The Democratic Republic of Congo, often called Congo, is a country located in the central part of Africa. It is one of the few places where you can see mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas in the wild.
The country is also home to many endangered species and two of the most active volcanoes in Africa.
List of Congo National Parks
Congo has eleven national parks, each offering its own special experience. The list of parks is shown below.
Virunga National Park
Virunga National Park is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the border with Rwanda and Uganda. It covers an area of 7,800 square kilometers.
It is Africa’s oldest national park, established in 1925 by King Albert of Belgium as Albert National Park. The name was later changed to Virunga National Park.
Virunga is home to some of the world’s most active volcanoes, including Mount Nyamuragira and Mount Nyiragongo.
The park is also home to endangered mountain gorillas, which live only in Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is known for gorilla trekking safaris.
It is named after two dormant volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega, which are found inside the park.
The park was created in 1970 by a Belgian photographer and conservationist named Adrien Deschryver.
In 1980, it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The park covers 6,000 square kilometers and is home to endangered animals like eastern lowland gorillas, forest elephants, forest buffalos, Alexander’s bush squirrel, and the owl faced monkey. It also has many recorded bird species.
This park is a popular place for budget gorilla tours.
Mangroves National Park
Mangroves National Park is the only marine national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It was established in 1992 and covers an area of 678 square kilometers, making it the smallest national park in the country.
The mangroves in this park are different from those found in South Asia.
The park also has many other types of trees, some of which are only found in this area. It is home to various animals, including crocodiles, hippos, bushbucks, reedbucks, snakes, and several primate species.
Maiko National Park
Maiko National Park is located near the border of Rwanda and Congo, between Kisangani and Bukavu. It covers an area of 10,400 square kilometers.
The park was first set up by the Belgian government in 1949 as the Bakumu Hunting Reserve. Its purpose was to protect wildlife and stop mineral exploitation.
The park is home to many animals, including forest elephants, aquatic genets, eastern chimpanzees, leopards, bushbucks, and others.
It is a remote place with no lodges or facilities, so tourists who plan to visit should bring their own camping equipment.
Odzala National Park
Odzala National Park is one of the oldest protected areas in Congo.
It was first marked as a protected area in 1935 and later became a biosphere reserve in 1977.
In 2001, it was made a national park and now covers 13,500 square kilometers.
Odzala National Park is home to many kinds of wildlife, including 100 species of mammals, 4,500 types of trees and plants, 440 bird species, and many primates.
Some animals found in the park include African elephants, forest buffalos, aquatic genets, and primates like gorillas, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and black crested mangabeys.
The park also has many bird species, such as the red capped crombec, grey parrot, African fish eagle, and black dwarf hornbill.
Lomami National Park
Lomami National Park is one of the newest national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was established in July 2016 and covers an area of 8,879 square kilometers.
The park is located in two provinces, Maniema and Tshopo.
Lomami National Park is home to some endangered species, including the rare Dryas monkey, okapi, bonobo monkeys, and Lesula monkey. Other animals in the park include forest elephants, leopards, bushbucks, hippos, and crocodiles, among others.
Upemba National Park
Upemba National Park is located in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers.
The park was established in 1939 and was the largest park in Africa at that time, before its boundaries were changed in 1975.
Upemba National Park is home to over 1,800 species of wildlife. Some of these include the shoebill, wattled crane, spotted ground thrush, African fish eagle, and strange weaver, among others.
Kundelungu National Park
Kundelungu National Park is located near Upemba National Park in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The park was established in 1970 and covers an area of 7,600 square kilometers.
It is home to many wildlife species, including antelopes, hippos, elephants, warthogs, porcupines, buffalos, monkeys, jackals, and several bird species.
Garamba National Park
Garamba National Park was established in 1938 and covers an area of 5,200 square kilometers.
It is home to 138 species of mammals and 286 species of birds.
In the 1960s and 70s, the park had more than 20,000 elephants, but the number dropped sharply because of poaching.
Wildlife in Garamba National Park includes giant forest hogs, Congo giraffes, okapi, forest elephants, hippos, buffalos, leopards, and many bird species such as the secretary bird.
Salonga National Park
Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest tropical rainforest national park in Africa. It covers 36,000 square kilometers within the Congo River Basin.
The park was first established as Tshaupa National Park in 1956 and later renamed Salonga by a presidential decree in 1970.
Salonga National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. It is home to many animals, including the African golden genet, bush pigs, forest buffalo, long tailed pangolin, Angolan slender mongoose, hippos, Dryas monkey, aquatic genet, Thollon’s red colobus, and others.
Nouabale-Ndoki National Park
Nouabale-Ndoki National Park was created in 1993 and is located in the northern part of Congo. It covers 3,921 square kilometers.
This park is one of the places to visit when touring Congo.
It has about 1,000 plant species and around 300 bird species.
Animals found in the park include elephants, chimpanzees, gorillas, buffalos, leopards, blue duikers, crocodiles, colobus monkeys, and many others.
Best Time to Visit
National parks in Congo can be visited throughout the year, but the best time to go is from June to August, during the dry season.
