The Mountain Gorilla occurs in the Volcanoes NP, in the north-western part of the country (part of the larger “Virunga population”, which includes the gorillas of Volcanoes NP in Rwanda, of the Mgahinga Gorilla NP in Uganda, and of the Virunga NP of DRC).

The Park contains two highly important ecological corridors as it connects the different respective sectors: the Muaro corridor connects the Mikeno sector to the Nyamulagira sector; the west side connects the north sector to the center sector of the Virunga massif. The presence of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, a protected area contiguous with Uganda, also constitutes an ecological land corridor connecting the Centre and north sectors. Also, Lake Edward forms an important aquatic corridor.

Virunga National Park is Africa’s most bio diverse protected area, home to over one thousand species of mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian as well as 1/3 of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. Located on the eastern edge of the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, Virunga has become known as the park of fire and ice for its diverse habitats ranging from the Rwenzori peaks to savanna and volcanic plains.