Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Sud-Kivu province, DRC, covering roughly 6,000 km² of montane and lowland forest. Its origins trace to a smaller 1937 colonial-era reserve, before Belgian conservationist and former hunter Adrien Deschryver founded the park proper in 1970 and became its first warden; working with local trackers, he pioneered gorilla habituation in the 1960s, acclimating groups like the "Casimir" troop to human presence through techniques such as imitating chest-beating, laying the groundwork for today's ecotourism. UNESCO inscribed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1980. The park is named after Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega, two extinct volcanoes, and is best known as the primary refuge of the eastern lowland gorilla (Grauer's gorilla), the largest living gorilla subspecies. It also protects chimpanzees, forest elephants, and diverse birdlife. Due to armed conflict, poaching, and encroachment in the region since the 1990s, the park has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger since 1997.

By Plane

Fly to Kavumu Airport near Bukavu.

By Car / Road

30 km west of Bukavu by road.

Walking with ranger-guides on forest trails.

Eastern lowland gorilla families in their natural habitat. The montane forest with giant lobelias and bamboo zones.

Gorilla trekking (permit required). Hiking Mount Kahuzi. Birdwatching.

Lodge provides meals for guests.

Bring water.

Basic tourist accommodation in Tshivanga. Book through ICCN.

Bring supplies from Bukavu.

Bukavu (30 km east). Lake Kivu.