We advise you and show you how you can go for budget and low cost gorilla trekking tour in Democratic Republic of Congo with you spending years saving for gorilla trekking safari in Africa. The gorilla trekking experience you get while on budget tour and on the luxury tours is the same, the only difference you get is in the tour cost so you can still have an amazing Congo gorilla trekking experience without having thousands of dollars to pay for the gorilla trekking tour and other African wildlife safaris contact us for advice and tips on how you can book Congo gorilla trekking tours and other budget African safaris, we will show you how you can save money on your gorilla trekking safari in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Congo Gorilla Treks are conducted in different Gorilla groups that have been habituated in the Virunga National Park which include Kabirizi gorilla family, Lulengo gorilla family, Rugendo gorilla family, Humba gorilla family, Mapuwa gorilla group, Nyakamwe gorilla group, Munyaga gorilla family and Bageni gorilla family. Fortunately, a gorilla permit in Congo costs 400usd which make it a best gorilla trekking destination especially for budget travelers. Just like in Uganda and Rwanda, each gorilla family is visited by a group of eight travelers for an hour’s interaction.
You can also take the low season to go on budget. Congo low season permits are at USD200.00 per permit per trek. These permits allow whoever books them to spend one hour with habituated mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. Discounted Congo gorilla tours permits are issued in two phases. The first bunch of Congo discounted gorilla permits or Congo Low season gorilla permits are issued from 15th March to 15th May 2018. The second bunch is from 15th October to 15th December 2018. For more information about availability of Congo discounted gorilla permits or Congo low season gorilla permits to trek mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. Book with us to enjoy the second phase of this offer.
Still possible to go on a budget safari in Congo using budget lodges. Kibumba Tented Camp an excellent choice for those seeking a more affordable way to experience the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. The camp is conveniently located near the trail head for Nyiragongo volcano, which makes it the perfect place to stay for those wanting to experience both gorillas and the world’s largest Lava Lake. Tchegera Island Camp is the perfect way to escape the hustle and bustle of Goma or to relax after climbing Nyiragongo volcano and many more.
Best Time to Visit Gorillas in Virunga National Park, Congo
It’s important to note that Democratic Republic of Congo experiences high frequencies of Rain and it has one of the highest in the world. This should not stop you from visiting the area as it may be part of the experience that will make your trip give you everlasting memories. Like Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo is also crossed by the equator, the biggest part of the country in the southern Hemisphere. Democratic Republic of Congo is a very huge country almost the size of Western Europe and therefore the weather will differ due to this factor.
Here we shall focus on the Virunga National Park since it the biggest destination in the Area. Virunga is an all year round destination despite having rain now and then. Like it neighbours Rwanda and Uganda, July to September are by far the driest months in the year. If you are looking at gorillas, this is the best time to track them. There is however chances that even the gorillas will move to a higher altitude during this time and therefore expect longer hikes.
Despite that these are dry months, you should expect rains anytime of the day or you safari. November is the wettest month of the year but this does not make travel impossible. It’s just that you have to have rain gear with you to overcome some of the wet areas.
It may not be the ideal time to travel during November, October and March to May but depending on your interest and budget, these months can still work for you. Like for example most hotels give a discount during this season. Gorilla permits are also reduced too. If you forced us to choose, we might say that the months of December, January and February are the best times to visit the DRC, Virunga in particular. There’s a slight break in the rains, not as many people traveling and the sunsets are mind – bogglingly beautiful.
In all seasons you can choose which family of gorillas to visit. The habituated families are Kabirizi family, which was the first to train with 34 members in the Bukima sector of the national park. The other families include Humba family led by Humba silver back, Rugendo family led by Rugendo silver back, Mapuwa family led by Mapuwa silver back, Lulengo family headed by Lulengo as a dominant silver back and finally Munyaga family which was open to trekkers in 2008. What makes Virunga more interesting is the fact that it is virgin and is still visited by a few people which makes it less crowded.