Kahuzi-biega national park is one of the rich ecological sites in Africa and the world over. It is as well ranked to be among the most important tourist sites located in the Eastern side of Democratic Republic of Congo. Located on the western bank of Lake Kivu, near the border of Rwanda, Kahuzi – Biega national park was established in 1970 by a famous photographer and conservationist, Adrien Deschryver. It derives its name from the two dormant volcano mountains encompassed with in the park, these are Kahuzi and Biega Mountains but these occupy quite a small area, while the other bigger area is generally lowland. Mount. Kahuzi stands at the elevation of 3308m above sea level and Mount. Biega at 2790m.
The park occupies an area of 6000 Square kilometers and ranks among the biggest national parks in Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is a famous home of the endangered lowland gorillas. This diverse nature made the park to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.
Kahuzi-Biega N/Park is located at the edge of Albertine rift valley, which proves its diverse quantity of flora and fauna and it is as well one of the areas where the transition vegetation zones are observed clearly among all the sub-Saharan African destinations. These six vegetation zones that can be seen include swamp and peat bog, swamp forest, high altitude forest, mountain forest, bamboo forest and sub-alpine heather.
Over 136 mammal species have found permanent residence here, with over 13 primates such as the Chimpanzees, colobus monkeys and other mammals like elephants, bush buffalos among others in the park, over 349 bird species including 42 endemics and abundant bird species including Grey-cheeked hornbill, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Barbet, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater and African Hobby.
The rich biodiversity of Kahuzi-Biega national park has been facing various challenges ranging from human-wildlife conflicts, illegal logging of timber, oil explorations, poaching among others and these have been a big threat to the park hence calling for extra monitoring support to curb these challenges.
What to see and do in Kahuzi-Biega national park?
There are different activities that tourists can chose to undertake and enjoy during a visit to this national park. These include among others;
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking.
This is the main activity done in the park and visitors are allowed to spend an average of one hour in the presence of Eastern low and gorillas. Tourists will never want to leave when they encounter these primates. Therefore you must book your gorilla trekking permit today and engage in this life-changing adventure.
Birding.
Since the park boasts over 349 bird species, birding is excellent here. Among other birds spotted include Grey-cheeked hornbill, Red-eyed Dove, Handsome Francolin, Black Cuckoo, Black-billed Turacos, Martial Eagle and Bar-tailed Trogon. A birding expedition is usually done in the morning hours and evening.
Hiking.
This adventure takes place in the park’s two resident mountains, Kahuzi and Biega. Hiking Kahuzi Mountain takes about 3 to 4 hours to reach the summit and for those hiking Mount, Biega, it takes about 3 hours and descending both mountains takes about 3 and 2 hours respectively. Hikers pass through different vegetation zones such as bamboo, sub-alpine vegetation and these inhabit different bird species and primates.
Lwiro primate rehabilitation Centre.
This rehabilitation center is close to the park and its aim is primarily to shelter orphaned chimpanzees and other primates that are rescued from the forest after their mothers or parents have been killed by poachers or by natural causes. Visiting this center rewards you with a chance to see different primates, participate in feeding them as you learn more about these primates.
How to access Kahuzi-Biega national park.
There are two options on how one can access the park but either way you need to cross from Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first option can be driving from Kigali to Goma and then get a ferry to cross that takes 2 hours to 3 hours to reach Bukavu. This operates daily with 2 shifts – morning at 7am and afternoon at 2pm; it’s the fastest means of transport to reach this park.
The second option is by road from Kigali to Bukavu, covering a distance of about 210km and takes 4 hours’ drive. These are the simplest, readily available, commonly used ways of transport every tourist would wish to use. This has another importance to the nature lovers that would like to view the interesting scenery while Enroute.
