National parks of the DR Congo

National parks of the DR Congo: The Democratic republic of Congo is a relatively large country and it’s the second largest country on the African continent. The large size of the DR Congo is the reason as to why there are a number of national parks in the DR Congo. The Democratic republic of Congo is bordered by Uganda, Rwanda in the east, Central African Republic and Angola in the west, Burundi south west, the Republic of Congo, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia as well, quite a number of neighbors.

The Democratic republic of Congo is a very biologically diverse land with a great number of flora species and fauna species and a visit to this country is definitely worthwhile. The Democratic republic of Congo is the only country in the entire world that is a home to both the lowland gorillas and the mountain gorillas and we have a number of Congo safaris heading to both destinations.

The Democratic republic of Congo is not only identified with the mountain and eastern lowland gorillas but also with the unique active volcanic mountains, rare primate species like the bonobo also known as pygmy chimpanzees, the okapis, Congo peafowl which are not usual creatures to come across on other visits to other countries.  The Congo is not much exploited and as authentic and natural as can be and this is because of a number of factors such as the past insecurity in the area, the remoteness and the under development in a number of the destinations.

The Democratic republic of Congo has 9 national parks and all these are rich in natural resources however they may not all be open for visits because of the never-ending conflict and insecurity in the country. The DR Congo is a base for the largest United Nations Peace keeping missions in the whole world. This write up focus majorly on the most visited national parks and these are the Virunga national park and the Kahuzi Biega national park. Below are the nine national parks of Congo.

• Mangroves national park/ Muanda Marine reserve

The Mangroves national park is commonly known as the Muanda Marine reserve and is the smallest of the nine national parks located by the shores of the famous Congo River. The Mangroves national park is sitted on an area of 768 square kilometers and this park was officially gazette as a national reserve recently in 1992.

The Mangroves national park may be the smallest but is significant as it is one of the Ramsar recognized wetlands backed by the large mangrove forests, however these differ from those found in South Asia. The Mangroves national park is also the only marine park of DR Congo and on top of having the mangrove forests, there is aquatic life to look out for such as crocodiles, hippos, snakes and also the land mammals like the bush bucks, reed bucks and some primates can be spotted on a visit.

• Kahuzi Biega national park

The Kahuzi Biega national park is the second most visited and famous national park of the DR Congo. It is part of the UNESCO heritage sites as well and is located in the south eastern part of the country. This park’s main attraction is the eastern lowland gorillas which can be visited by purchasing a permit at 400 USD.

The Kahuzi Biega national park has been recognized as a national park since 1970 and is sitted on an area of about 6,000 square kilometers and most of the land is a lowland rain forest favoring the eastern lowland gorillas. On a visit to the Kahuzi Biega national park, you can spot some forest animals such as the forest elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys of different species.

• Salonga national park

The Salonga national park is another one of the greatest national parks of the country covering an area of about 36,000 square kilometers which makes it the biggest national park in Africa. The Salonga national park is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been a national park since 1956 and in 1970, the park increased in size and officially designated a national park in 1984.

This is a very beautiful national park made up of vast wetlands blending with grassland and dense rain forests. The major attractions of this park are the Salonga monkey, the bonobos aka the pygmy chimpanzees, African golden cats, leopards, Angolan slender mongoose, Congo peacocks, slender snouted crocodiles as well as the Okapi. This park is rich in nature and a visit is definitely worthwhile however the accessibility to this park is not as easy as the only route is through the river Lokoro. The area has bad roads and this has cut off tourism to this park.

• Virunga national park

The Virunga national park is the hot selling national park of the DR Congo and this is majorly because of being a home to the last remaining mountain gorillas in the world. The Virunga national park was established in 1922 making it Africa’s oldest national park. The Virunga is located in the Eastern part of the country and this park is also the base of the active Mount Nyiragongo and the neighboring mount Nyamulagira. The Mount Mikeno is also found within the Virunga national park.

The Virunga national park is a very diverse destination as it also has a wildlife sector where the lions, elephants, kobs can be spotted known as the Lulimbi sector but is still currently closed. There are a number of safari packages that one can opt for once interested in visiting the Virunga national park.

• Garamba national park

The other national parks of the DR Congo include the Garamba national park which is a wildlife park as it is a home to lions, leopards, elephants, Congolese giraffes, spotted hyenas. Chimpanzees, hippos, antelopes, wild northern white rhinos as well to mention but a few. This park is also under the management of the African parks like the Akagera national park and the Nyungwe forest national park of Rwanda. The Garamba national park was established in 1938 and is currently a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Upemba National Park

The Upemba national park is a 13,000 square kilometer large national park located in the south eastern part of the DR Congo close to the Kundelungu national park. This park is also a sanctuary for the cheetahs, zebras, buffaloes, lions, leopards, and a great number of birds such as the shoebill, spotted ground thrush.

• Kundelungu National Park

The Kundelungu national park is located in the south eastern part of the DR Congo and is sitted on an area 7,600 square kilometers and was previously a private hunting ground and is a home to crocodiles, buffaloes, smaller primates, buffaloes, leopards, lions and the major attraction is the Lofoi falls that rises up to 1,120 feet high and is also the largest on the earth.

• Maiko National Park

The Maiko national park is another of the national parks of the DR Congo sitted on an area of 10,885 square kilometers. This national park started as hunting reserve and was officially gazette in the 1949 by the then ruling Belgian government. Get to spot peafowls, okapis, African forest elephants, chimpanzees and is the best place to learn about chimpanzee conservation.