Over the edge, Abseiling the lost world

First sight of the falls on the flight over 

As soon as I found out about the opportunity to abseil of Auyantepui next to the amazing Angel Falls, The world's highest uninterrupted waterfall measuring in at a leg trembling 979 metres I just knew straight away that it was something I just had to do.

As seems to be the reoccurring theme with people when I tell them about upcoming travels I was meet with the now usual response of "why would you want to do that?" or "are you crazy you can't go to Venezuela you'll get killed".
Ordinarily you might think responses and comments like that would have put me off but if anything it only make me more determined to succeed.

Whilst it is true that Venezuela is currently suffering from hyperinflation and political unrest and has been for the past couple of years I was still determined to complete this amazing abseil. Even upon reading that Venezuela came second to last for world tourist numbers in 2017 beating only Yemen for visitor numbers during 2017 but actually receiving less visitors than places like Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in the week before I was due to fly in didn't put me off.

Auyantepui and Angel Falls 

So after the decision was made and I had booked on the trip and arranged my flights all that left was the small matter of training for the abseil.
Now there aren't exactly many places that you can practice before undertaking a 2 day multi pitch 979 metre abseil and certainly nothing in the UK.

So it was off to the local climbing wall to brush up on basic skills and make sure I was completely comfortable clipping in and tying myself in to the system.

Arriving in Caracas to begin the trip we meet up at a nearby hotel providing the first opportunity to meet the other 4 team members and our 4 guides 3 local and 1 UK guide.

We were given a brief overview of the plan for our upcoming adventures and enjoyed a few local beers.

Early the next morning we were scheduled to depart Caracas for a 9-10 hour drive to Ciaud Bolivar, we would spend the night in a hotel close to the airport before catching a morning flight to a savanna airstrip at the base of the Tepui. Weather permitting this would provide us with the first view of the falls as the flight path would take us straight over Auyantepui.

It was about an hour in to the flight when the pilot pointed out that Angel Falls would be visible on the right side of the aircraft momentarily. Peering out of the window and witnessing the falls first hand with my own eyes was amazing but I was also hit with the feeling of wow that's a long way down.
Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind and just concentrating on the sheer beauty of the sight in front of me. The pilot took a couple of loops around the falls giving us all great views of this amazing waterfall.

A short while later we landed at a dirt airstrip in the savanna at the base of the Tepui.
From here we would begin our 6 days trekking to the point from which we would get our first up close view of the falls and the location from which we would have to take those first few stomach churning steps over the edge to begin our abseil in a weeks time.

Views during day 3 of the trek 

The treks were hot and whilst I've had easier terrain I've certainly had to contend with much tougher also. Each day was diffrent and varied on minute we could be scrambling up rocks and ropes, the next on open sun scorching savanna. We also had swamps, rice fields, jungle, roots and massive cracks in the Tepui to contend with.

On a plus side we rarely had to walk more than 12km a day and took couple hour lunch breaks normally near a nice section of river which provided a refreshing early afternoon dip normally followed by a nice nap in the shade before continuing the day on towards camp for the night.

The weather was largely good to us, we never got caught in any showers whilst walking and it only rained on camps a couple of nights in the early hours whilst we were safely tucked up in tents.

The final day of walking before reaching the falls was by far the toughest. The first half of the day was a continuous up down repeat mostly over open ground but also a couple of jungle and swamp sections added in for good measure. After lunch it was estimated that we had another 4-5 hours ahead of us before finally reaching camp, by far our longest post lunch session yet.
After a couple hours through jungle, and swamps we reached a large section of river and stopped to fill water and have a quick break. Our guides pointed out that camp was only 900 metres away straight down the river but it would take us over 2 hours to reach as the path through the jungle was narrow and winding and had to avoid lots of obstacles on route. After some discussion we all agreed that it was worth a chance to try and just walk down the river.

So we set of down the river in hopes of reaching camp a couple hours earlier, it was easy going at first the water level was reasonably low and at most it was only knee deep at points, Sadly a few hundred metres further down the jungle closed in at the sides of the river and narrowed in to a small pool ahead of us, Dave left his bag and went to investigate and it wasn't long before he disappeared in to neck deep murky brown water. Sadly now less than 400 metres from camp and the jungle far to thick to avoid the pool and inevitable soaking of kit we had to admit defeat and return to the main path for a 2+ hour slog through the jungle on the original path.

The next day was a welcome rest day and lie in, sorting through kit and making sure every was ready and happy for the abseil.
It was our first real day of miserable weather and it was a cold wet morning. When the weather broke in the afternoon we took the short walk from camp to the top of the falls for our first up close view.

Angel Falls from the top of Auyantepui 

Leg trembling views 

The team 

Those first few moments peering over the edge of the Tepui witnessing the beauty and hearing the roar of the falls as it plummeted 978 metres to the trees below was amazing and terrifying at the same time. 978 metres that is almost a kilometre the giant trees in the canopy below looked like nothing more than little pieces of broccoli.
Now I'm not exactly scared of heights I mean I've done multiple bungee jumps & skydives as well as previous climbing and abseiling but looking over the edge gazing at the near kilometre drop ahead of us in the upcoming days I expect everyone would have a tingle in the legs, a churn of the stomach or a doubt in their mind.
All I could think of was the famous quote by Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw "If a man says he is not afraid, he is either lying or is a Gurkha"
Thinking of those words eased me and I thought how everyone else was probably having similar emotions and doubts.

Early the next morning we woke, made final preparations and checks and took the short 15 minute walk to the edge again.
Harness and helmets checked and fitted we made the final approach to the small ledge from where we would take those first terrifying steps.

The ropes rigged we lined up awaiting our turn to clip in and make the first steps. I was towards the back and had to wait nervously for my turn.
It's the waiting, I hate the waiting. My mind racing analysing everything that could go wrong talking myself out of it, convincing myself back in to it.
I was the biggest in the group and always kept coming back to the thought of the ropes holding my weight, even thou I know they are designed to withstand much greater weights I didn't like being the heaviest strain that they would face.

Finally it was my turn, I grabbed my bag clipped the safety lines of both it and myself into the ropes leading to the edge and walked over.
I was now stood on the edge trying to ignore the massive drop behind me, I made my preparations  tied myself in to the system, checking, double checking and even triple checking everything I was finally happy and unclipped my safety lines. Moving my bag carefully back and between my legs taking car not to disturb any loose rock which could have been very dangerous for the people already below.
No going back now it was time to take those first few nervous steps backwards and slowly one shakey foot at a time I moved backwards until I had no rock left, this was it the moment of truth, I slowly lower myself off and no longer had contact with the wall I was simply hanging in mid air with nothing but a massive void beneath me and a waterfall to my right.

It was done I had taken the first steps and to my relief the ropes help. I breathed a massive sigh of relief, all my doubts and fears were eased I knew I could do this and I could finally just enjoy the amazing views surrounding me.

Landing on the first ledge, after completing the first abseil 

Second ledge 

Gavin arriving at the second ledge 

Worse ways to spend a Monday morning 

The 2 days of abseiling were completely diffrent, the first was either big sections of clean open wall or simply hanging and lowering down on to the next little ledge, after spending the first night in a small cave we continued on to the second day and it was completely diffrent. We were faced with at times thick jungle and vegetation to negotiate our way through making sure not to get the ropes caught or ourselves tangled in the roots.
It felt like a scene from Jurassic park or Indiana Jones and on several occasions the theme tunes for both could be heard amongst the vegetation as we whistled or hummed along living out our inner Indy.

Finally after negotiating the final few trees on the final rope we touched down on solid ground once again but it wasn't over yet we still had a 2+ hour walk through the jungle to reach our hammock camp for the night.
It turned out that this was to be one of the hardest sections of walking yet. The steep think jungle path down to our camp at times felt like we should still be abseiling, negotiating slippery rocks and tree roots it was over an hour before we made it do on to a flatter more walkable path.

Negotiating the steep jungle path 

Dave with smiles of excitement 

Upon reaching the flatter ground the path opened up and split off in a fork, straight on would take us to camp but to the left we would find a small pool at the base of the falls, so ditching our bags and equipment in the bushes we headed off down the path eager to get another view of the falls and enjoy a nice swim in the river.

The pool and clearing gave us another great view of the falls and we could almost see our entire route down including the cave where we spent the previous night.

Refreshed after our swim in the pool we retrieved our gear and continued on to camp.

At the bottom 

                                  Refreshing dip

Wow, Thoughts realising 2 days earlier was at the top.

That night we slept in hammocks in a small hut with views of the falls, my hammock had a perfect line through the trees at the falls and going to sleep and waking up to that view was amazing, the sense of achievement and memories it gave felt amazing

We still had a couple long days ahead of us on our journey back to Caracas but we had set out what we all wanted and that was to abseil the world's highest waterfall. The excitement and happiness in camp was obvious.

I'm continuity on the look out for new and exciting things to satisfy my need for holidays and adventure and after completing this I don't know how I'm going to top it.

Future travel planning just got a lot harder

Venezuelan currency AKA Toilet paper because these small bills are effectively worthless for anything other than the super cheap petrol.

Riding the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania (CHEMIN DE FER)

The Station at Nouadhibou 

The Iron Ore Train has been very high on my travel wishlist for many years now and it definitely lived up to my expectations and it is one of my favourite travel experiences.

Mauritania, A West African country that a lot of people have never even heard of and would probably struggle to pinpoint it on a map. Until last year Mauritania was almost a permanent fixture on the top 10 least visited countries in the world list.

The railway line (the only one in the country) is just over 700 KM in length and runs between the coast of  Nouadhibou and the mines at Zouerat. Mauritania as a country has very little money or resources but it does have large reserves of Iron Ore in the mines at Zouerat and beyond.

Map of the Mauritania Railway 

Everyday the trains averaging around 3 KM in length with 200+ wagons each capable of hauling 84 tons of ore (making them amongst the longest and heaviest in the world) make the empty journey from the coastal town of Nouadhibou (the second largest city in Mauritania after the capital Nouakchott) to the mines at Zouerat before filling up with ore and making the return journey.

Police Checkpoint at Nouadhibou station

The tracks 

The two easiest locations from which to catch the train are the coastal town of Nouadhibou and the small town of Choum.
Catching the train from Nouadhibou would mean you would be riding the empty carriages whilst catching the train from Choum would mean a slightly dirtier but much better experience of riding the carriages full of ore.

The empty journey from Nouadhibou to Choum (460 KM) takes around 12 Hours, if you wanted to ride the train all the way to the first mine at Zouerat add 150 KM and about 5 Hours although i wouldn't recommend this.

The full journey from Choum to Nouadhibou (460 KM) takes around 14 Hours as the train is slower now it is heavier, again it is possible to pick the train up from the mines at Zouerat but it isn't particularly easy or practical to reach the mines via roads from the capital.

Trains run several times a day but only one in each direction stops at Nouadhibou and Choum to accept or drop off passengers.

The train is popular with the locals and can often get very full when running from Nouadhibou to the mines as once in Choum it is easy to get onward travel to the town of Atar. Whats notable about the train apart from it's size and the fact that you can simply jump on and catch a free ride (the best things in life are free) is that anybody can jump on with whatever they can load up in the time that the train is stopped, locals often transport goods, livestock or just about anything else that they can load on. It is also possible to get a vehicle craned on for the right price.        

Some of the goods piled up ready to be loaded by the locals 

Warning sign at Nouadhibou 

Nouadhibou Station 

Catching the train in either direction is a great experience, if you only get a chance to ride one way I recommend riding the full train. Due to logistical and timing reasons it was easiest for me to catch both the empty and full train.

Limited information about the train schedule is available online, we were able to find out that the train that stops in Nouadhibou to pick up passengers is normally around 14:00. After acquiring some supplies including blankets & second hand clothes from the Nouadhibou markets on the day before we planned on catching the train we decided that the best option was to drive up to the station and speak to some locals and maybe see the process of boarding the train for ourselves.

Arriving at the station at 13:30 and there were several groups of locals lined up at the sides of the tracks. Thankfully Jonathan with his far superior French & Arabic skills was able to chat with the men and establish that the train is scheduled for 15:00 but lets just say it doesn't exactly run with Swiss precision. Armed with our new information we headed back town to rest up before tomorrows long journey.    

The next day we got some taxis and made the journey from town up to the station (Two small buildings next to the track and otherwise surrounded by sand) it was a little after 14:00 and there was already a fair size crowd gathered by the tracks and in the waiting room of the building.
There is one passenger car at the rear of the train and it is possible to purchase tickets to ride in there for $5 although i don't really see the point as the whole experience is riding it for free like the locals.
People in the waiting room are for the passenger car everybody else beside the tracks is riding for free.

The two police officers manning the small police checkpoint building instantly noticed the arrival of 6 white foreigners and asked us to step in with our passports and Fiches.
A Fiche is a document you are required to make and carry whilst in Mauritania and when stopped at checkpoints or by the police you hand over a copy of your Fiche and are normally free to carry on your journey.
A Fiche should hold the following information
– Your full Name 
– Your date of Birth
– Your nationality
– Your place of birth
– Your profession
– Your passport number
– The dates of your passport’s validity
– The day you entered Mauritania
– The day you plan to leave Mauritania
– Your planned route of travel in Mauritania
– Your Mauritania visa number
– The dates of your Mauritania visa’s validity
– Your final destination (outside of Mauritania)
After checking over all our passports and Fiches the two officers were satisfied and we were able to take up our position beside the tracks and await the trains arrival along with the crowds of locals.

Awaiting the arrival of the train 

Our second-hand clothes purchases 

Locals ready to ride also 

It was 15:30 and we had been at the station waiting in the heat for almost an hour and a half now thankfully it was not a particularly hot day by Mauritanian standards but some air conditioning wouldn't have gone a miss.
Finally the call came through the radio to one of the police officers that the train had just departed the port at Nouadhibou and would be arriving with us momentarily.

It wasn't long before the long snaking train was visible on the horizon and we were told to clear off the tracks.
The front locomotive whizzed past followed by the empty ore carriages, a solid 5 minutes and 200 + carriages later there was a sudden bang and screeching sound as the brakes came on and the train began to come to a halt. Two locals clearly not experienced at riding the train jumped back for cover as this happened much to the amusement of one of the officers. I think maybe he was watching expecting that reaction from us.   

Approaching Train  

Stand Back

Even before the train had come to a complete stop locals were climbing on to secure the best spots, the carriages closest to the back and the passenger car are the most sought after because that is the section of the train that is in the correct position when it stops at Choum. Picking a carriage further forward could mean you end up 2-3 KM away from where you want to be at Choum and have a long walk with all your stuff.  

Claiming our carriages 

Due to the fact that there was six of us and we hoped to spread out and get some sleep on the 12 hour journey we opted for a carriage all to ourselves, I have heard that riding in a carriage with locals is a great experience and they are very friendly and will always share mint tea and whatever food they have with them.

The empty train snaking through the Sahara 

Passing a full train making the return journey from the mines 

Watching the desert pass by 

Selecting our carriage, loading our bags and climbing aboard we watched as locals quickly threw boxes or bags of supplies up to each other to transport on the train.
It wasn't long before we heard the clinking of carriages ahead of us they began gradually getting louder and suddenly a violent jerk almost sent us all flying and we were off beginning our 460 KM journey through the Sahara to Choum.

Making ourselves comfortable for the ride 

We setup our cardboard beds and readied our blankets before watching the dessert pass us by, it would be dark in a few hours and we might as well enjoy the beautiful views whilst we had them. Just before dark we all settled down and attempted to get some sleep but that was easier said than done the train is very loud and every bump or join in the tracks can be felt vibrating up through the carriages.

I was able to get some sleep but couldn't possibly estimate how much, I woke up on one occasion in the middle of a full on sand storm the entire carriage was coated in a several MM thick covering of sand and even with my goggles and head scarf my nose and mouth were full of sand. It wasn't all bad though it was a lovely clear night after the sand storm ceased and with absolutely no light pollution the stars were amazing.

Another occasion I was woken as the train screeched and jerked to a halt it was only a little after midnight (far too early for us to have arrived in Choum) and the section of track was only single so we were not stopping to let another full ore train pass like we had already had to do a couple of times. In the distance was a small group of lights possibly coming from a small village. Suddenly a large group of kids with buckets appeared beside the carriages. Unbelievably they were selling ice cold beverages to the passengers and were well stoked with drinks including; Juices, Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Ice Tea & Water as well as some other interesting looking local beverages.

As my own crate of drinking water had long ago become more suitable to be re-purposed as bath water this was a welcome relief and I would have happily paid premium prices for a nice ice cold drink. Thankfully though the price requested was a set 200 Mauritanian Ouguiya per drink (Approximately 45 Pence or 50 US Cents) needless to say we almost cleared them out of stock and they spent the rest of the time the train was stopped chatting to us about everything from football to circumcision (Yes I know a random mix of conversation) finally the ever familiar clinking sound could be heard ahead of us and the kids said there goodbyes and jumped of only seconds before we were jerked in to action and on our way again. We finished our drinks and attempted to get some more sleep now free from the interrogations of the kids.

Several hours later we were awoken again as the train once again ground to a halt, it was a little after 04:30 and there was a lot more commotion than any of our earlier stops, locals were jumping of and unloading there supplies, minibuses and 4X4's were driving around beside the tracks there lights illuminating the train and the surrounding desert.

Checking our GPS to confirm we were indeed in Choum before jumping of, as we were climbing out of our carriage and unloading the bags one of the many minibuses pulls up next to us and begins loading our bags on the roof of the vehicle almost as quickly as we could unload them from the train.  
Jonathan began to negotiate with the driver and soon established that he would give us all a ride to the town of Atar (2 Hours drive away) for 2000 Ouguiya P/Person (£4.50, $5) being early in the morning and with Choum not exactly what you would call a active place we decided it was a good offer and we should head to Atar to get some food and work out a plan from there.

Our drive to Atar was interesting to say the least, aside from the many police checkpoints all of which requested or Fiches. I should point out that there is only one road from Choum to Atar and some of the checkpoints were only a mile or so apart. Just were they expected us to have come from and somehow sneaked past all of the previous checkpoints was beyond me. One of the other local passengers crammed in to the minibus with us looked visibly agitated as we screeched up a winding mountain pass. Clinging on to the seat in front of him he we asked what was wrong and his reply shocked us all a little "I don't like this road, my Uncle was killed in a bus like this here the other month" not exactly something you want to here when you bus driver seems to think that he is Colin McRae on a winding mountain road with steep drops.

Once in Atar we found some food and were able to clean up a little and wash off some of the dirt and sand. The others decided that they wanted to head of to a nearby oasis town to relax for a few days before catching the train back to Nouadhibou. Unfortunately due to time constraints and the fact that the trains from Choum back to Nouadhibou had been running severely late for the past couple days according to the locals. I couldn't risk spending any more than one night in Atar or anywhere else or I would end up missing my flight back to Casablanca and the next one wouldn't be for another 3 days.

So they found a taxi willing to take them south and I headed back up to the spot at which the minibus had dropped us of earlier in hope of finding a ride back to Choum. So once again i was crammed in to the back of a minibus albeit with a slightly more relaxed and slower driver and making my way back to Choum.

It was early afternoon when I arrived back in Choum and I picked a spot near the tracks and used a wall for a bit of cover for the sun before setting up my blanket and beginning the long wait for the train. It normally arrives in Choum around 18:30 but I had been informed it had run many hours late for the previous few days.

A few hours passed before I had my first visitor, word had obviously got out that a foreigner was camped up next to the tracks and the local police chief payed me a visit, I was just about able to explain with my limited French and his even more limited English that I was waiting for the train back to Nouadhibou and he was able to confirm that it was due in at (Dix huit heure) 18:00. So I set my alarm in case I dossed of and went back to hiding from the blistering desert sun. It was not long before I began to get more visitors in the form of the local kids all curious to see the foreigner in town to ride the train.      
    

Camels loaded on the train 

18:00 came and went and the train was no where to be seen, Just after 22:00 I heard the recognisable sound of the train and lights illuminating the track in the distance, quickly packing up my stuff and moving closer to the tracks the ore train came hurtling past. To my horror it rumbled past and the brakes did not come on. Fearing I was in the wrong position I quickly began jogging down the side of the track ready to climb up in case it suddenly stopped but soon it was out of sight completely and I was wondering how I was going to make it back to Nouadhibou. Suddenly a car appears in the desert next to me, it was an employee from the mine. He informs me that the train stopping for passengers will not arrive until at least midnight. Giving me at least some reassurance that I am in the right place and will in fact be able to get back to Nouadhibou I set another alarm and settle back down for some sleep.

My alarm went off just before midnight and I readied myself to board the train but once again about 20 minutes later it hurtled past without any indication of stopping. I was now panicking even more how I was going to make it back to Nouadhibou to catch my flight, thankfully a short time later locals began to arrive and also set up next to the tracks giving me a little more hope that one of the trains might actually stop soon. Just after 02:00 that ever familiar sound could be heard once again. I didn't even bother to get up this time as I simply expected it to rattle past again. I was half tempted to make an attempt to throw my bag up and attempt to climb up whilst it was still moving but thankfully the screech of the brakes broke the otherwise silent desert night and I jumped up ready to climb on.

It was late and I was tired, I hadn't had a proper nights sleep in the past days I quickly climbed up the ladder and found a suitable carriage, the ore was pilled high in the middle but was a good foot below the carriage top at the edges this would allow me to comfortably get some sleep without fear of falling of.      

My bed set up for the journey 

Ben Amera, Mauritania's best kept secret and the second largest Monolith after Uluru (Ayers Rock) 

Enjoying the ride 

Ore & Desert and not much else 

The fine iron ore dust blowing in the wind makes it a very messy ride

The ride back to Nouadhibou seemed to last forever, I had finished of my food and water supplies in the extra time that I had been waiting for the train in Choum and the only time that I was aware that we did stop there was no army of children selling ice cold drinks. So I had to endure a long dirty 14 hour journey with no food or water. Thankfully about an hour outside of Nouadhibou a group of locals 2 carriages in front of me invited me forward and offered up some mint tea which was very gratefully received.

Finally arriving in Nouadhibou and after checking in with the police and parting with yet another Fiche (Lucky I printed of 50 copies to bring with me) I was swarmed by taxis who had all seemed to add the massive white man tax to the price of a ride back in to town. Politely turning them down I began to walk back to town, it was only a couple miles and I could do with stretching the legs after being on the train for so long.

I had only been going a couple minutes when a car pulled up next to me, thinking it was another taxi I enquired as to the price for a journey back to town. The man driving told me to jump in and insisted that anybody crazy enough to ride on top of the ore train and then walk back in to town in my current state deserved a free lift back to town.

Post ride and very kindly being given a ride back to town by a friendly local


Things you will require if you want to make this epic journey:
1. Headscarf
2. Goggles
3. Old or Second Hand clothes
4. Some sort of plastic bags or sack (To protect you bags)
5. Water (I recommend a good 3 litres)
6. Blanket or Warm clothes (depending on the time of year it can get cold at night)
7. Fiches


Riding from Nouadhibou to Choum/Zouerat 
Make your way to Nouadhibou either by road from a neighbouring country or by flying in to the airport before making your way to the station just outside town.

Riding from Choum/Zouerat to Nouadhibou 
If only riding the train in one direction then you will need to make your way from the capital Nouakchott out to Atar, the route is well provided by shared taxis and minibuses, from Atar you will need another shared taxi or 4X4 to get you to Choum, It isn't much of a town more just a load of mud buildings and people surprised to see foreigners.

As i aid the trains run daily and one will stop to pick up at some point, The scheduled time is 18:000 but they are frequently late and you shouldn't go wondering after this time as when it finally arrives it won't stop for long maybe only 5-10 minutes before heading of again.

  So pack a sense of adventure and prepare yourself for an experience of a lifetime.

The Iron ore train is one of my favourite travel experiences and not something that I will ever forget and I am very happy to have finally crossed it of my list.

Better find something equally interesting to takes it's place on the list now  

The beautiful DRC, Amazing rangers of Virunga National Park & Nyiragongo Volcano

First some info and history about Virunga as well as a couple links to articles worth reading. 

The write up below is copied from the official Virunga National Park website. 

(Link Below)

https://virunga.org/history/

"Throughout its history, Virunga has been deeply affected by the country’s political climate. The park has endured many periods of armed conflict. The deep commitment of Virunga’s rangers, key politicians, conservationists, and concerned individuals around the world have enabled the park to survive.

The park was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium and was originally given his namesake, Albert National Park.  Parc Albert was the first national park to be established on the continent of Africa, largely from the tireless lobbying of an American biologist, Carl Akely, who committed his life to the protection of Virunga’s Landscapes, and who subsequently died and was burried in the Park. It was founded primarily to protect the mountain gorillas living in the forests of the Virunga Massif. Parc Albert was later expanded northward to include the Rwindi plains, Lake Edward and the Rwenzori “Mountains of the Moon”. The park was renamed Virunga National Park in 1969.

Over the past 20 years, Virunga’s rangers have endured an almost uninterrupted series of challenges. In 1994, the Rwandan genocide unleashed a flood of more than one million refugees who placed tremendous pressure on the park forests and wildlife. In 2007, members of an illegal charcoal mafia murdered a family of mountain gorillas. The event was arguably the park’s darkest hour in over a decade. Their motivation was simple: kill the mountain gorillas and there will no longer be a reason to protect the park. By the end of the year, nine critically endangered mountain gorillas had been murdered.

After the 2007 gorilla killings, the park embarked on a comprehensive reform programme, involving the restructuring and strengthening of its ranger force to effectively protect the park’s wildlife and habitats, together with a major initiative, referred to as the Virunga Alliance, to deliver effective economic development and stability for the populations living around the park.  The work was largely funded through public and private support, including the European Union and the Howard G Buffet Foundation.  Since then, the programmes were sustained uninterrupted through two civil wars, but at a considerable cost to the park’s staff.

Peace has returned to Virunga, and once again, the park is open to tourism. New tourist activities are being developed and the park now offers high-end lodging conveniently located near the center of the three main tourist attractions: the mountain gorillas, Tongo chimpanzees, and Nyiragongo volcano."

The Information below is taken from the British FCO Travel advice pages 

(Link Below) 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-congo

"The security situation in eastern DRC remains unstable. The continued presence of armed groups, military operations against them, inter-communal violence and an influx of refugees from neighbouring countries all contribute to a deterioration in the political, security and humanitarian situation. There are continued reports of kidnappings, including of staff from international NGOs. While British government staff do visit Goma, they aren’t always in the area, and as with anywhere outside of Kinshasa the British Embassy’s ability to offer consular assistance is severely limited.

The lack of infrastructure throughout the country and continued insecurity in eastern DRC often prevent the British Embassy in Kinshasa from being able to extend normal levels of consular assistance to British nationals anywhere in the DRC other than Kinshasa.

Before considering travel to Democratic Republic of Congo you should read this travel advice carefully, keep up to date with the latest security situation and subscribe to e-mail alerts for updates to this travel advice."

FCO Travel advisory map 

Virunga National Park also featured in the July edition of National Geographic under the heading "Inside the Fight to Save One of the Worlds Most Dangerous National Parks" The link below will take you to the article and it is well worth a read. 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/07/virunga-national-parks-africa-congo-rangers/

I have been fascinated by The DRC and Virunga for many years now and first attempted to get in to the country 3 years ago during my last big Africa trip but was unable to get a visa as Virunga were not facilitating applications at that time and a normal DRC visa is a very long hard process. 

So when I had the opportunity to visit this year I jumped at the chance. 

I arrived in Kigali Rwanda on the 2nd July were I planned to stay and explore for a week before making my way up to the DRC border approximately 3 Hours drive from Kigali. 

Virunga National Park will facilitate a $105 visa on arrival service for anybody using any of the parks services 

The visa is valid for 14 days (2 Weeks) from arrival and is a lot simpler than applying for a normal DRC visa from the DRC Embassy in your retrospective countries  

The initial plan for DRC was roughly as follows:

1. Cross border explore Goma & stay night 

2. Drive to Kibati in order to hike Nyiragogo Volcano 

3. Descend Volcano and return to Goma 

4. Trek in to Virunga and establish a base camp at Kabare Plateau 

5. Ascend Mt Visoke (3711M)

6. Ascend Mt Karisimbi (4507M)

7.Ascend Mt Mikeno (4437M)

8. Return to Goma 

9. Visit parks Gorillas at Bukima 

10. Tcherega Island R&R

11. Cross border back in to Rwanda   

Sadly less than 2 weeks before we were due to cross the border I received the news that due to the Rwandan governments decision to increase its cross border patrols in the region in an attempt to combat the movements of FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) that Virunga had no choice but to lock down some parts of the park. 

Due to the RDF's (Rwandan Defence Force) decision to move operations over the border in to DRC and that area of Virunga being so heavily forested it was just not safe to visit certain areas of the park as the possibility of being mistaken for either RDF or FDLR by the other side and caught up in a ambush was just far to great.

Virunga have already suffered the losses of 152 of its rangers since 1996 and they simply were not prepared to risk the lives of their rangers or the tourists that they would be protecting. Meaning that the area of the park closest to the Rwandan border and home to Mt Visoke, Mt Karisimbi & Mt Mikeno became a no go zone. 

Luckily the areas of Kibati & Bukima, Home to Nyiragongo volcano and the largest population of the parks Gorillas was at this point unaffected and it was still considered safe to visit these 2 sites which I was very glad about as it was 2 of the biggest factors in me wanting to visit Virunga. 

Crossing the border in to DRC was a simple process, First a quick check of yellow fever certificates followed by a temperature check before handing over our passports and reference numbers that we were given by Virunga ready for our visas to be added.  

View from my hotel room in Goma, (Lake Kiva)

Amazing local Congolese restaurant Tapis Rouge. Excellent authentic local dishes   

I spent the first night in Goma in a hotel on the banks of Lake Kivu (Pic above) and went to try some authentic local cuisine at the highly recommended Tapis Rouge. 

The following morning was an early start for the 2 Hour drive to Bukima ranger station from where we would begin the gorilla trekking. 

In the DRC they only allow a maximum of 5 People per day to visit each family group. Upon registering and the rangers checking our permits and ID's I was assigned to visit the Munyaga family.

After a reasonably easy 1 hour walk the rangers told us to leave any unnecessary bags and put on our face masks. With that they used there machetes to cut away some vegetation and we were amazed to see that a female gorilla and baby had been only meters away from us for the past 5 mins without us even realising.     

The Female gorilla and baby 

A young male gorilla showing of for the camera 

The big chief Silverback having his feed  

Cheeky little baby gorilla loved our presence and happily showed of for the camera 

Even though I have had the opportunity to see these beautiful creatures before in Uganda 3 years ago in Bwindi forest. The experience of getting to visit mountain gorillas in there natural environment is just so special and I would happily go again given the opportunity maybe Rwanda next to complete the triple crown he he. 

No 2 gorilla trekking experiences are ever the same and will totally depend on the family that you get to visit and how they are behaving on the day. We were extremely lucky that on the day we visited the Munyaga family that the younger of the 2 Silverbacks was going through a bit of a rebellious teenager stage and attempting to show some dominance over the older larger Silverback (His Dad). 

This meant that the family was very active, moving around whilst the babies played with each other. Some visits can catch them when they have just finished feeding meaning that they will likely be resting or sleeping and whilst this is still an amazing experience to see them its good if they are a bit more active.      

 

Returning to the hotel in Goma we spent the afternoon exploring the town and stocking up on some supplies. We were warned not to walk outside of the hotel compound at night and only to take pre arranged official vehicles during the dark. That evening we arranged a minibus to a nearby all you can eat restaurant. Defiantly geared more towards expats evident by the large number of UN patrols we passed in order to reach the restaurant and the hundreds of UN vehicles in the car park and lining the streets outside. Clearly popular with UN staff and members of the other hundreds of NGO staff serving in Goma. 

The following morning we left for Nyiragongo volcano. One of only 5 active lava lakes in the world. Arriving at Kibati we again checked in with the rangers and were assigned our escorts for the trek. It was expected to be a 5-6 hour hike up the volcano were we would spend the night in the summit shelters before descending in the morning. The hike was step but reasonably easy and there were 4 desginated rest areas along the way before finally reaching the shelters and the summit.     

National park sign at the start of Nyiragongo trek. (Yes that is bullet holes) 

Nyiragongo lava lake 

The best views come during the night when the sky turns orange with the glow of the lava 

Watching over the lava 

Spending the night on top of Nyiragongo was amazing and the lava lake was just mesmerising despite the almost freezing temperatures it was hard to draw yourself away from the lava lake and I could have literally sat there all night enjoying the amazing show it put on. 

In the morning we descended and once more returned to Goma. Now with the other sections of the park still off limits meaning we were unable to continue with the planned itinerary it was decided that we would fly up to Beni and do some trekking in the DRC side of the Rwenzori mountains.  

Arriving in Beni we were meet by Virunga rangers who escorted us to the ranger station at the base of the mountains were we would spend the night before beginning the trek in the morning. 

We spent 6 days trekking in the mountains and stayed at various different huts and shelters along the route. The scenery was amazing and although step and narrow in places it was a truly amazing 6 days and more than made up for the fact that we were unable to visit the other volcanoes and peaks in the no off limits section of the park.    

Well deserved summit beers at the Kiondo hut in the Rwenzori's 

View down on to Black Lake from the hut

Wusuwamesu Peak. Behind is the glaciers and Margarita &Stanley Peaks  

DRC soldiers who had been involved in battles with rebels in Beni the day before we descended from the Rwenzori's Mountains 

Leaving DRC we headed for Uganda and Queen Elizabeth National Park for some R&R before returning to Kigali. 

DRC and Virunga is a truly amazing place and I feel that more people should visit. You shouldn't be deterred by FCO advice or negative comments from people who have probably never even visited Africa let alone the DRC. 

Whilst any trip does come with its risks the staff and rangers of Virunga are amazing and will make you feel totally safe. 

There was never a point during the trip at which I felt scared or unsafe and I'm sure most people would still consider visiting certain European countries even in light of recent attacks both this year and in recent years. 

So why should DRC be looked upon any differently. 

So long as you are sensible and follow any advice or guidelines given to you. Then a truly wonderful eye opening trip will be possible