Virunga: Mountain Gorillas at the World's Oldest African Park
Virunga National Park in eastern DRC — Africa's oldest national park, established 1925 — is home to mountain gorillas, active volcanoes, and remarkable biodiversity despite decades of conflict
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Mountain Gorilla Tracking
The habituated mountain gorilla families in Virunga allow one hour of close observation — Rangers guide small groups through the bamboo forest to sit with the family, one of the world's most moving wildlife encounters
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Nyiragongo Volcano Summit
The active Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga houses the world's largest lava lake — the overnight climb to the summit crater, watching the lava glow in the dark, is one of Africa's most extraordinary experiences
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Mikeno Lodge Conservation Story
The luxury lodges inside the park fund its conservation - the park rangers who protect gorillas from poachers and armed groups are some of the most dedicated conservationists in the world
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Okapi Wildlife Reserve
The DRC's Okapi Wildlife Reserve protects the okapi - the forest giraffe found only in the DRC - in the Ituri forest; a UNESCO site showcasing the DRC's extraordinary biodiversity
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Bonobo Pan African Sanctuary
The bonobo – the most peaceful and intelligent of the great apes – exists only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Lola ya Bonobo reserve near Kinshasa rescues orphaned bonobos and returns them to the forest
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Eastern DRC's conservation crisis
Virunga has been the site of wildlife deaths, incursions by armed groups and the threat of oil exploration – the story of its conservation is one of courage against extraordinary odds