Gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park
Gorilla trekking is the most done safari activity in Kahuzi Beiga National Park to the Eastern Lowland gorillas also known as Grauers gorillas that are only found in the safari destination in the Democratic Republic of Congo thus making it the top safari destination for Eastern Lowland Gorilla trekking. Kahuzi Beiga National Park is one of the largest protected areas in Democratic Republic of Congo or Congo. The park is located in Bakavu town that is situated on the western bank of Lake Kivu. The park is made up of the dormant volcanoes and these namely Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega from which the name of the park is derived from. Kahuzi Biega National Park is composed of the beautiful landscape with the unique vegetation with the forests that is a home of the eastern lowland gorillas hence making gorilla trekking the best activity done in the park. Besides the eastern lowland gorillas, Kahuzi Biega national park is a home to other animal species that includes Bongo antelope, Alexander’s bush squirrel, bush elephant, rare Dwarf Buffalo, and among others plus the various bird species like Congo pea fowl, Ruwenzori Turaco, and many others.
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking experience in Kahuzi Biega national park.
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulation and expectations to follow during the gorilla trekking by the experienced park guides and then the park rangers. After the briefing you will start the trekking in the jungle with a park guide who is well conversant with the different trails; while in the different groups of specifically 8 members per group.
During the trekking of the eastern lowland gorillas you will be able to view other attractions in the park like the primates including the red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons and various bird species. Eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park takes a period of about 30 minutes to 5 hours regarding to the location of the gorillas because these creatures tend to move in various locations looking for food. And once the eastern lowland gorillas are located you will be given a period of one hour to be in the location with the gorillas that gives you the chance to identify and learn the various activities done by the gorillas on a daily basis including watching them feed, play, breastfeed, female mothers grooming their young ones, taking their pictures and recording their movies though using the less flush or no flush cameras because the flush disrupts the gorillas.
Before going for the eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park you are advised to get the gorilla trekking permit and this is 450 USD per person per trek, a gorilla trekking permit in Kahuzi Biega national park is the cheapest compared to other gorilla trekking safari destinations like Uganda where the gorilla trekking permit costs 800 USD per person per trek and Rwanda the gorilla is 1500 USD per person per trek. The gorilla trekking permits should be booked early that is 3 to 4 months in advance before the trekking date because the gorilla trekking permits get sold out quickly especially during the peak season or the high season during the months of June to September and then December to February that makes the gorilla trekking safari in the park effective.
Best time to go for the eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park.
The eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park can be done at any time of the year, though the best time is during the dry season in the months of January and February, June, July, August, September and December. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the national park, that’s when the trekking trails can be easily passed in compared to the wet season when the trekking trails can be muddy and slippery that makes eastern lowland gorilla challenging.
Where to stay during the Eastern Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park.
Kahuzi Biega national park offers tourists with the comfortable and stable accommodation facilities during the eastern lowland gorilla trekking; and these includes budget, mid-range and then luxury accommodations like Orchids safari club, Lakeside Hotel Bukavu, Coco Lodge, Mount Kahuzi Hotel Bukavu, Exodus Bukavu and among many others.
How to get to Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Kahuzi Biega national park is accessed in different ways and these include;
Different tours to Kahuzi Biega national park begin from Rwanda with the pick-ups in Kigali city or Cyangugu town, it takes about 6 to 7 hours to drive from Kigali City to Kamembe in Cyangugu town through the Rusizi road. After crossing the border at Goma and Bukavu, the travelers will have to drive only about one and a half hours to get to Kahuzi Biega national park. Though other tourists may prefer to fly to Goma International Airport where you will be picked by the African Vacation Safaris tour guide.
The visitors can select to board a flight from Kigali Airport and land in Goma Airport in Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a very convenient mode of transport to Congo, and once you have reached in Congo, travelers can only drive 230 km to the national park.
Kahuzi Biega National Park is located in the eastern Congo that is 30 km from Bukavu Town and it takes almost one and a half drive to enter into the national park and it can be reached by the road and by air however the travelers have to understand that from Kavumu airport and at Miti, take left and keep going straight until you reach the visitor centre.
For more information about the eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park and the entre gorilla trekking in the entire world, contact us at African Vacation Safaris we shall advise, prepare and plan for you a stunning safari at any safari destination of your choice that will offer you unforgettable safari memories.
