Virunga National Park, National park in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, running about 300 km north to south along the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. It covers 7,800 km2, from 680 m in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m in the Rwenzori Mountains, and includes most of Lake Edward, the Rwindi plains and the Virunga volcanoes Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira.

Albert National Park was created in April 1925 as the Congo's first national park, after proponents of the European conservation movement including Victor van Straelen, Jean Massart and Jean-Marie Derscheid championed a reserve in northeastern Belgian Congo. In 1926 Jean-Marie Derscheid headed the first Belgian mission to map it, covering 500 km2 around Mount Karisimbi and Mount Mikeno. The protected area was extended in 1929 to take in the Virunga Mountains, parts of Rutshuru Territory and the plains south of Lake Edward. In 1969 the two parks were merged under the name Virunga National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

The name comes from the Virunga volcanic chain, which includes eight dormant and active volcanoes shaping the landscape here. Visitors often see fishermen along the lake shore and farmers in villages at the edge, where protected zone and cultivated land meet.

Guided tours are arranged by the Institute for Nature Conservation, which provides rangers for trekking and observation activities. Weather conditions shift depending on altitude and season, so visitors should bring warm and waterproof clothing.

Three great ape species inhabit different elevations and forest sections here, making this protected area especially important for primate research. The Nyiragongo lava field south of the main lake shows solidified lava flows from eruptions in recent decades.