TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – WANT Expeditions – the world leader in highly personalized, conservation-oriented small group travel – is pleased to announce their Gorillas of Virunga trip. Virunga National Park is home to the last of the mountain gorillas, and WANT Expeditions continues to lead the tourism industry with their itinerary to three incredible countries – Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi – from October 28th to November 16th, 2015.
After their arrival in Rwanda, guests will make their way to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Virunga National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the last of the mountain gorillas, sits on the border of Uganda and Rwanda and is Africa’s oldest national park and also the continent’s most biologically diverse protected area. The group will spend several days inside this famous park searching for wildlife and learning from park rangers who work to protect this wild region from armed militia and poachers seeking control of Congo’s rich, natural resources.
Continuing throughout Virunga National Park, the group heads to Tongo, the unique forest island and home to a small population of chimpanzees. After a day spent on this island, Nyiragongo Volcano is next to be explored, as it contains the most active and largest lava lake in the world. Visitors will witness the lava flow at night while spending the evening camped on the rim of the recently reopened volcano.
The Kahuzi Biega National Park is the last stop before leaving the DRC, with its tropical forest dominated by two incredible extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega. This is sure to be a unique visit, considering the park is home to one of the last groups of eastern lowland gorillas, consisting of only 250 individuals!
Crossing back into Rwanda, the tour will visit Nyungwe National Park, home to several species of primates and birds. Spending the next three days exploring Africa’s largest protected mountain rainforest, the group can expect highlights including Colubus Monkey trekking and spotting some of the 310 species of birds, 26 of which are endemic.
Akagera National Park, located in the north east of Rwanda, is bordered by the Akagera River which feeds into a labyrinth of lakes of which the largest is Lake Ihema. The breathtaking views at the park are attributed to the grasslands, swamp-fringed lakes and watercourse, while the park’s vast biodiversity is largely due to the position of the confluence at different vegetation zones. Sadly, the black rhino was seemingly wiped out of Akagera in 2007 due to poaching, but plans to bring the rhino back into the park are underway.
As the trip end draws near, it would be a shame to leave Africa without embarking upon a city tour of Kigali, capital city of Rwanda. Moving experiences abound as a visit to the genocide memorial takes place. Following is a flight to Burundi and a visit to Lake Tanganyika – the second largest fresh water lake in the world and divided amongst four countries – before returning to Rwanda for international departures.
For a complete itinerary, visit www.wantexpeditions.com and search for the Gorillas of Virunga trip under the Destinations tab.
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About WANT Expeditions
WANT Expeditions is the world leader in highly personalized, conservation-oriented small group travel, connecting travelers, adventurers, photographers and conservationists from all over the world through expeditions to see the most amazing natural phenomena that exist on our planet. The company only uses local (and often family owned) business partners, practices strong conservation measures, supports protection of cultures and traditions, discourages hand-outs and encourages letting go of western ideals to experience true cultural immersion.
