Parco Nazionale dei Virunga (sito naturale): il più antico parco dell’Africa
È il più antico parco nazionale del continente africano e uno dei più ricchi di vita: nei Virunga, nell’est della Repubblica Democratica del Congo, convivono vulcani attivi, ghiacciai equatoriali, savane e foreste, e soprattutto i celebri gorilla di montagna. Una meraviglia naturale custodita a prezzo di enormi sacrifici.
At a glance
Virunga National Park, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the oldest national park in Africa and one of the most biologically diverse protected areas on Earth. Within its bounds rise active volcanoes — including Nyiragongo with its lava lake — glaciated peaks, savannas, swamps and forests, home to the famous mountain gorillas as well as elephants, hippos and countless birds. Long beset by conflict, it has been defended by its rangers at great cost. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 1979.
Key facts
- UNESCO: World Heritage since 1979 (Virunga National Park)
- Oldest in Africa: the continent’s first national park (1925)
- Mountain gorillas: a stronghold of the endangered great ape
- Active volcanoes: Nyiragongo’s lava lake and Nyamuragira
- Great diversity: from glaciers and savanna to swamp and forest
- On the danger list: threatened by conflict and poaching
History
Established in 1925 as Albert National Park, Virunga was the first national park created in Africa, set up to protect the mountain gorillas and the spectacular volcanic landscape of the region. Its range of altitudes and habitats — from the lava fields of the volcanoes to the Rwenzori glaciers and the Semliki forests — gives it extraordinary biodiversity.
In recent decades war, displacement, poaching and the pressures of a growing population have gravely threatened the park, which has spent long periods on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Hundreds of its rangers have died defending it. Despite this, conservation continues, and the park remains a global symbol of both the richness and the fragility of African nature.
What you see
Virunga’s wonders include the climb to the summit of Nyiragongo to look down on its glowing lava lake, gorilla-tracking in the forested foothills, and the savannas and waterways where elephants, hippos and antelope live. The high Rwenzori range, with its rare equatorial glaciers, lies within the wider park.
The union of volcano, glacier, forest and great wildlife, found nowhere else together, defines Virunga.
Practical information
- Park: gorilla treks and the Nyiragongo climb, when security allows
- Note: access depends on the security situation; check current advice
- Time needed: two or more days
- Setting: in North Kivu, eastern DR Congo, by the Rwanda/Uganda borders
Getting there
Virunga National Park is in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in North Kivu province, reached via Goma. Access depends on the security situation. GPS: 0.93° S, 29.17° E.
Nearby
- Goma — the lakeside city and gateway to the park
- Lake Kivu — the great lake on the Rwandan border
- Rwenzori Mountains — the glaciated range to the north
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Virunga National Park” (ref. 63)
- Virunga National Park / ICCN — official body
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Virunga National Park
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