Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the biggest protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo located in within Bukavu town and is located on the western bank of Lake Kivu. The park is one of the few safari destinations that harbors the Eastern Lowland Gorillas making it a top safari destination for Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trekking. The park is composed of dormant volcanoes namely, Mount Kahuzi & Mount Biega from which the name Kahuzi Biega is derived from. Kahuzi Biega National park features unique vegetation cover that is composed of forests and montane. The vegetation has favoured the thriving of the eastern lowland gorilla hence making gorilla trekking the prime tour activity at Kahuzi Biega National park.
The national park is located in an important Endemic Bird Area for birds identified by Birdlife International. Kahuzi-Biega national park has a record of about 349 species of birds including 42 endemic species. The park is mainly composed of swamp and bog vegetation, marshland and riparian forests on hydromorphic ground at all altitudes. Much of the forest in Kahuzi-Biega national park is characterized by continuous vegetation from the summit of the mountains to the lowland regions. A corridor connects the highland section of the national park to the lowland section of the park. Here are the top things to do in Kahuzi Biega National Park;
- Gorilla trekking and Habituation
Going on a gorilla safari in Congo is one of the most popular adventures that do not miss on travelers’ bucket-list. Gorilla trekking is the practice of following a family of habituated mountain gorillas and stay with them for Just an hour. Some of the reasons why gorillas were being poached was for trophies and sell them as souvenirs. The park is still trying to include the local communities in gorilla conservation campaign by hiring them as rangers, porters or even support local projects like community walks. This is can only come to life from gorilla trekking funds accumulated after selling permits.
Gorilla habituation is the process of taming a group of extremely wild gorillas and getting them to be less aggressive to human visits. Upon the discovery of gorillas, human interest to visit and see them (up close) was birthed. However, because wild gorillas can be very aggressive, a plan to slowly get them accustomed to human visits (Habituation) was necessary before humans could risk being attacked and killed by the gorillas.
Each day tourists gather at the ranger station for briefing then a ranger guide leads a group of maximum 8 clients to the trail where the gorillas were seen the previous day. Early morning a team of rangers follows the gorillas and informs park authorities about the feeding point for each mountain gorilla family.
- Chimpanzee trekking at Lwiro Sanctuary
Visiting Lwiro primate Rehabilitation Centre, this is a conservation sanctuary for chimpanzees and other primate mammals that have been rescued from poaching. The sanctuary gives an opportunity to travelers to encounter with a lot of primates as well participating in the conservation practice of the touched primates.
- Camping Safaris in Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Camping safaris in Kahuzi-Biega national park are one of a kind. Campers get to enjoy spending quality and quite time with nature. Get an opportunity to wake up to the blissful sights and sounds of birds whistling, chipping and singing in the morning as the sun rises above the horizons. Tourists who love to be amidst nature and wish to explore the tropical forests in the national park can pay for camping activities which cost USD 100 dollars per person per day and is inclusive of food and a park guide. However, tourists who wish to camp in the park must bring along their own tent and sleeping bag, or hire them from the park at a cost of USD 5 dollars per person per night, for each.
- Community/Cultural Tours
Community/ Cultural tours in Kahuzi- Biega national park offer visitors an opportunity to mingle with locals living in communities near the national park. Cultural encounters in the park are a great way for visitors to learn more about the different ethnic cultures in Congo and how the local people get to spend the day-to-day lives.
Watch dance and singing performances from local dance troupes, put your creativity to the test by making local arts and crafts like baskets, beads, necklaces, earrings, and clothes using locally sourced materials such as recycled paper, sisal, papyrus and Kinteges. Visitors also have an opportunity to learn how to cook traditional Congolese delicacies and share a meal with a local family.
- Bird Watching
Visitors who love watching birds will find Kahuzi-Biega national park in Congo an ideal spot to partake in birding activities since the park is home to over 349 species of birds. Tourists on a bird watching safari in the national park, have high chances of spotting bird species like; the Congo pea fowl, Ruwenzori Turaco and the trogons among others.
- Hiking Mountains Kahuzi and Biega
The Mitumba Mountain ranges provide the iconic spot for hiking adventure safaris for any tourist visiting the national park. Visitors can hike through the forest vegetation and explore the beautiful scenery and wildlife of the park. Tourists on holiday in the park can also hike to the Kibatu waterfalls at a price of USD 35 dollars per person, while hiking the mountain ascents of Kahuzi or Biega will cost US$ 100 dollars per person.
- Nature walk
Tshe only way to explore mount Kahuzi Biega national park is through guided nature walks with a park ranger guide. Nature walks will offer travelers an opportunity to encounter with other birdlife in the tropical rainforest of the park, other wildlife animals besides the lowland gorillas such as the forest elephants, the antelopes, buffaloes, primates such as chimpanzees, the white and black colobus monkeys, the red tailed monkeys, the L’Hoest’s monkeys, the blue monkeys among others. Nature walks can give an insight to interact the local community as well as its people and culture.
- Boat cruise on Lake Kivu
Tourists visiting the park can opt to go on a boat cruise on Lake Kivu which is shared by Congo and Rwanda. This activity costs US$ 60 dollars per person and is best done after trekking gorillas in the national park.
Conclusion
Kahuzi-Biega National park is one of DR Congo’s hidden gems. It is a great park to visit and because it is less visited and remains relatively virgin with lush green forest, great mountainous landscape, lakes and rivers. Kahuzi Biega gives you a feeling of visiting a true African wilderness.
