Congo Tourist Attractions & National Parks Famously Known

Congo Tourist Attractions & National Parks Famously Known

The Congo River, which runs across the entire nation, inspired the naming of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo River is the second-largest river in the world by discharge and the deepest river in the world. Despite being one of the least visited nations in Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is gradually making progress in the travel and tourism sector. Sadly, a lot of internal fights over the past few years have been highly destructive and scared away many visitors. Today, the nation takes pride in its various rivers, volcano mountains, and high mountains, as well as its equatorial verdant jungles.

DR Congo has long been a remote nation without any hope for tourism. Due to the Virunga National Park and other Congo attractions’ publicity, this has drastically changed over the past few years. The Eastern Lowland Gorillas, the largest gorillas in the world, can be found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. You can also find the endangered mountain gorillas in the oldest African national park or unwinding on Tchegera Island in Lake Kivu.

Nyiragongo Volcano

One of the attractions of travelling to the DR Congo is climbing the Nyiragongo volcano. You will get at the peak in 4-6 hours and spend the night there in one of the simple summit huts. The vast lava sea in the volcano’s crater provides an amazing sight at night. You may focus on the magnificence of this volcano as a porter carries your backpack. When you reach the top, a hot supper made by your personal chef is waiting for you. Few have experienced this exhilarating adventure before you. climbing one of the most active volcanoes in the world, admiring the beautiful scenery, then arriving at the summit to a sea of lava.

Virunga National Park

The Virunga, Africa’s oldest national park and home to mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and the amazing, active Nyiragongo volcano (climbed on an exhilarating two-day excursion), is the DRC’s most impressive attraction. The park quickly gained popularity after being the focus of the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga in 2014, however all tourism operations were abruptly halted in May 2018 as a result of the kidnapping of two British nationals. But the security of the park has been tightened and travelers are safe on their visit to Virunga.

Lola ya bonobo sanctuary

The sole refuge for orphaned bonobos in the entire globe is Lola ya Bonobo. The sanctuary has been situated at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya in Kinshasa since 2002, close to the Kimwenza district. In the primary language of Kinshasa, Lingala, the phrase “Lola ya Bonobo” means “paradise for bonobos.” About 60 bonobos reside in the 30 hectares of primary forest at Lola ya Bonobo. Claudine André, a Belgian, founded the sanctuary in 1994. Despite being in captivity, bonobos live in a setting that resembles the wild. Similar to how they would in the wild, they can browse among a variety of fruiting trees and edible plants, compete for mate opportunities, and learn to avoid hazards like walking on poisonous snakes.

Kahuzi Biega National Park

This national park is the main draw of South Kivu, offering reasonably priced tracking of habituated eastern lowland gorillas (Grauer’s gorillas). At Lwiro, the park also houses an excellently maintained chimpanzee orphanage for between 40 and 50 chimpanzees. Gorilla permits are frequently available for same-day hikes, and obtaining them with advance notice is never a problem. The greatest spot to plan a trip is Lodge Co-Co. Tshivanga, 30 km northwest of the city, serves as the starting point. Additionally, you can arrange for guides to accompany you on some fantastic mountain hikes within the park.

Senkwekwe Gorilla Orphanage centre

The Senkwekwe Centre assists in the rehabilitation of young Eastern lowland gorillas in addition to mountain gorillas by rescuing them from poachers, providing them with care for a predetermined amount of time, and then moving them to the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) facility for orphaned lowland gorillas. The Senkwekwe mountain gorilla refuge is praised for its nearby educational programs and community outreach initiatives. Residents of Mikeno Lodge are not charged to visit the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage. Those who have reservations at other hotels must speak with the park in advance to inquire about the possibility of visiting the centre.

Garamba National Park

The Garamba National Park is located along the 200-kilometer border between South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite seeing less visitors, the park is still a great national park in Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage site. On a tour of the park, visitors may look forward to breathtaking vistas of the endless African savannah and grasslands. Elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinoceroses, antelope, and many other bird species can be seen in the park. Unfortunately, widespread poaching poses a threat to the park’s beautiful array of huge species. When taking a safari in the park, caution should be exercised because armed rebels and groups from nearby nations have occasionally found refuge there.

Livingstone waterfalls on the Congo River

The Livingstone Falls are a collection of rapids that plunge 900 feet (270 metres) over the course of 220 miles (350 km). They begin below Malebo Pool and finish at Matadi, Bas-Congo. The Amazon River, which has no falls or rapids (apart from close to its headwaters), has the greatest flow rate in the world, surpassing only the Congo River. Therefore, if one considers that Livingstone Falls’ lowest rapids qualify as a waterfall, it has the highest flow rate in the entire planet. The width of the channel of the Livingstone Falls, which have a length of 230 miles (350 km), is an intriguing feature.
The channel is extremely narrow; for the bulk of its length, it is less than 800 metres wide, with some portions of less than 300 metres. Given that the river flow rate frequently surpasses 42,000 cubic metres per second (1,500,000 cubic feet per second), this is a very tight channel.

Lake Kivu

One of the Great Lakes of Africa is Lake Kivu. It is located in the Albertine Rift, the western arm of the East African Rift, and is on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The Ruzizi River, which drains Lake Kivu, empties into Lake Tanganyika towards the south. There is no better spot to end a safari than lounging along the shores of Lake Kivu, which offers a variety of tourist attractions that are alluring to partake in. The absence of crocodiles, hippos, and Bilharzia makes the lake safe for swimming.
Swimming, relaxing and hanging out, beach visits, boat kayaking, water sportfishing, hiking and biking around Lake Kivu, visiting Imbabazi Orphanage, among other activities, are the main tourism activities done around this lake.