VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK ANNOUNCED TEMPORARY CLOSURE
(Posted 16th May 2018)
The management of the Virunga National Park in the Eastern part of Congo has announced a temporary closure of the park until at least the 04th of June.
This follows two serious security incidents over the past few weeks during which 7 people were killed and three abducted. The two Britons and one local driver were however released two days ago and are said to be shaken but unharmed.
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Following a security incident on Friday 11 May 2018 Virunga National Park has taken the decision to halt tourism until June 4th.
The safety of our visitors is of the highest priority and our staff consistently assess the situation on the ground to ensure appropriate security protocols are in place.
The suspension of tourism is being undertaken as an additional precautionary measure whilst an investigation is undertaken surrounding the recent events.
We sincerely apologise to those visitors that have been impacted, and are committed to resolving their queries to the best of our ability. Our tourism team are on standby to discuss questions and provide options to guests who have visits pending or are considering coming to Virunga.
Since tourism was relaunched in 2014, the Park has received over 17,000 visitors, with world class guest accommodation and services. Tourism has provided essential employment opportunities to local communities, and is integral to supporting the Park’s ongoing development work.
For booking enquiries, please contact: visit
All press enquiries should be directed to press.
Posted byEmma Norton
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It could not be established if treks from Goma up Mt. Nyiragongo, an active volcano attracting many younger travelers and backpackers to the region, have also been halted but generally does conventional wisdom dictate not to visit the entire area for the time being to allow security forces to deal with the militias responsible for these latest incidents.
(Mt. Nyiragongo in the Eastern Congo DR)
Links to recently published articles are shown below:
https://atcnews.org/2018/05/11/british-citizens-kidnapped-in-virunganationalpark/
https://atcnews.org/2018/04/10/virunga-more-rangers-killed-by-militias/
https://atcnews.org/2018/05/04/congo-oh-congo-2/
