15 days Congo safari

Congo, Positioned in the heart of Africa, the DRC is found on the Equator. And at the crossroads Southern, Central and Eastern Africa. Different provinces connections allow organizing inter-provincial and intra-regional circuits to visit the 11 provinces that border 9 African countries.

Congo offers tourists many unique opportunities to see wildlife, indigenous cultures and geological wonders not found easily elsewhere in Africa.

A 15 days Congo safari in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) offers a rare opportunity to explore its diverse landscapes, wildlife, and rich cultural heritage. Here’s a detailed itinerary of the 15 days Congo safari

Congo River

The Congo River is the world’s deepest river and is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged after the River Amazon.  Scientists have calculated that the entire Congo Basin accounts for thirteen percent of global hydropower potential. Currently there are about forty hydropower plants in the Congo Basin. In terms of aquatic life, the Congo River Basin has over 700 fish species, crocodiles among others.

Virunga National Park

The park was created in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium as the first national park on the continent of Africa. It was founded primarily to protect the mountain gorillas living in the forests of the Virunga Mountains controlled by the Belgian Congo. But later expanded north to include the Rwindi Plains, Lake Edward and the Rwenzori Mountains in the far north, it has over 480 gorillas.

Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes, The world’s tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi. Lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park. It has recently been found to contain approximately 55 billion cubic metres of dissolved methane gas at a depth of 300 metres.

Native fish include species of Barbus, Clarias, and Haplochromis. As well as Nile Tilapia, Limnothrissa miodon and Tanganyika sardine

Livingstone Falls

Livingstone Falls are a succession of enormous rapids and cataracts on the lower course of the Congo River in west equatorial Africa. Downstream from Malebo Pool in the Democratic Republic of the Congo named for the explorer David Livingstone.

Lola ya Bonobo

Lola ya Bonobo is the world’s only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos located just south of the suburb of Kimwenza at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo established in 1994 by Claudine Andre and is a home to over 60 Bonobos.

Boyoma Falls

Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 5 m high, extending over more than 100 km along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns

A 1000m portage railway bypasses the series of rapids, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.

The historical buildings

The historical buildings in the city include the chapel of the American Baptist Missionary Society (1891) and a Roman Catholic cathedral (1914).

Mount Nyamuragira

Mount Nyamuragira is Africa’s most active volcano situated in Nord-Kivu about 25 km from Lake Kivu has erupted over 40 times since 1880 and produces major part of sulphur dioxide pollution of the world. Volcano has created lava fields.

Mount Nyiragongo

One of the few volcanos in the world with nearly permanent lava lake in it, often the largest lava lake in the world located in Nord-Kivu.Volcano is very active, with frequent eruptions. Eruptions produce very fluid lava of rare type.

Dimba Cave

Dimba Cave contains the oldest remnants of human activity in Bas Lower Congo – it was inhabited already in 18,000 BC or even earlier. Found also artefacts from 2nd – 1st c. BC, marking the shift from Stone Age to Iron Age.

Matupi Cave – Orientale, Mount Hoyo

This is an important archaeological monument situated in Orientale, Mount Hoyo in Ituri rainforest. This cave contains sediments which have recorded a sequence of human occupation lasting for the last 40,000 years. Here have been found some of the oldest microlithic tools in the world used for arrows and saws. When these tools were made 12,000 years ago, here was savannah.

Thysville Caves (Mbanza-Ngungu Caves) – Bas-Congo

This is a group of caves situated in Bas Congo with endemic blind fish Caecobarbus geertsii Boulenger dating from 1921 living in seven of these caves. Not explored, may contain other endemic animals as well.

Kakanda malachite caves

These Caves situated in Katanga known to be lined with highly unusual malachite stalactites. And are also found to have unique malachite crystals which are up to 2 cm large.

Pyrochlore mine of Rutshuru
One of the largest mines of niobium containing mineral in the world located in Nord-Kivu

Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens (Kisantu Botanical Garden)
This is a more than 100 years old botanical garden with numerous unique and rare species. Especially renowned due to the collection of rare orchids situated in Bas-Congo.