Surround yourself with breathtaking nature
Virunga National Park
The Virunga National Park is the oldest and most diverse National Park in Africa and was founded more than 125 years ago by the Belgian King Albert I.Today is the safe haven for the mountain gorilla, the chimpanzee and a great variety of other wild- and birdlife.
Always keep an eye open when you’re out in the park and if you’re lucky, you might see one of the many breeds of monkeys and birds who see the Virunga National Park as their home. But also bigger mammals like Elephants, Buffalo and Hippo can be found in the Virunga Park.
During your stay at the Mikeno Lodge, the Virunga Park Headquarters and the Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage are really just a short walk away. If you’re interested, you can get a tour and see behind the screens of the entire operation. Who knows, you might get to meet the Director of the park, Prins Emmanuel De Merode.
From Mikeno lodge is also possible to go out and visit the Chimpanzee Habituation project, the Bloodhound Anti-Poaching Unit and of course the Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage, which is the only mountain-gorilla orphanage in the world.
The more active visitors of Virunga can hike the Nyiragongo Volcano to see the world’s largest lava lake on top or for the real climbers the Park is also home to the Rwenzori Mountains, where you can hike up to a summit of above 5100m! As you can see there is so much to do in Virunga, here is a list of all the activities in Virunga you can explore,

Visit these amazing animals
Mountain Gorilla

Spend the night next to the crater
Nyiragongo Volcano
Climbing the Nyiragongo Volcano is not an activity you can underestimate, but it is without doubt one of the most exciting activities you can do in Africa. At the end of this hike with a comfortable pace, you will reach the top of this very active volcano and you’ll witness the beauty of the World’s largest lava lake!
Go on a walk with the chimpanzees
Chimpanzee Habituation Project
While staying at the Mikeno lodge you can visit the Chimpanzee Habituation program, a project that aims towards bringing the chimpanzee population back to Virunga National Park. If the chimps are in the area, you can even go on a chimpanzee trekking.
Take a look behind the screens
Virunga Park HQ

Discover how these orphan gorillas are raised
Sekwekwe Gorilla Orphanage

Find out how the animals of Virunga are being protected
Bloodhound Anti-Poaching Unit
Enjoy and relax in this lovely lake
Lake Kivu
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