Garamba National Park

Garamba was established in 1938 and inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1980, covering around five thousand square kilometres of open savannah, wooded grassland and gallery forest along the rivers in the far northeast. Elephant, buffalo, hippo and Kordofan giraffe live here, the giraffe population being the only one in the country. The northern white rhinoceros survived here longer than anywhere in the wild and is now gone from the park. Management has rebuilt patrols, aircraft and infrastructure over the last decade.

History

The park was established in 1938 and designated a World Heritage Site in 1980, and it was on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1984 to 1992; poaching rose in the early 1990s, and it went back on the danger list in 1996 because of the poaching of northern white rhinos. Since 2005 Garamba has been managed by African Parks with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, whose anti-poaching work has reportedly reduced the killing of animals (Wikipedia, Garamba National Park).

Highlights

• The savannah - open grassland and wooded plain across most of the park's area.
• The Kordofan giraffe - the only giraffe population in the country, recovering in number.
• The elephant herds - savannah elephants, monitored closely by the park.
• The gallery forest - dense forest strips along the Garamba and Dungu rivers.

When to go

December to March is the dry season and the practical window, when tracks are passable and wildlife concentrates at water. The wet season from April makes most of the park unreachable by road. Visits are arranged with the park well ahead.

Before you go

Access is by charter flight for most visitors, which sets the cost. The northern white rhino the park was famous for is gone, and any account suggesting otherwise is out of date. Facilities are limited and everything runs through the park administration.

Nearby

Dungu is the gateway town, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is far to the south.

Key facts