Suspension of Gorilla Tourism in Virunga National Park (DRC)

Below is the message from Parc National des Virunga and 
Institut Congolaise pour la Conservation de la Nature / Virunga Foundation
République Démocratique du Congo

“As many of you may have heard, Virunga National Park has taken the decision to close all gorilla tourism in the park due to the rapidly unfolding situation regarding the global spread of COVID-19.

The Park’s temporary closure of mountain gorilla tourism is being undertaken as a precautionary measure and is in line with WHO’s recommendation to restrict movement and limit social contact. For Virunga in particular, it has been taken following advice from scientific experts indication that primates, including mountain gorillas, are highly likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus. We must remain steadfast in safeguarding our population of this endangered species.

We will not be taking any new bookings until the 1st June 2020 but we are committed to reopening our Gorilla tourism as soon as the situation allows.

For all of you who are holding bookings with us in the next two months, we will honor a postponement up to June 2021.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your continued support through this challenging time”.

The Tourism Team