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wiki_combo Virunga National Park is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. |
wiki_combo It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, but was labelled a site in danger in 1994 due to political conflict and poaching. |
wiki_combo Virunga National Park is a 7800 square kilometer World Heritage Site that lies on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it borders Uganda as well as Rwanda. |
wiki_combo It is the oldest national park in Africa and the second oldest in the world (after Yellowstone). |
wiki_combo It is named after the Virunga Mountain (volcanoes) range that lie in the south of the park. |
wiki_combo the park however is much larger and stretches all the way north to envelop Lake Edward as well as the Rwenzori Mountains. |
wiki_combo The history of the park is deeply affected by the country of which it is part. |
wiki_combo For much of its long history, Virunga National Park has struggled to survive through many of Congo's troubled times. |
wiki_combo Thanks to the dedication of certain politicians, conservationists, park rangers and wardens, the park not only has survived, but is currently experiencing a dramatic renewal. |
wiki_combo The park was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium and originally known as Albert National Park, the first national park on the continent of Africa. |
wiki_combo It was founded primarily to protect the gorillas living in the forests of the Virunga Mountains controlled by the Belgian Congo, but later expanded north to include the Rwindi Plains, Lake Edward and the Rwenzori Mountains in the far north. |
wiki_combo In the first 35 years, the boundary of the park took shape, poaching was kept to a minimum and sustainable tourism thrived due to the work of a large body of hand-picked Congolese rangers and dedicated wardens. |
wiki_combo Land remuneration and the use of park resources such as fishing and hunting by the local population became an on-going problem and attempts were made to solve these issues. |
wiki_combo When the Belgians granted Congo independence in 1960 the new state deteriorated rapidly, and so did the park. |
wiki_combo It was only in 1969 when President Mobutu began to take a personal interest in conservation, that the park was revived. |
wiki_combo In the process it was renamed Virunga National Park, and the first Congolese Wildlife Authority was established (now called ICCN). |
wiki_combo Virunga fared well for the better part of the 1970s. |
wiki_combo Foreign investment helped to improve the park's infrastructure and training facilities, and the park became a popular destination for tourists, receiving on average 6500 visitors a year. |
wiki_combo In 1979 UNESCO designated the park as a World Heritage Site. |
wiki_combo In the mid 1980s the Mobutu regime began to lose its hold on power and the country began a long slide into chaos. |
wiki_combo The park suffered terribly. |
wiki_combo Poaching depleted Virunga's large mammal populations, infrastructure was destroyed, and many rangers were killed. |
wiki_combo The Congolese Wildlife Authority slowly lost control of Virunga and UNESCO changed the World Heritage Site status to "endangered. |
wiki_combo "Over the twenty-five years that followed, the park staff endured an almost uninterrupted series of trials that included a refugee crisis from the Rwandan Genocide that contributed to the severe destruction of park forests, and armed militia penetration throughout the park. |
wiki_combo The Kivu War, the most recent of Congo's conflicts, centered exactly on the park, with rebel forces occupying the park headquarters and evicting the park's staff. |
wiki_combo By the end of 2008 it seemed as if Virunga was finished. |
wiki_combo The political situation in the DRC has changed exponentially since then. |
wiki_combo The park is back in the hands of the ICCN and enjoying the greatest resurgence of tourism and development in its history. |
wiki_combo International donors are investing in the development of the park's infrastructure at unprecedented levels. |
wiki_combo Virunga's management is efficient and transparent, and morale among the rangers is at an all time high. |
wiki_combo Tourism has increased from zero in 2008, to approximately 2000 in 2010 with numbers growing steadily. |
wiki_combo New tourist activities are being developed in the park, including the habituation of chimpanzees in the Tongo forest and a high-end lodge conveniently located near the center of the three main tourist attractions in the southern sector, north of Goma. |
wiki_combo Africa's first national park survived decades of chaos against all the odds, not because of circumstance but because of the dedication of the rangers and staff who believe in the value of saving Virunga National Park and its wildlife. |
wiki_combo The nightly glow from the lava lake within the Nyiragongo volcano can be seen from miles away |
wiki_combo Virunga National Park is unrivalled in its diversity of landscapes and ecosystems. |
wiki_combo The parks bounderies envelop low land tropical forest in the north; high alpine forest in the Rwenzori Mountains; riverine forest around the Semliki and Rutshuru rivers; swamplands around lake Edward, savannah north and south of the lake; montane forest on the hills of the Virunga volcanoes and old (and new)... |
wiki_combo The park boasts an astounding biodiversity due to the large variety of habitats it offers. |
wiki_combo In the southern sector the Mountain Gorillas attract most attention but the montane forests are also home to other primates such as Chimpanzees, Golden monkeys, Blue monkeys and black and white colobus. |
wiki_combo Forest Elephants and Buffalo are also found in this area as is the very shy Golden Cat. |
wiki_combo The central area of the park consists mostly of savannah with species such as Lion, Leopard, Kob, Hyena, Topi, warthog etc. |
wiki_combo The lake, once containing the largest population of Hippo's (over 20. |
wiki_combo 000), is now slowly regenerating after many troubled years and Hippo's and Crocodiles are once again a common sight. |
wiki_combo In the North of the park in the deep Congolese forest the most elusive of African creatures is found: the Okapi. |
wiki_combo The southern sector (Gorillas and Volcano) of Virunga National Park is easily accessible in a number of different ways the most common are:Virunga National Park Park Permits:Other campsites at Jomba (another gorilla site) and Tongo are expected at the time of writing but not yet active/safeCongo Travel and T... |
wiki_combo They can also arrange the luxury lodges like Mikeno and Bukima on tour with Virunga Park. |
wiki_combo Virunga National Park is located in a region that is often troubled by unrest. |
wiki_combo In the last three years, the southern sector of Virunga National Park (gorillas and volcano) has been considered safe for visitors with over a 100 tourists visiting these sites every month. |
wiki_combo The Rwenzori mountains are also open for tourists and can be reached from Beni in the North of the park. |
wiki_combo The management of Virunga National Park is emphasize the importance that all visitors be aware of current security issues at the time of their visit. |
wiki_combo Before organizing a trip to Virunga National Park it is wise to inform yourself on the security situation, check [5] for the latest independent news feeds on this region, as well as detailed information on the parks activities outside tourism. |
wiki_combo Virunga National Park strongly advises against the use of own transport, escorted transport can be arranged through the National Park or via CTT or other tour operators, more information about this can be found on Virunga National Parks tourism website [6] please use park transport or the transport supplied ... |
wiki_combo All visitors using our transportation are automatically escorted by our rangers. |
wiki_combo Escorts for people using their own vehicules can be arranged. |
wiki_combo Virunga National ParkWestern Rwanda is a region of Rwanda, centered around Lake Kivu. |
Akagera is a national park on the North Eastern side of Rwanda, bordering Tanzania. |
It is know for it's varied terrain: hills, savannahs, marshes, and woodlands. |
The park is home to many species of animals such as giraffes, zibras, lions, and the rare shoebill stork. |
Many tour companies run from Kigali and offer various levels of service and quality. |
There are one day trips, overnight trips, or multifamily options. |
Private drivers can be arranged by most hotels costing $150-200 for a day trip. |
Car rentals (without a driver) cost around $100 per day, but note that gas prices are around $4/gallon. |
DriversThere are public busses that pass near the park on NR3 and NR5. |
They cost around 5000RWF from Kigali. |
Entrance:$100 per person per night (November 2022). |
The period is not 24 hours (like in Tanzania), but rather your ticket is good until 6pm the following day. |
Guide: $40 per groupCar: There is a $10 per vehicle feeYou are advised to be accompanied by a guide, which costs $40 per day, per group. |
Guides can be picked up day of at the South Entrance which opens at 6am. |
If you wish to rent a car/driver/guide at the South Entrance the cost for all three is $280 per day. |
That does not include the $50 per person entrance fee. |
Akagera is home to the rare Shoebill Stork. |
But in many years of work, guides say they have seen very few. |
100 elephants,22 lions, 50 leopard, over 2000 zebra, around 70 giraffeBoat Tours $35It's a good idea to bring a pack lunch. |
You are not allowed to get out of the vehicle while on Safari. |
If you are not returning to Kigali you can catch a bus going towards Tanzania from anywhere along the NR5. |
Cyangugu is a city in Western Rwanda. |
Pronounced something like "Tchangugu", this is a city right on the southern tip of lake Kivu, as well as Changugu proper the term also refers to Kamembe, a town a few km away just up a hill overlooking the lake. |
Primarily this town is used as a stopover to or from Bukavu in southern DRC, however it is a pleasant place to spend a few days. |
There are regular buses and minibuses to Butare and Kigali in Rwanda. |
The town is right on the boarder with Bukavu and DRC. |
There is also a road south to Bugarama and from there to either DRC or Burundi. |
This is less frequented than the route east to Butare but it should be possible to arrange transport. |
Taxi-moto (motorbike Taxis) are the main form of transport within Cyangugu (and between Cyangugu and Kamembe). |
Nyungwe National Park is 54 km along the Butare road (not 20km as the sign in town says). |
Cyangugu is a useful place to stock up if you're heading to Nyungwe National Park. |
All the usual Rwandan fare is easily available from lunchtime buffets to brochettes. |
There is a range of guest houses and hotels from around 3'000Francs upwards. |
Amsterdam East is a residential district in Amsterdam. |
It lies between the Amstel River in the west and the IJ in the east. |
It should not be regarded as a homogeneous area, as there are many different neighbourhoods with their own culture and identity. |
The Eastern Docklands and IJburg stand out as lively areas with modern architecture that show a completely different side of Amsterdam. |
The Eastern Docklands (Oostelijk Havengebied) date from the nineteenth century, and as the name suggests, used to be a port that served the growing trade with the Dutch East Indies. |
In the first half of the twentieth century, this area was in full development as warehouses were constructed to facilitate the trade with the colonies. |
After the Great Depression, World War II and the subsequent decolonization, the area fell in decay. |
It was only in the 1990s that this area was reconstructed, turned into a hip and going residential area modeled after the Docklands in London. |
There are some truly stunning examples of modern architecture to be found here. |
Following this project, IJburg [2] is a new middle-class neigbourhood on artificial islands reclaimed from the IJ in the early 2000s. |
More islands are currently being reclaimed to build the Amsterdam of the future. |
Directly south of the Plantage is the Oosterpark, the first large park financed by the municipality of Amsterdam as it dates from 1891. |
The Vondelpark is older and larger, but that initially was a private project. |
Activities can be undertaken in the park, and a visit to the Tropenmuseum shouldn't be missed. |
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