Update from Volcanoes Safaris on the situation in Goma and Eastern Congo in the DRC

VOLCANOES SAFARIS
The No 1 Gorilla Safari Companyhttp://www.volcanoessafaris.com/

Update from Volcanoes Safaris on the situation in Goma and Eastern Congo in the DRC 18 December 08

Dear colleague,

The unstable situation in Eastern DRC obviously continues to receive attention and causes concern to those traveling to neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda and these are our views on the situation in the area.

In our view as the situation currently stands, we do not see any reason for clients not to proceed with their travel plans in Uganda and Rwanda. The travel advisories of the main western governments reflect this view. DRC Eastern DRC has, sadly, remained volatile for many years and these phases of instability re-emerge periodically. As a company we cannot comment on the complexities of the issue but we hope that the governments of the region and the international community work towards a resolution of the thorny issues at the talks being held in Nairobi. We hope the region can return to normality and whenever we can, we add our small voice to this objective.

Paradoxically the areas of South Kivu and North Kivu in DRC are among the most biodiverse and beautiful areas in Africa and the two gorilla parks there could rapidly help rebuild these devastated areas once peace returns. The humanitarian situation around Goma, North Kivu province, DRC for the people displaced by the instability is of course very distressing. Donations to help with the humanitarian situation can be made through The UK Disasters Emergency Committee <http://www.dec.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?ap=1&id=282> which co-ordinates the British non-profit agencies working in the area or through The International Rescue Committee in the USA <http://www.theirc.org/news/latest/page-28545316.html>.

Volcanoes Safaris do not currently take clients to the gorilla parks of the DRC because of the volatile situation but through our operations in Uganda and Rwanda we remain close observers of the situation there. We believe it is essential to keep hope alive in this devastated part of the DRC so that one day tourism can help create peace and prosperity as it has done in post-conflict Uganda and Rwanda. In October we made a presentation in Kinshasa to the government of the DRC, diplomats and donors on the steps that will be required to relaunch tourism in these two parks when peace returns. We hope that one day this can become a reality.

UGANDA and RWANDA
Volcanoes Safaris has operated in the gorilla parks of southern Uganda since 1997 and in Rwanda since 2000, when we became the first international company to take clients to post-conflict Rwanda on a regular basis. By being the only company to build lodges near the gorilla parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga in Uganda and Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda, we have been intimately connected to the region for over a decade. Goma in the DRC is not far from the gorilla parks of Uganda and Rwanda but the problems in the Eastern DRC are confined to that country and travel in Uganda and Rwanda continues normally and the borders of both Uganda and Rwanda have been reinforced.The chain of nine Virunga volcanoes that are part of the Virunga massif are part of three national parks found in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC, each under the separate management of the governments, park authorities and military of the three countries. The Ugandan side is called Mgahinga; the Rwandan side is called Parc des Volcans; the DRC side is called Parc des Virunga. Volcanoes Virunga lodge is in Rwanda and faces the Virunga mountains but is not in the mountains and it should not be confused with Virunga National Parc in DRC.

Our complete update on the gorilla parks is on the website <http://www.volcanoessafaris.com/info-gorilla-parks.htm> . We hope this reassures clients about their holiday and we look forward to taking them on safari. We will continue to monitor the situation and would be happy to answer any further questions.
Praveen Moman
Co-founderVolcanoes Safaris