Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Democratic Republic of the Congo Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center

Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center

The world's only facility where orphaned mountain gorillas are cared for.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Added By
Micah Spangler
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Innocent Mburanumwe/Wikipedia
  Yvette Kaboza/Wikipedia
  WT-shared/Wikipedia
  Fanny Schertzer/Wikipedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Established in 2009, the Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center in Virunga National Park is the world’s only facility specifically created to care for orphaned mountain gorillas.

While concerted conservation efforts over the last 30 years have brought the population of wild mountain gorillas from a dangerous low of 620 to just over 1,000 today, these beautiful creatures still face extreme threats in their natural habitat straddling the dangerous and unstable border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. That's where Virunga National Park's Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center comes in.

As part of Africa’s oldest national park, the Senkwekwe Center was established in 2009 to care for orphaned mountain gorillas who were victims of wildlife poachers or animal trackers as infants. The Senkwekwe Center, which is named after a family of six mountain gorillas that were brutally murdered in 2007, is a unique sanctuary for these incredibly endangered species to live a full, protected life.  

The Center is managed by Virunga Park rangers and other dedicated staff, who are currently caring for four orphaned gorillas that were injured in snares or lost their family members. It has the rare distinction of being the only place in the world where mountain gorillas have been documented to thrive in captivity.

Related Tags

Animals Gorillas Park Wildlife

Know Before You Go

After a series of attacks and kidnappings that led to the deaths of at least 12 park rangers in 2018, Virunga National Park is currently closed to visitors and is not expected to reopen until at least 2019. If you plan on visiting when the park reopens, please contact an experienced and reputable tour company that can ensure your visit is conducted in as safe and reliable a way as possible.

Community Contributors

Added By

micahspangler

Published

November 16, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/04/virunga-national-park-congo-closes-tourists-2019-security
  • http://www.gorilladoctors.org/
  • https://www.iucn.org/news/species/201811/fin-whale-mountain-gorilla-recovering-thanks-conservation-action-iucn-red-list
Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center
Unnamed Road
Democratic Republic of the Congo
-0.887069, 29.564773
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Kisoro, Uganda

miles away

Dian Fossey's Grave

Musanze, Rwanda

miles away

Nyiragongo Volcano

Democratic Republic of the Congo

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Africa

Places 8
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Kisoro, Uganda

miles away

Dian Fossey's Grave

Musanze, Rwanda

miles away

Nyiragongo Volcano

Democratic Republic of the Congo

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Africa

Places 8
Stories 4

Related Stories and Lists

10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019

List

By Nikki Vargas

Related Places

  • Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

    Hagerman, Idaho

    Hagerman Fossil Beds

    An ordinary rancher stumbled upon one of the world’s largest collections of Pliocene horse fossils.

  • Stillwater marshes, with Stillwater Range beyond.  Looking east.

    Fallon, Nevada

    Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

    The sump of the landlocked Carson River is a haven for wildlife.

  • A bird at Zealandia

    Wellington, New Zealand

    Zealandia

    The world's first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary is a haven for New Zealand's rare and endangered species.

  • Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery

    Nanyuki, Kenya

    Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery

    The memorial honors the lives of rhinoceroses killed by poachers.

  • A tiger named Kiara plays with her scratch ball during enrichment time.

    Eureka Springs, Arkansas

    Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

    This mountaintop refuge rehabilitates tigers, lions, bears, and more from illicit wildlife trade—and offers overnight lodging.

  • Bison herd grazing.

    Bluffton, Indiana

    Ouabache State Park

    Home to some of Indiana's last bison herds.

  • Determined

    Eminence, Missouri

    Wild Horses of Shannon County

    It's as if the herds walked straight out of a fairy tale into the Missouri wilds.

  • A golden lion tamarin at Pouca das Antas

    Silva Jardim, Brazil

    The Golden Lion Tamarins of Poço das Antas

    These small, spectacular monkeys are making a comeback after deforestation destroyed much of their rainforest habitat.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.