Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a protected area near Bukavu town in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo situated near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border. Set in both mountainous and lowland terrain, it is one of the last refuges of the rare species of Eastern lowland gorilla, an endangered category under the IUCN Red List.
Having trekked the mountain gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda, we wanted to see the eastern lowland gorilla safaris in Congo, Kahuzi Biega National Park as a comparison. Following the guides briefing about Kahuzi Biega National Park, it was gazetted by the Congolese government in 1970 to conserve the Graurer’s gorilla, the world’s largest gorilla species. It remains the only place in the world where visitors can see the lowland gorillas in the wild. The park covers an area of 6000 km2 and protects a mountain forest in eastern DR Congo, which is the most densely populated region of the country. The park is named after the two spectacular extinct volcanoes which dominate its high altitude sector, Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega.
Among the mammal species are twelve species of primates, amongst them eastern chimpanzees and Colobus, as well as forest elephants, leopards, civets, genets, otters and many antelope and duiker. 30 of the 336 species birds found in the park are endemic to the Albertine Rift, including the Rockefeller’s sun bird, Ruwenzori Turaco, Graurer’s broad bill, Graurer’s warbler and Shelley’s crimson wing, there are a further 69 species of reptiles and 44 species of amphibians.
Given that the Democratic Republic of Congo doesn’t have a lot of tourism like other neighbouring countries, this might be the cheapest gorilla visit you will find. Still this means $400 per person if you are not a DRC resident. The visit includes a security briefing and a small story about the gorillas that live there and then you go for a walk with a park ranger to see them. When visiting the eastern lowland gorillas, it is advisable that gorilla trekkers follow the rules and regulations that are put in place by the international communities like Gorilla Doctors, Kahuzi Biega National Park officials to continuously conserve the primates in their natural home.
When planning to go gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park, you will need to secure the gorilla permit in advance to avoid missing the chance for gorilla trekking in Democratic Republic of Congo. the gorilla trekking experience that you will engage in at Kahuzi National Park or Virunga National Park in Congo will create you a great magical experience as you engage in the trekking of primates to visualize the different behaviors that they exhibit while in the forest as you enjoy the thrilling nature of the forest and the warmth of what it harbours.
Trekking to see the lowland gorillas is an amazing way that you can get to see the different attractions that live in and around the Kahuzi Biega National Park. Nature Adventure Africa Safaris Ltd offers gorilla tracking expeditions where knowledgeable guides educate you about these primates. In our group with the ranger guide, we walked deep into the forest and spent some good time searching for these great apes and many other primates other than the gorillas.
We moved different positions to enable us take the best photo-shots without totally imposing on the gorillas. We were very lucky to see Chimanuka the silver back and its 18 family members in an open field area, after only 5minutes of walk. This experience was equally as good as the mountain gorilla treks we have done. Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the best safari destinations in DRC for Eastern lowland gorilla trekking.
The next day after breakfast we went to climb Mount Kahuzi which was about 30 minutes’ drive away from Bugulmiza campsite. We were accompanied by three ranger guides again. The hike was really a tough climb and took us about 5 hours to reach the summit at about 3,300m. It was dark by the time we returned back to the ranger station at the foot of the trail. Our jeep was already waiting for us ready to drive us back to the campsite.
The next we were able to the scientific research centre at Lwiro. The park also contains one of the most Lwiro primates in the region. Lwiro Sanctuary stands as a rehabilitation centre for the orphaned chimpanzees and monkey species. It was established in the year 0f 2002 positioned close to Tshivanga visitors in an old Belgian research centre, apparently the centre as around 55 chimpanzees and over 60 species of monkeys.
The research centre itself is run down by the former colonial building in which approximately 800 people work there. Our guide showed us various exhibition rooms and the library at the centre which is allegedly the largest library in central Africa. We drove then back to Bukavu, then to Kigali for a city tour the following day.
The highlight of the trip was the time we spent in Kahuzi Biega National Park. Everything was set up well, viewing the lowland gorillas and climbing mount Kahuzi. The rangers were extremely knowledgeable and professional and they knew the park inside and out. However, the park is currently very secure and very much open for business and I would highly recommend a visit to this park.
