There are several places of interest in Virunga National Park.

Mount Nyiragongo

The Nyiragongo volcano brightens the skies of Goma city and the Virunga National Park. The last eruption occurred in 2011 leaving over 100,000 homeless and surrounding areas filled with ash. The solidified mountain of lava created the largest Crater Lake in the world that still sends smoke up the sky and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Trekking up the Nyiragongo Volcano is a two-day event that includes sleeping on top the volcano after being rewarded with a breathtaking close view of the boiling crater.

Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary

One of the attractive places to visit while in Kinshasa is the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary. Bonobos are endangered pygmy chimpanzees that in the wild are only found in the DR Congo. The Bonobos are relatively peaceful compared to their larger cousins but have faced great persecution and are hunted for their meat. Covering a forest area of about 30 hectares, the sanctuary helps protect youngsters left orphaned after the killing of adults.  Staff and volunteers at the sanctuary feed them and protect them from being sold as pets in illegal markets.

There are many other activities that visitors can get involved in while on a wildlife tour in Congo that may not have been described in detail above. Some of them include:

• Game drives to other national parks in Congo like Maiko which is near the capital Kinshasa.
• Visiting water bodies like the great river Congo – or Lake Kivu with its beautiful islands and boiling methane gas.
• Visiting the Livingstone and Boyoma Falls
• Hiking mountains like Nyamuragira (near Nyiragongo) which is Africa’s most active volcano.
• Visiting stone age caves like Dimba, Matupi, Thysville and Kakanda.
• Visiting the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.