Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Kivu – Congo

Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Kivu, Congo is one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and from there, you can pick up how important and how beautiful the sight must be.

Location and How to Get There

Kahuzi-Biega National Park is located in the eastern part of Congo, to the west of Bukavu city in the province of Kivu.

The best way to reach the park is via Bukavu, which is the capital city of Southern Kivu. There are flights and sails and bus trip available to Bukavu from other Congo towns.

What to See

Upon reaching Kahuzi-Biega National Park, you will not be disappointed. It is a heritage for natural beauty and wildlife. Although some parts of it are forbidden to travelers, the available area for open visits is enough to provide an amazing experience.

It is via Kahuzi-Biega that you can chronicle lowland gorillas. As of today, there are estimated 600 gorillas thriving within the park’s area. Although a good percentage of them is continuously threatened by wars and poaching, the management fights long and hard to protect whatever is left.

Even with the known dangers, Kahuzi-Biega remains one major attractions of Congo. If offers a diversity of wildlife, flora and fauna. It is also a spot where you can experience a tropical climate best. Plus, there’s the opportunity to see the extinct volcanoes the park was named after – Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega.

History

The Kahuzi-Biega National Park was created mainly for the last remaining species of lowland gorillas. It was made to be the private sanctuary of Gorilla beringei graueri, which is considered a rare sub-specie of gorillas that can be found on the easter region. With its state constantly in danger, it earned a place at the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 1980.

Cost

Traveling to Kahuzi-Biega National Park does not cost much. You only need to expend for your accommodation and the activity itself.

Accommodation around Bukavu is quite cheap. Some are even packaged with reasonably priced food – between $3 and $10. It is not quite clear how much the trip to the park itself would cost. But definitely, it does not charge for your arm and a leg.

If you are a smart traveler, it would be advisable to find a travel package to Bukavu. Aside from Kahuzi-Biega, it also has other important and must-see attractions. You must include Lake Kivu and Minova Village to your trip itinerary. Both will not add up as much on the cost as it does on your fun meter.