🇨🇩 Destination Guide
DR Congo
Africa's oldest national park, the world's largest lava lake, and gorillas found nowhere else — alongside an honest picture of what traveling here currently involves.
Before You Read Further
Eastern DR Congo, where Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks sit, has experienced ongoing regional conflict, and all five of the country's UNESCO-listed national parks are currently on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger. Both parks have, at various points, operated tours for visitors when security conditions allowed, working with the national park authority (ICCN) on the ground. We do not currently arrange trips to DR Congo, and would only ever do so with direct, current confirmation from the park authorities that it is safe. The information below is offered for its genuine natural and cultural significance, not as an active itinerary we are selling.
DR Congo · City Lookup
Where can I go from…?
Pick the city you’re starting from to see places you can visit, with approximate travel times. Or search all 7 places in DR Congo by name, type or region.
Bukavu: The gateway to Kahuzi-Biega. Travel depends on the security situation.
About Bukavu →Travel times are approximate and depend on roads, weather and traffic. We plan realistic routes for every trip.
DR Congo · National Parks
National Parks
DR Congo has five UNESCO World Heritage-listed national parks, protecting some of the most biodiverse habitat in Africa. All five are currently on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, owing to decades of regional conflict, and the two closest to organised tourism — Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega, both in the east — are the ones detailed below alongside the others for completeness.
Virunga National Park
Eastern DR Congo (North Kivu)- What's special
- Africa's oldest national park (established 1925), spanning habitats from steaming lava plains to the snow-capped Rwenzori peaks — the only park in the world with mountain gorillas, active volcanoes, and an okapi range in one protected area.
- How to get there
- Via Goma, reached by flights from Kigali or Entebbe, then a short road transfer and border crossing arranged in advance with the park authority.
- What to find
- Mountain gorilla trekking, the Nyiragongo volcano hike to the world's largest lava lake, and roughly 20,000 hippos along its rivers.
On UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, due to regional conflict
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Eastern DR Congo (South Kivu)- What's special
- Home to the world's largest population of Grauer's (eastern lowland) gorilla, a subspecies found only in DR Congo.
- How to get there
- Via Bukavu, on Lake Kivu's southern shore, reached from Kigali by road across the border.
- What to find
- Eastern lowland gorilla trekking, dense Albertine Rift rainforest, and forest elephant and chimpanzee.
On UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, due to regional conflict
Garamba National Park
Northeastern DR Congo- What's special
- One of Africa's oldest protected areas, established in 1938, known historically for its white rhino population and Central Africa's most significant elephant strongholds.
- How to get there
- Remote; reached only by charter flight given its distance from other tourist infrastructure.
- What to find
- Savanna landscapes with elephant, giraffe and hippo, in a far less-visited part of the country.
On UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, due to regional conflict
Salonga National Park
Central DR Congo- What's special
- The largest tropical rainforest reserve in Africa, deep in the Congo Basin, and one of the least accessible parks on the continent.
- How to get there
- Extremely remote, reached mainly by river and light aircraft; not part of typical tourist circuits.
- What to find
- Bonobo, Congo peafowl and forest elephant in largely unbroken rainforest.
On UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, due to regional conflict
DR Congo · Wildlife Reserve
Wildlife Reserve
DR Congo's protected-area system includes one major wildlife reserve alongside its national parks.
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Ituri Forest, Northeastern DR Congo- What's special
- Protects roughly a fifth of the global okapi population — the elusive, striped relative of the giraffe that is one of DR Congo's national symbols.
- How to get there
- Reached via the town of Epulu in the Ituri Forest; logistically complex and not part of standard tourist routes.
- What to find
- Okapi, forest elephant, and one of the most biodiverse rainforest blocks in the Congo Basin.
On UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, due to regional conflict
DR Congo · Towns & Gateways
Town-Based Destinations
Tourism in DR Congo is concentrated in the east, near the Rwandan border, where the two most-visited parks sit.
Goma
North Kivu, on Lake Kivu- What's special
- The main gateway town for Virunga National Park, on the DRC-Rwanda border and Lake Kivu's northern shore, in the shadow of Mount Nyiragongo.
- How to get there
- By road from Rubavu/Gisenyi, Rwanda, across the Grande Barrière border crossing, or by flight to Goma International Airport.
- What to find
- Virunga's park office and permit collection point, Lake Kivu's shoreline, and views of Nyiragongo's active crater.
Bukavu
South Kivu, on Lake Kivu- What's special
- The gateway town for Kahuzi-Biega National Park, at the southern end of Lake Kivu.
- How to get there
- By road from Rwanda across the Bukavu/Kamembe border crossing.
- What to find
- Access point for eastern lowland gorilla trekking, and colonial-era architecture on the lakeshore.
Interested in DR Congo when conditions allow?
Get in touch and we'll give you an honest, current read on the situation — and route you toward Rwanda or Uganda's gorilla trekking in the meantime.
Ask Us About DR Congo