If you have been researching Congo gorilla trekking as a third option alongside Uganda and Rwanda, it is important to know where things stand before you plan around it. Virunga National Park 2026 status remains closed to tourism. Following the M23 rebel group’s capture of Goma in 2025 and the ongoing, unresolved conflict in North Kivu province since, gorilla trekking and Mount Nyiragongo climbs at Virunga have been suspended for the foreseeable future, and there is no confirmed timeline for reopening.
We think it is important to be direct about this, rather than let outdated pre-conflict information circulate. Here is the current picture, and what it means for your gorilla trekking plans.
Why Virunga Is Closed
Virunga National Park sits in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, an area that has experienced sustained conflict involving the M23 rebel group. Since M23 seized Goma, the region’s largest city and the main access point for Virunga, in 2025, the area has alternated between fragile ceasefires and renewed fighting. Given the extent and volatility of the conflict, Virunga’s operators and the park authority have kept tourism activities, including gorilla trekking, suspended throughout this period, prioritising the safety of staff, rangers, and any potential visitors.
This is worth understanding in the context of the wider regional picture. The same underlying conflict is referenced in the US State Department’s June 2026 Rwanda travel advisory, which flags a 10-kilometre zone along the DRC border, though notably that advisory does not extend to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
When Might Virunga Reopen?
Honestly, there is no reliable timeline. Ceasefires in the region have repeatedly broken down, and given the scale of the fighting and the political complexity involved, a swift or straightforward reopening is not something we would responsibly forecast. Virunga has weathered closures before over the years and has reopened after previous periods of instability, but the current situation is more serious and prolonged than many of those earlier episodes. Anyone hoping to visit Virunga specifically should treat 2026 and likely 2027 travel plans there as unrealistic, and monitor official channels directly for updates rather than relying on older blog content that may not reflect the current situation.
Uganda and Rwanda Remain Fully Open and Operating Normally
This is the most important point for anyone whose real goal is simply to see mountain gorillas in the wild: Uganda and Rwanda’s gorilla trekking programmes are entirely separate from Congo’s, run by different national wildlife authorities, in different national parks, under different security conditions. Neither Bwindi Impenetrable National Park nor Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, nor Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, has been affected by the conflict driving Virunga’s closure, and all three continue to operate on their normal daily trekking schedules.
In practical terms, the vast majority of mountain gorilla trekking worldwide has always taken place in Uganda and Rwanda in any case, with Congo historically representing a smaller share of overall visitor numbers even before the current closure.
Comparing Your Realistic Options in 2026
| Destination | Status in 2026 | Standard Permit Price |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda (Bwindi & Mgahinga) | Fully open, normal operations | $800 ($600 low season) |
| Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) | Fully open, normal operations | $1,500 |
| DRC (Virunga National Park) | Closed, no confirmed reopening date | Not currently bookable |
Given this, Uganda offers by far the best value gorilla trekking currently available anywhere, particularly with the new $600 low season permit discount, while Rwanda remains the more premium, streamlined option for shorter trips. If you would like a full side-by-side comparison of the two currently operating destinations, see our Rwanda vs Uganda gorilla trekking comparison.
An Alternative for DRC Enthusiasts: Kahuzi-Biega
Travellers specifically drawn to Congo for its wildlife should note that Kahuzi-Biega National Park, home to Eastern Lowland Gorillas rather than mountain gorillas, lies further from the current conflict zone and has, at various points, continued to operate. This is a different subspecies and a different park entirely from Virunga, and it is not part of our core Uganda and Rwanda offering, so we would recommend researching it independently and thoroughly with a specialist DRC operator if that specific experience genuinely appeals to you.
What We Recommend
- Do not plan a 2026 or near-term 2027 trip around Virunga National Park reopening.
- Book your mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, both of which are fully operational and offer the same species and comparably extraordinary experience.
- If Uganda’s lower cost is appealing, look closely at the new low season discount window in April, May, and November.
- Keep an eye on official channels for any future change in Virunga’s status, but do not let it delay a trip you can take safely and reliably right now in Uganda or Rwanda.
Our older coverage of Congo gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park reflects conditions before the current conflict and should be read with this update in mind.
How the Conflict Has Affected the Wider Region
The instability in North Kivu has had ripple effects beyond Virunga’s own operations. Cross-border trade, transport routes, and, at times, general regional sentiment around eastern DRC have all been affected by the conflict’s duration and intensity. This is part of why the US State Department’s Rwanda advisory specifically calls out the DRC border zone, rather than treating it as an isolated Congo-only issue. That said, the advisory’s own precise language, excluding Volcanoes National Park from the flagged zone, is the clearest official confirmation that the impact has not extended into Rwanda’s own gorilla trekking operations.
What Happens to Existing Virunga Bookings
Travellers who had bookings in place with Virunga-based operators before the closure should expect those bookings to have been cancelled, postponed, or converted to credit, depending on the individual operator’s policy. If you are still holding a Virunga booking or credit from before the conflict escalated, we would recommend contacting that operator directly for their current policy, since Monumental Gorilla Tours does not sell or manage DRC-based bookings and cannot speak to another operator’s specific arrangements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Virunga’s 2026 Closure
Is any part of DRC still open for wildlife tourism?
Some sources indicate Kahuzi-Biega National Park, home to Eastern Lowland Gorillas and located further from the North Kivu conflict zone, has continued limited operations at various points. This is a different park, a different gorilla subspecies, and a different region of DRC from Virunga, and travellers interested in it should research current conditions independently and thoroughly with a DRC specialist.
Are Uganda and Rwanda gorillas the same species as Virunga’s?
Yes. Virunga, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda are all part of the same Virunga Massif ecosystem and are home to the same mountain gorilla population, which moves across the shared borders of all three countries. Trekking in Uganda or Rwanda gives you the opportunity to see mountain gorillas from the same broader population, just accessed from a different, currently stable side of the massif.
Why doesn’t the conflict affect Mgahinga, which also borders DRC?
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits on the Uganda side of the Virunga Massif and has not been part of the active conflict zone. Uganda’s own security posture along its DRC border differs from the specific area of Rwanda flagged in the June 2026 advisory, and Mgahinga continues to operate normally.
Should I check Virunga’s status again closer to my travel date?
If Virunga specifically remains important to your plans, it is worth checking official sources close to your date, though we would not recommend building a near-term itinerary around the possibility of reopening given the current trajectory of the conflict.
Will gorilla trekking prices in Uganda or Rwanda rise because of Virunga’s closure?
There is no direct pricing link between the two. Uganda’s and Rwanda’s permit pricing is set independently by their own wildlife authorities based on their own policy considerations, as covered in our piece on the 2026 Uganda permit discount, not in response to conditions in DRC.
A Timeline of the Conflict’s Impact on Regional Tourism
The current situation traces back to M23’s resurgence and eventual capture of Goma in 2025, the main gateway city for Virunga National Park tourism on the DRC side. Since then, the region has cycled through periods of ceasefire and renewed fighting, with no durable resolution reached as of mid-2026. Virunga’s tourism operations, including gorilla trekking and Mount Nyiragongo volcano climbs, have remained suspended throughout this entire period as a direct consequence.
The conflict’s effects have been felt beyond Virunga’s own gates, contributing to the border-zone caution reflected in the June 2026 US State Department advisory for Rwanda, even though, as covered earlier, Volcanoes National Park itself sits outside the specifically flagged area. Uganda’s own tourism sector, by contrast, has been essentially unaffected operationally, continuing to post strong growth throughout the same period, a reflection of how geographically contained the conflict has remained relative to the wider mountain gorilla trekking region.
How to Stay Genuinely Informed Rather Than Relying on Outdated Content
Because this situation remains fluid, we would caution against relying on any single blog post, including this one, as a permanent source of truth. Official channels, including Virunga National Park’s own communications and recognised government travel advisories, are the most reliable ongoing sources. We commit to updating this page if the situation changes materially, but always cross-check with current official sources before making final decisions if Congo remains part of your longer-term travel thinking.
Lessons for Travellers From Virunga’s Closure
Virunga’s prolonged closure is a useful, if sobering, reminder that gorilla trekking destinations, however extraordinary, exist within real political and security contexts that can shift meaningfully over time. It reinforces the value of working with operators who monitor conditions actively rather than relying on static information, and of building travel plans around currently stable, well-established destinations, which is exactly the position Uganda and Rwanda occupy today.
Why This Update Matters for Trip Research
Older travel content about Congo gorilla trekking, written before the current conflict escalated, remains widely circulated online and can mislead travellers researching their options today. We have deliberately dated and framed this update clearly to avoid contributing to that confusion, and we would encourage any traveller researching Virunga elsewhere to check the publication date of what they are reading and cross-reference it against current, dated sources before making decisions.
Our Commitment on This Page
We will revisit and update this article as the situation in eastern DRC develops, whether that means a durable ceasefire and eventual reopening discussion, or continued closure. Our goal is to keep this a genuinely current reference rather than a static post that quietly goes out of date, which is precisely the problem with much of the older Virunga content still circulating online.
Book a Gorilla Trek That’s Actually Happening
Rather than waiting on an uncertain reopening, let us get you trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, both fully open and running normally right now. Contact Monumental Gorilla Tours by phone or WhatsApp at +256 781 099683, or email info@monumentalgorillatours.com, to book your trek.
