Congo National parks : The Democratic Republic of Congo / D.R. Congo / former Zaire is an interesting country in central region in the heart of African continent. DR Congo is one of the most blessed countries in terms of climate, natural minerals for example uranium, cobalt, gold etcetera, wildlife, and very many other aspects. These opportunities make it one of the world’s potentially richest countries though it has a long way to benefit from its vast resources.
The country is the second-largest nation on the continent and crossed by the mighty Congo River (the world’s deepest and 2nd largest river) and the continuous Congo rainforest. Because of these two factors, wildlife is so rich and perfectly balanced all over the country that several national parks were established to protect and conserve this immense wealth that Congo boasts of.
A total of 10 national parks have over the years been gazzeted with a couple of them having an outstanding reputation for the wildlife that call them home. These parks harbor a couple of the last few surviving fauna and flora on earth including the endangered white rhinoceros and mountain gorillas.
List of National parks in D.R. Congo.
Virunga National Park.
The Virunga national park is the most famous game park in D.R. Congo due to its amazing population of some of the most sought after attractions in the world including mountain gorillas. The park which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the first and oldest game parks in Africa and is located in the eastern province of the country.
Virunga national park is bordered to its west by Mount. Nyiragongo, the most active volcano in Africa and a hike to its lava boiling summit is one of the Congolese safari highlights you shouldn’t miss.
This is the second most visited national park after Virunga national park. The park is renowned for its enormous numbers of eastern lowland gorillas, close cousins to the mountain gorillas. Located in the south – kivu region of Congo, visitors can also add a hike on mount Biega and Kahuzi as well as chimpanzee trekking in addition to eastern lowland gorilla trekking.
Salonga National Park.
Located in the Congo River basin, this park is the biggest tropical rainforest reserve on the African continent. Over 3,600,000 hectares of tropical rain forest stretch across the provinces of Kasai, Mai Ndombe, Sankuru, and Equateur. The park is famous for exhilarating water safaris on the great River Congo and a UNESCO world heritage site for safeguarding some rare species of flora and fauna in its gigantic rainforests. Iconic species that can be encountered here include African slender crocodiles, okapi bonobos among others.
Garamba National Park.
The Garamba national park is a land of beautifully mixed environments from the rolling open savannahs in one minute to almost impenetrable woodland in the next and then swampy territory. The park stretches between the Guinea-Sudan savannah to the Congo basin covering an area of 4,920 square kilometers. Garamba is home to the Congolese giraffe endemic to this park, hippopotamus, and the last surviving populace of white rhinoceros. The spotted hyena, chimpanzee, forest elephants, and different diurnal primates also call Garamba national park home.
Other notable national parks in D.R. Congo include Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) recognized for being home to the western lowland gorillas and several game safaris take place here. Odzala national park is recognized for the western lowland gorillas, Maiko national park famous for eastern lowland gorillas, and the Upemba national park celebrated for outstanding wildlife adventures in DR Congo.
All the national parks are overseen and managed by the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation. Over the years even with the little instabilities here and there, Congo national parks are still among the best African destinations and offer memorable experiences at relatively cheaper rates compared to the neighboring destinations.
An adventure in either Virunga national park for the mountain gorillas, to Kahuzi- Biega for the chimpanzees or Salonga for water adventures will leave your adrenaline pumping and planning when you go back to one of these awesome national parks.
Plan a visit to one of D.R. Congo’s national parks and embark on a journey of creating your own outstanding safari memories.
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