In contrary to most people’s judgements that tourism in the Democratic Republic of Congo relies on virunga’s mountain gorillas, kahuzi biega national park is a hidden secret. The national park is a new tourism site that has been less travelled hence offering the adventure kind of experience unique to the travelers. Kahuzi biega national park was established in 1970 covering a total land area of approximately 600,000square kilometers situated in the eastern part of Democratic republic of Congo in Bukavu town.
About vegetation cover in the national park, it is marshlands, blogs, swamps, tropical rainforests and Riparian’s which all favor diversity of wild and bird life in the national park. A travel package to kahuzi biega national park is a make up of the following:
LowLand Gorilla trekking
Accommodating the largest gorilla specie (the eastern lowland gorillas) in the whole world, the national park has become a top attraction for lowland gorilla tours in Africa. Two eastern lowland gorilla families have been habituated and ready for trekking, which has provided travelers with a lifetime experience. Due to the close relativeness of the gorilla specie with human beings (98.8% human genes) making them susceptible to human diseases, masks have been provided to all trekkers to avoid the spread of human wildlife diseases. Trekking gorillas entail hiking in the tropical rainforest following different trails depending on where the family slept last night. Hiking time can range from 30 minutes to six hours in the jungle but an hour strictly is spent interacting with the gorilla after reaching them.
Travelers learn how gorillas play different roles in their respective families, silver back as dads defending and planning for the entire family, adult females nursing the babies whereas the juveniles playing and entertaining the whole family. This interaction gives trekkers a real family experience like that of human beings. An hour spent with the gorillas is a lifetime experience that every traveler lives to tell about.
Volcano Hiking
Tourism in kahuzi biega does not only entail it does not stop at gorillas but also hiking the volcanoes. There are two inactive volcanic mountains within the heart of the national park, which trekkers participate in hiking. Mount kahuzi is the highest sanding at an elevation of 3,308meters above sea level. Alongside mount kahuzi, Biega is yet another in active volcano in the national park which stand at 2,790m above sea level. The summits of the two volcanoes provide travelers with clear views of entire national park, wildlife there and the neighboring communities and countries. More still, bamboo and subalpine vegetation, which harbor various animals, cover these volcanoes hence providing travelers a chance to encounter animals such as owl-faced monkeys and a variety of birds.
Birding
Being a home to approximately 342 bird species 42 0f that are endemic to the national park, kahuzi biega is a paradise for great lovers of birds. Among the birds spotted include African green broad bill, yellow crested helmet-shrike, Congo peafowl and Rockefeller’s and many others. The national park is one of the threatened sites put under the protection of the international union conservation area (IUCN).
Nature walks
Travelers here follow trails in the tropical rainforest to different tourism sites. These trails lead to different sites such as the Tshibiti waterfalls trails to three waterfalls in the national park. Experienced guides lead travelers and help in spotting different vegetation types and wildlife in the national park. Sweet sounds of birds singing up in the trees are heard by the travelers and of course fresh air which freshens the minds of traveler. By the time travelers leave the forest; they have clear minds and more knowledge about wildlife in the national park hence a memorable experience.
Where to sleep
Kahuzi biega national park is served by several lodging and accommodation facilities, which offer high quality food and bed services. These include Lodgecoco lodge and L’Orchids safari club among others. Both high end and low budget travelers are assured of quality services at affordable prices that they live to remember.
Conclusively therefore, a safari to kahuzi biega national park makes up a full travel package to the Democratic Republic of Congo. A combination of natural, historical, cultural and manmade resources make a visit to kahuzi biega national park awesome and of memorable experience.
