025 offensive. They are park access roads only inside a reopened, park run package system.
- Mount Nyiragongo slopes outside the park trek
An active volcano that killed people in Goma in 1977, 2002 and 2021, closed to climbing, and never to be approached without the park and the observatory both clearing it.
- Displaced persons camps and their surroundings around Goma
Camps around Goma hold very large displaced populations in a humanitarian emergency. They are not places to visit, photograph or pass through as a sightseer.
Best restaurants in Virunga National Park
Mikeno Lodge
Full board lodge dining at park headquarters, the park's best table, eaten with rangers and trek guests.
Bukima Tented Camp
Set camp dinners and early trek breakfasts in the dining tent at the gorilla trailhead.
Kibumba Tented Camp
Hearty full board camp meals in the dining tent, serving the gorilla and volcano package groups.
Tchegera Island Tented Camp
Simple full board island meals at a long table by the water, with grilled lake fish when available.
Outdoor things to do in Virunga National Park
Virunga National Park
Mountain gorilla trekking from Bukima in Africa's oldest park, closed to tourists since March 2020.
Mount Nyiragongo
The overnight crater rim climb from Kibati, closed since the park shut and reshaped by the 2021 eruption.
Tchegera Island
The park run island in Lake Kivu, 15 to 30 minutes by boat from Goma, for kayaking and a quiet swim bay.
Lulimbi
The savanna sector on the Ishasha River by Lake Edward, for game drives and walks among elephants and hippos.
Ishango
The Lake Edward shore where the Semliki River begins, known for hippos and the Ishango bone site.
Best hotels in Virunga National Park
Mikeno Lodge
The park's own forest lodge at Rumangabo headquarters, the intended base for treks, closed since 2020.
Bukima Tented Camp
The tented camp at the gorilla trailhead by Bukima Ranger Post, priced at the top of the park range.
Kibumba Tented Camp
The simpler park tented camp near Kibumba, the practical base for gorilla treks and the volcano climb.
Tchegera Island Tented Camp
The park's island tented camp on Tchegera, the restful lake bookend to a trekking trip.
Lulimbi Tented Camp
The small remote camp in the Ishasha valley, base for savanna drives and walks in the eastern sector.
Is Virunga National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $300 a person |
| Splurge | $550 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Senkwekwe Centre: months ahead
- Virunga National Park: months ahead
- Mount Nyiragongo: months ahead
- Tchegera Island: weeks ahead
- Lulimbi: weeks ahead
- Ishango: weeks ahead
- Mikeno Lodge: months ahead
- Bukima Tented Camp: months ahead
- Gorilla permits, Nyiragongo permits and park packages were always booked months ahead through the park, and the park is closed until further notice.
- The park arranged visa, priced at US$105 as last published and valid for 14 days, was unlocked by booking a package, with a yellow fever certificate required.
- Permit prices as last published were US$400 high season and US$200 low season for gorillas and US$300 for Nyiragongo. None is on sale now.
Is Virunga National Park safe?
- Do not travel now: the park has been closed since March 2020, Goma is under M23 control, conflict is active in North Kivu and an Ebola outbreak is under way.
- The US government is unable to provide emergency consular services in North Kivu, and British consular support in eastern DRC is severely limited.
- An Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak with cases in North Kivu is a second, independent reason to stay away while health notices cover the province.
- Nyiragongo remains an active volcano over Goma and the park. Follow the Goma Volcanology Observatory and the park in any future window, and obey ranger instructions without argument.
Virunga National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Any operator selling Virunga gorilla permits, Nyiragongo climbs or park packages as currently available is out of date or dishonest.
- Any seller quoting a last published permit price as a current offer, or any cash visa fixer outside the park's own process.
- Any itinerary that treats the Rwanda border, Goma airport or the road to Rumangabo as guaranteed.
Getting around Virunga National Park: public transport and more
- As it operated, all transport from the Grande Barriere border crossing and within the park was included in package prices and run by the park in shared vehicles.
- The classic access was Kigali to the Gisenyi and Goma border by road, then park transport onward to Rumangabo, Bukima, Kibati and Kibumba.
- Goma airport has been closed since January 2025 and the border crossing is subject to short notice closure. Do not plan these routes now.
Who Virunga National Park suits
| Solo travellers | Not ideal |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Not ideal |
| Couples | Not ideal |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Not ideal |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Virunga National Park your trip
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