Updated
Gorilla tourism in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been largely shut down by conflict. Virunga National Park, home to habituated mountain gorillas, and Kahuzi-Biega National Park, with eastern lowland gorillas, lie in North and South Kivu, where armed groups have fought for years. In early 2025 the M23 rebel group captured Goma and Bukavu, the gateway cities to both parks. Most governments advise against all travel to the region.
A history of interruptions
Virunga suspended tourism in 2018 after British visitors were kidnapped and a ranger was killed, reopened in 2019, then closed again during the pandemic. Since then, renewed fighting has kept the gorilla sector and the routes to it unsafe. Rangers in Virunga have paid a heavy price, with many killed in the line of duty over the years.
What this means for travellers
Uganda and Rwanda are the practical places to see mountain gorillas. Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga hold roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas, and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park adjoins Virunga. If eastern lowland gorillas are your goal, only Kahuzi-Biega offers them, and it should not be visited while the region remains unsafe.
Before you consider it
Check your government’s travel advice before considering any trip to eastern Congo, and do not rely on operators’ assurances alone. The gorilla permit in Uganda costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC compared, safety in Uganda, Uganda’s border crossings and the eastern lowland gorilla.
Frequently asked questions
Not safely at present; fighting in North and South Kivu has disrupted gorilla tourism.
Because of armed conflict, including the 2025 capture of Goma by the M23 group.
In Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Only in eastern DRC, mainly Kahuzi-Biega, which is currently unsafe to visit.
