Congo Safari Adventures are amazing tour packages that any traveler can decide to book just in case they are interested in gorilla trekking, mountain Hiking, cultural tours in Congo, and other amazing safari activities. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most diverse and amazing countries to visit in Africa. Located in Central Africa, the country is landlocked and is named after the Congo River that flows throughout the country. The Congo has a total area of 2,344,858 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country on the continent after Algeria. The country is bordered by up to 9 countries say Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and Angola.
The Congo has a lot of attractions to offer to travelers, especially to travelers who love to discover and explore: the Congo has this untapped and wildness, plus unmatched biodiversity that is very rare to find in most African countries, it is indeed a gem worth a visit. Notwithstanding the on-and-off volatile situation in the country, the country has several tourists who flock to it.
Travelers who go on Congo Safaris oftentimes go to do mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, but there is a lot that the country has to offer, including hiking the active volcano of Nyiragongo that has a lava lake at its peak, chimpanzee trekking, lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Beiga National Park, game drives, and many other activities.
National Parks in the Congo
The national parks of the Congo offer a wildness that is unmatched in Africa. From the jungle forests of the Virunga National Park that are home to some of the rare and endangered primates like the mountain gorillas to the savanna plains of parks like Maiko National Park that offer splendid game viewing options, you will have a true African safari while on a Congo Safari.
Virunga National Park
This is the top destination in Congo for one to enjoy their Congo Safaris tours. Virunga National Park, that is formerly known as Albert National Park, lies in the North-East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bordering the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda in the north and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park in the East. The park includes part of Lake Edward, the Semliki River valley, parts of the Rwindi, Ishasha, and Rutshuru valleys. Established in 1925, the Virunga National Park is Africa’s very first and therefore oldest national park, and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The park is managed by the Congolese Institute of Nature and Conservation.
The Virunga National Park has a unique and active chain of volcanoes that is rich in the diversity of its inhabitants. Some of the prominent volcanoes include the Nyiragongo mountain, which has a lava lake at its peak, Mount Sabinyo, which is the oldest of all, Nyamuragira, which is actually an active volcano, and Mount Mikeno.
Attractions and Activities in Virunga National Park
Mountain Gorillas
Mountain gorillas are one of the most popular activities in most Congo Tours. Doing a Congo Safari without visiting these endangered mountain gorillas on a gorilla trekking experience in Virunga National Park renders your safari incomplete. With over 200 mountain gorillas, the Virunga National Park has eight habituated mountain gorillas that travelers can trek with, the very largest and most common gorilla family being the Kabirizi, which has up to 32 members.
Irrespective of the gorilla group that you are trekking, the gorilla trekking experience usually starts with a briefing at the park headquarters early in the morning. After the brief, trekkers embark on the hike to find these endangered mountain gorillas with the help and protection of the rangers. Once they are encountered, travelers are allowed up to one hour to be with them. Travelers are advised to keep in mind the gorilla trekking rules and regulations during the gorilla trekking experience. The hike back to the park headquarters is usually less strenuous but scenic. Gorilla tracking permits in Congo cost only $400, and they can be purchased at the park headquarters, but because of the high demand for gorilla trekking, travelers are advised to book in advance to secure their permit availability.
Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage
Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage is the only orphanage center for mountain gorillas in the world, which was started in 2010 after there was a need to rehabilitate, treat, and safeguard the mountain gorilla babies that were left behind after the killing of their elders by rebels in 2007, when the park was used as a hideout for rebels. The orphanage has since taken in several orphaned gorillas and also acts as a center for rehabilitation and treatment of the hurt lowland gorillas from Kahuzi Beiga National Park that are rescued from poachers and animal traffickers. These are treated and then transferred to the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Centre, which is a center for the orphaned lowland gorillas.
The Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage offers a rare opportunity for travelers to have an amazing time with these orphaned gorillas as they interact with them and learn about their behaviors. The gorillas in this orphanage are very welcoming and are very attached to humans, as you will see them with their caretakers. The Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage is located in Virunga National Park, and travelers who would like to visit or volunteer could inquire at the park headquarters about availability.
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are another kind of primate that can be found in Virunga National Park. A Chimpanzee habituation experience in the Virunga will see you hiking the jungles of the park in search of these lively primates under the guidance of the researchers and the game rangers. They are oftentimes playful and noisy as they jump from one tree to another in search of food. Chimpanzee habituation was opened to tourists in 2014, and it starts very early in the morning at 5:30 when the chimps awake and start their food search. Given their mobility, the chimpanzee habituation experience gives travelers a thrilling and more adventurous encounter. Chimpanzee habituation experience permits in the Virunga National Park cost about $100 only.
Nature Walks
The great diversity in plant and animal life of the Virunga National Park is unbeatable in the whole continent; it, therefore, makes nature walks an interesting and wonderful experience for travelers that they should not miss out on. Taking guided nature walks through secure sections of the park rewards travelers with magnificent scenery and views of landscapes with wonderful sights of volcanoes like the Nyiragongo. While on these nature walks, travelers should be on the lookout for the varied wildlife of primates, mammals, birdlife, and a whole lot more.
Mount Nyiragongo
This is a stratovolcano whose summit has the world’s largest lava lake with boiling magma, and the volcano stands at 6,500ft. Hiking the Nyiragongo for the sole purpose of viewing the lava lake has seen a great number of tourists visiting Virunga National Park. Treks to the summit of the Nyiragongo active volcano begin at Kibati, which is about a 30-minute drive from Goma. The rangers lead the hike to the summit, and some porters can be hired to help you with your luggage, so you have less of a burden while hiking.
The hike to the top takes about a day, and travelers get to spend the night at some shelters at the top of the volcano and then descend the next day, which is actually faster, as it takes only 3 hours at the very most. Travelers should carry heavy or warm clothes, as the summit is very cold- don’t be deceived by the Ava Lake, which would be warm.
The Batwa Community
The Batwa pygmies are a community of people that were originally forest dwellers who majorly depended on the forest for their livelihood- they are the only known people that ever co-existed with the endangered mountain gorillas and all the other wildlife of the Virunga massif without tampering with them. They were, however, evicted from the national parks and relocated to nearby communities, where they live, though unhappy, for they found the jungles their home. The Batwa, therefore, share their life story and skills with those travelers who would like to go through the Batwa cultural trail that sees them demonstrating their way of life say how they collected wild honey, hunting skills that they used, the fruits that they depended on plus the various plants that were medicinal to them. They also share how they cooked and made a fire from just a stick, their dances, and very sad songs that they sing at the end of the trail will leave you mesmerized. Visiting them could prove worthwhile as the funds that are raised go to the education fund for the Batwa children.
Other mammals that can be found in Virunga National Park include the golden monkeys, red-tailed monkey, Dent’s Mona monkey, Central African red colobus, olive baboon, grey-cheeked mangabey, African bush elephants, hippopotamus, giant forest hog, waterbuck, common warthog and African bush elephants among so any others.
Kahuzi Biega National Park
After mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park and the Nyiragongo hike to the lava lake summit, the next best tourist attraction that most tourists ask for in the Congo is the Eastern lowland gorillas and Lwiro Chimpanzee tracking in Kahuzi Biega National Park. Kahuzi Biega National Park is the only place that has the eastern lowland gorillas, which can be trekked with Maiko National Park, but it does not offer the option of trekking.
Kahuzi Biega National Park, with a size of 2,316 square miles, lies near the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just next to Lake Kivu in the town of Bukavu. Established in 1970, the park is one of the largest national parks in the country. The park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1980s due to its vast forest and unique mammal species. The name Kahuzi Biega is derived from the two dormant volcanoes found in the park edges- Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega.
The park is managed by the Congolese Institute of Conservation of Nature in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These face several challenges, among them the ever-volatile situations that the area faces.
About 137 mammal species and 350 bird species have been recorded in the park. The Eastern Lowland gorilla is the most sought-after in the park, and these lowland gorillas can be found in two sectors of the park, the highlands and the lowlands.
Major attractions of Kahuzi Biega National Park include the abundant flora that is best seen and experienced when on a nature walk, the wildlife of the park that includes primates, mammals, birds, butterflies, and many more are all attractions worth visiting. Mountains Kahuzi and Biega, waterfalls, and a lot more are also worth a visit. The biggest attraction of the park, however, is the Eastern lowland gorillas that tourists travel all the way to visit.
Activities in Kahuzi Biega National Park
Kahuzi Biega is one of Congo’s hidden gems that is less visited and therefore remains relatively virgin with lush green forests, great mountainous landscapes, lakes, and rivers. It is another amazing place to enjoy one’s Congo Safaris. The park, when visited, gives you a true African wilderness feeling. Some of the things that attract tourists to Kahuzi Biega are;
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking
This is the reason that most travelers visiting the park go to do. The Eastern lowland gorillas are larger than the mountain gorillas and are also near extinction due to poaching and animal trafficking, plus the wars that are sometimes waged in these areas. As of 2013, there were 145 eastern lowland gorillas recorded in the highland sector of the park, which was a great decline from the 600 that were recorded in 1990.
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking involves hiking through the dense tropical forest and highlands of Kahuzi Biega National Park in search of the near-extinct eastern lowland gorillas. The trek can take between thirty minutes and up to six hours, and travelers are allowed only one hour with them once encountered, during which time they are advised to observe the way of life of these gorillas. From the dominant silverback looking out for the safety of his family to the juveniles who play around and may even approach you. Travelers are advised to follow the instructions of the rangers and guides at all times. Permits cost only $400.
Mountain Hiking
The hike to Mount Kahuzi offers breathtaking views of the town of Bukavu and Lake Kivu while enjoying your Congo Safaris tour. Reaching the summit takes about four hours and three hours to descend. Mount Biega, however, takes only six hours to both ascend and descend. The vegetation of both mountains is different. Mount Bugulumiza, at 2400 meters, is another mountain worth a climb as it gives awesome views of the surrounding landscape, including the mountains of Kahuzi and Biega.
Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Located in the southeast of the Congo, the sanctuary is close to the park. The center takes care of the orphaned chimpanzees and other small primates that lose their parents to poaching and animal trafficking, mostly. The rehabilitation center has, since its inception, been named as the third most prominent site by the IUCN for its role played in the conservation of chimpanzees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sanctuary currently protects approximately 105 monkeys of different species along with parrots, turtles, and porcupines.
Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary is a haven for chimpanzee lovers, as it is a place that houses these chimpanzees that are slowly recovering from the trauma. Visiting the chimps here will give you an opportunity to get close to them in the field and also take part in their conservation. Volunteer opportunities are available where you can get to learn about primates.
Bird watching
Congo Birding Safaris are one of the most interesting activities, and one can enjoy them best when exploring Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Morning and evening birding schedules are scheduled every day, where the birders have an opportunity to spot various bird species like the African green broadbill. Binoculars could come in handy.
Nature walks
There are well-established trails that take travelers to see various sceneries and wildlife, including primates and birds. Marais Musisi Trail and Tshibati waterfalls trails go through swamps, bamboo forests, and three different but beautiful waterfalls.
Maiko National Park
Congo Safari tours keep getting better and better, and when you visit Maiko National Park, you will experience the safari of a lifetime. Maiko National Park is one of the best conservation parks for the Eastern lowland gorillas that find the park a natural habitat. The park stretches to cover an area of 10,400 square kilometers, and it extends into the three provinces of Nord Kivu, Orientale, and Mainema. The park was created in 1949, and it inhabits unique wildlife species such as the Eastern lowland gorillas, the Okapi, forest elephants, and the Congo peacock. The park is the right place for travelers who are after the exploration of the jungle. Some of the tourist activities that Maiko National Park has to offer include;
Wildlife viewing
The park has untouched vegetation cover that still gives any traveler a true wilderness impression. This impressive vegetation cover harbors a variety of animal species, among them the forest elephants, the Okapis, Congo peacock, leopards, aquatic genet, the eastern chimps, and lowland gorillas, along with so many more you should discover when at the park. The variety and quantity of the wildlife in Maiko National Park make a wildlife viewing safari amazingly unforgettable.
Nature walks
Given the park’s impressive vegetation, nature walks are a must-do through clearly created trails. Nature walks are a good way to discover and learn about the park, plus what it has to offer. Walking through the thickly forested wilderness of Maiko and on the river banks of the River Oslo and Lindi, be keen to sight several species of wildlife and birds, plus butterflies.
Bird watching
With the vegetation cover of the park, be sure to have a good sight of several bird species. Broadbills, Pitas, sparrows, turacos, egrets, and kingfishers, among so many other birds, are what you should look out for. A good pair of binoculars is a must-carry.
Maiko National Park has over 800 eastern lowland gorillas, but gorilla trekking is not available. If a traveler would like to have an Eastern lowland gorilla trekking experience, Kahuzi Biega is the best place to do it from. Gorilla trekking was banned from Maiko after a gorilla attacked a tourist.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has a number of national parks that have a lot to offer, as they are untapped. Having a Congo safari planned out for you would see you discovering a lot more than you could imagine.
