The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa. However, in terms of natural beauty and resources, it is second to none. The country is awash with dense tropical rain forest that harbor amazing wildlife – many of which are unique to the country. The shy Okapi, eastern lowland gorillas and bonobos are just a few examples. At the moment, the greatest draw are gorillas.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the only country with both mountain and Eastern lowland gorillas. The Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga National Park is arguably one of the best attractions in Africa. Despite these natural riches, the world has been denied opportunities to see the full scale of what the country has to offer because of chronic political instability and insecurity. By now, the county would have been among, if not the leading tourism destination in Africa. Civil wars and insecurity means much of the country remains underdeveloped and unreachable. The tourism infrastructure is not well developed except for a few places.
The country’s shortcomings, insecurity and poor infrastructure has not stopped adventurous travelers from visiting. Some of the national parks are well managed and receive thousands of visitors each year. The Virunga National Park is one example of a well-managed park. The tourism infrastructure in Virunga is of very high quality and a traveler should expect an amazing experience. There has also been massive deployment of security forces and park rangers in Virunga and Kahuzi Biega National Park to protect the park resources.
What about the capital Kinshasa? Kinshasa presents its own attractions. With a population of 10 million people, the capital brings together people from all parts of the country. It is arguably the only place 
where one can experience the different cultures of the Congolese people. From the flamboyant sense of fashion, cuisines to high quality Lingala music, the capital exposes you to the easy going and fun loving side of the people in the country. You also get to see the ugly side of urban life in a developing country including the gap between the rich and the poor. If exploring new culture is not your thing, you will still not be disappointed while in Kinshasa. You can visit the city museums, the parliament building and the central market for authentic African attires. There is also the bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee) sanctuary, the river Congo, the main golf course and Musée National de Kinshasa.
Congo Safaris – Best Places To Visit
Kahuzi-Biega national park: This is one of the most visited national parks in Congo. It is situated between two volcanic mountains – Kahuzi and Biega in the province of Bukavu. The park derives its name from the two great volcanoes. Kahuzi Biega national park is the one of the natural homes of the 
eastern lowland gorilla (Grauer’s gorillas) and the only protected area where these species can be tracked by tourists. The park was declared a UNESCO World heritage site because of its unique biodiversity and for being one of the last strongholds of the largest gorilla species on earth. However, the number of eastern lowland gorillas in the park is decreasing due to diseases, civil wars and poaching. Apart from Grauer’s gorillas, tourists have a lot to see and do while in Kahuzi Biega National Park. There is birding, viewing waterfalls, small primate viewing, climbing the two volcanic mountains of Kahuzi and Biega. The park is home to primates like the red tailed monkey, vervet monkeys, chimpanzees, olive baboons, black and white colobus. Kahuzi Biega National Park has over 300 species of mammals including forest elephants, bongo antelopes, bush buffaloes and bush squirrels among others.
Virunga National Park: Virunga National Park was gazetted in 1925 to protect the unique flora and fauna including mountain gorillas. It is the oldest national park in Africa with amazing wildlife and physical features like volcanoes, vegetation cover, crater lakes, streams and rivers which flow within the dense forests. The park is also home to volcanoes, the rare okapi, forest buffaloes, African elephants, spotted hyenas, jackals and birds. Virunga national park was part of the greater Virunga conservation area which included Uganda and Rwanda. The area was split and divided amongst the three countries forming the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda among other wildlife sanctuaries. Congo remained with Virunga national park.
Apart from the amazing Nyiragongo volcano, one other key attraction in the park are the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are endangered species but thanks to gorilla tourism and wildlife conservation Agencies, their overall numbers have gradually improved. As we write this, there are now over 1000 individuals in the wilds of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The Virunga national park is one of the few places in the world where travelers can go for gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is considered one of the most exciting wildlife activities in the world. Virunga National Park stands out from other national parks because it is the only gorilla park where one can also visit a gorilla orphanage. The Senkwekwe Centre was set up by the Virunga Foundation to take care of young gorillas who lost their parents due to poaching or where rescued from animal traffickers. You Might be interested in our 2 days Congo gorilla safari package.
Mount Nyiragongo Volcano: This amazing attraction is located in Virunga National Park. The Nyiragongo Volcano is one of the most studied active volcanoes in Africa. The mountain is an ideal research subject researchers/scientists who are interested in studying active volcanoes and their impact 
on the environment. Nyiragongo is one of the few if not the only volcano where tourists are allowed to climb just for the purpose of seeing a boiling lava lake. Because of its unique offering, it is one of the most visited natural attractions in Congo at the moment. Hiking Mount Nyiragongo is often done in combination with gorilla trekking in Virunga national park. It takes hikers 2 days to do climb and descend the volcano. The erupting magma offers a magnificent view in a way that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. Taking photos and videos close to boiling magma will win you a lot of respect and admirers once you get back home.
Garamba National Park: Garamba National Park was gazetted in 1938, making it one of the oldest protected areas in Africa. It is located in the northeastern part of Congo, at the border of South Sudan. It 
is part of the sudano-guinean savanna zone – one of the most amazing ecological zones on the planet. Garamba national park is home to most of Africa’s famous mammals including lions, antelopes, giraffes, elephants, hippos, hyenas and over 286 bird species. This amazing park has so much to offer travelers but its development and tourism potential has been dented by civil wars, poachers and rebel groups operating in the park. It is listed under world heritage sites in danger due to extensive poaching. However, the African parks organization and other international actors are putting efforts and channeling resources to stop its destruction.
Salonga National Park: Formerly known as Tshuapa national park, Salonga national Park is found between Kinshasa and Kisangani. The park was established in 1956 for it’s remarkable fauna and for 
hosting one of the largest rain forests in the world. To access the park, one needs to cross Congo’s vast rivers. The key attractions are leopards, African elephants, bonobos and Congo peafowl. Other bird species include egrets, yellow billed stork, forest owls and so much more. Like many of the national parks in Congo, Salonga has not been fully studied and there could still be a lot that we don’t know. Due to continuous encroachments, poaching and other human activities, the parks is also in the list of world heritage sites in danger of destruction.
Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary: This sanctuary was founded in 1994 by Claudine Andre in Kinshasa to protect Bonobos – also known as pygmy chimpanzees. Lola Ya bonobo means “paradise of bonobo” in the Congolese local language. Bonobos are only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and are 
man’s closest relatives along with the common chimpanzee. They have for long been victims of poaching and encroachment into their original habitats. They are hunted down mostly for meat and as pets by animal traffickers. The sanctuary was established to rescue young orphans that were left alone in the forest after losing their parents to poachers. Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary also helps educate and raise awareness about the bonobos. Once rescued, the orphaned bonobo is introduced into a forest in the sanctuary to begin the process of rehabilitation and integration with others. As they interact with other individuals in the sanctuary, they slowly get back their lives and can then be ready to be taken back into the wild. The sanctuary provides resident bonobos with excellent care from caregivers and international volunteers.
Other attractions: The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast country with a lot to offer that we cannot exhaust them all in this article. If you are planning to go on a Congo safari, you should also consider game viewing at Maiko National park close to Kinshasa. You could even take up the challenge of climbing mountains like Nyamuragira, Mikeno, Kahuzi or Biega. There are also amazing sightseeing opportunities if you can take a boat ride on water bodies like Lake Kivu and the River Congo. If you love exploring caves, then you can check out the mystical stone age caves of kakanda, dimba, matupi and Thysville. Let’s not forget to mention the beautiful waterfalls of Boyoma and Living stone or the amazing Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
