About Congo National Parks

About Congo National Parks There are many national parks in Congo because of her size. The republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa and the largest in Central Africa. She borders Uganda, Rwanda, Angola, Burundi, and Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

Congo has a blessing of amazing Wildlife and vegetation and will become among the most visited countries in Africa in future. The DRC is the only country where one can spot both lowland and highland features.

Congo offers chances to hike volcanoes, About Congo National Parks explore special cultures, meet tribal groups like pygmies and see all of mountain gorillas. Africa’s known animals as well as rare types like the Congo peafowl, bongo, okapi, pygmy chimps, bonobos and much more.

Congo is different because it remains untamed, unspoiled, raw and waiting to be discovered. The DRC is one of the few countries that still offers tourists a chance to explore the Africa that you read about in old hunting or safari books.

Mangroves or Muanda Marine is the smallest national park in DRC. The park is located along the shores of the mighty Congo River. It is only 768 square kilometers in size and was gazetted in 1992. Despite its small size, About Congo National Parks the Mangroves National Park has been announced a Ramsar wetland because of its amazing types and vast mangrove forests.

Mangroves is the only marine park in the country and the mangrove forests in the park are distinct from the ones in South Asia. The park is home to snakes, crocodiles, hippos, bushbucks, southern reedbuck and several among others.

KAHUZI – BIEGA NATIONAL PARK. #About Congo National Parks

This is one of the many UNESCO World heritage sites in the DRC. The park is in the south eastern part of the country – near the town of Bukavu and the banks of Lake Kivu. The park was established in 1970 by Adrien Deschryver, a Belgium conservationists and photographer.

Kahuzi-Beige covers an area of roughly 6000 square kilometers with much of it marked by lowland rain-forest, bamboo forests, swamps, bogs and marshland. The park derives its name from two mountains – Kahuzi and Beige. Kahuzi Beige is home to Eastern Lowland Gorillas, eastern chimpanzee, bush buffalo, forest elephants, owl-faced  and galagoes just to mention a few.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla, About Congo National Parks also known as the Grauer’s Gorilla is the largest of the gorilla sub-types.
Gorilla tacking is the most popular activity as well as trekking the Gorillas, tourists can also choose to include bird watching, mountain climbing and a tour of the city of Bukavu.

SALONGA NATIONAL PARK #About Congo National Parks

Covering an area of about 36,000 sq. km., Salonga is the biggest forest in Africa and lies along the Congo River basin between Kisangani and Kinshasa. The park was established in 1956 but increased in size in 1970. By 1984, About Congo National Parks Salonga  was designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park is made up of wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and think rainforests. The main wildlife types in the park are rare Salonga monkey, bonobos, Angolan slender mongoose, African golden cats, and the elusive Okapi just to mention but a few.

Salonga is one of the best birding spots in Congo. Birders can expect to see cattle regrets, black storks, yellow billed stork and others that are endemic to the area. while, the growth of tourism has been hampered by insecurity and inaccessibility due to poor roads. The park access is through river Lokoro.

VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK #About Congo National Parks

Another UNESCO World heritage for its amazing types and hosting one of the remaining number of mountain gorillas. Having been established in 1922, About Congo National Parks Virunga is the oldest national park in Africa. It was at one time the largest  before it was split to form the Volcanoes Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Park in Uganda.

Virunga is located in the Eastern part of the country close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda. The park is home to three volcanoes – Mikeno, Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo.

Apart from mountain gorillas, About Congo National Parks Virunga is home to the rare okapi, chimpanzees, forest elephants, African buffaloes, Ugandan Kobs, hippos, giant forest hogs, waterbucks, warthogs, Topi, duikers, lions, colobus monkeys and blue monkeys. There are 706 types of birds, 65 of amphibians and 109 of reptiles.

The main activities in the park are mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee walking, nature walks and hiking the Nyiragongo volcano. it also consists of savanna grasslands, swamps, rain-forests, steppes, 3 volcanoes and several water bodies.

The greatest threat to Virunga is poaching, encroachment on park land and rebel groups operating in some parts of the park. Militaries operating in the park have carried out several attacks on park rangers which has negatively affected tourism. The discovery of crude within and outside the park may turn out to be the greatest of all the threats in the future.

LOMAMI NATIONAL PARK #About Congo National Parks

Lomami National Park lies in the middle of river Lomami found in the provinces of Maniema and Tshepo. It was established in 1992 and formally opened in 2016. The park covers an area of 8,879 square kilometers consisting of several hills on the western side and rain-forest/savanna to the south.

The park is a home to African forest elephants, bonobos, okapi, Congo peacocks, grey parrots, Salonga monkeys, lesula monkeys, About Congo National Parks the rare drays monkey and many others. The inner parts of Lomami and its vast forests have a lot to  discover. Hunting for bush meat and elephant tusks is the greatest threat to the park.

GARAMBA NATIONAL PARK(1938)

This is one of the largest national parks in the Congo and is now a UNESO World Heritage site. It is located in the eastern part of the country at the border of South Sudan.

it covers an area of about 5,200 square kilometers.

Much of the park contains woodlands, About Congo National Parks extensive savanna grasslands, rivers and forests. Garamba is home to lions, leopards, forest hogs, African elephants, forest elephants.

Garamba is the only one hosting wild northern white rhinos. Rangers from the Congolese government and ICCN protect the park.

Though poachers, refugees and militias still find their way into the park.

Garamba lost much of its wildlife during the Congo and Sudan wars of the 1980’s and 90’s.

But WWF, IUCN and Frankfurt Zoological Society have teamed up to save this biological varied park.

A new threat to tourism in the park is the presence of the Kony Rebels.

UPEMBA NATIONAL PARK(1939)

This large and oldest national park is in the south eastern part of the country next to Kundelungu Park in Lualaba Province. it covers an area of 13000 sq. km.

Birders should expect to see the wattled crane, shoebills and spotted ground-thrush, just to mention but a few. Upemba also faces threats from poachers and militias. There are also human settlements within the park which has resulted in poaching, deforestation and encroachment on park land.

KUNDELUNGU NATIONAL PARK #About Congo National Parks

Like Upemba, Kundelungu National park is also in the south eastern part of the country (Haunt- Katanga province). It covers an area of about 7600 square kilometers and started as a private hunting ground. Sport hunting was suspended and the area is a gazette national park.

The park is a home to crocodiles, porcupines, jackals, buffaloes, hippos, leopards, lions, zebras and snakes among others. A key attraction is the Loco falls. These waterfalls rise 1,120 feet high and are one of the largest in the continent.

MAIKO NATIONAL PARK

This national park covers an area of 10,885 square kilometers in one of the remote areas of the country. Maiko started as a hunting reserve before it became a gazette in 1949 by the Belgian colonial government.
Furthermore, About Congo National Parks the park is an excellent place to go to because of its special animals.

Maiko National Park is also one of the best places to learn about chimpanzee conservation. Unfortunately, despite the remarkable biodiversity in the park, rebel activities are severely affecting tourism therein.

Other rebel groups like Hutu extremists who committed atrocities during the Rwanda genocide also settled in parts of the park. Despite all these threats there is hope because Wildlife Conservation Society, the ICCN, and WWF are supporting the park.