Bombo-Lumene Reserve

Bombo-Lumene covers around three and a half thousand square kilometres of the Batéké plateau east of Kinshasa, a landscape of open savannah grassland cut by wooded river valleys, which is a surprise to anyone who assumes the whole country is rainforest. The Lumene and Bombo rivers run through it in gallery forest. Antelope, monkeys and a good bird list are present, though larger mammals have been heavily reduced. It is the closest protected area to the capital and functions as a weekend destination as much as a reserve.

What you actually see

• The Bateke savannah - open grassland plateau, unlike the forest most visitors expect here.
• The gallery forest - wooded strips along the Lumene and Bombo rivers.
• The rivers - clear sandy-bottomed streams good for swimming in places.
• The birds - savannah and forest-edge species, with a strong list for a site this close to a capital.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and the practical window for the tracks. The wet season makes the sand roads difficult. Wildlife is most active early and late.

Honest expectations

Large mammals are scarce and this is landscape and birding rather than game viewing. Facilities amount to a basic camp and the tracks need a four-wheel drive. The road out from Kinshasa is slow.

Nearby

Kinshasa is a few hours west, and the Bateke plateau continues east.