Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega runs from the hills above Lake Kivu down into the Congo basin, taking in montane forest, bamboo, swamp and lowland rainforest, and it takes its name from the two extinct volcanoes standing in the highland sector. It was inscribed in 1980 for that altitudinal range and for Grauer's gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla, which is the largest of the gorilla subspecies and occurs only in this country. The highland sector near Bukavu is where trekking runs, to habituated family groups in bamboo and forest.

What you actually see

• Grauer's gorilla - the eastern lowland gorilla, largest of the subspecies, in habituated family groups.
• The bamboo and montane forest - the highland sector where the trekking takes place.
• Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega - the two extinct volcanoes the park is named for, both climbable.
• The altitudinal range - forest running from over three thousand metres down into the lowland basin.

When to go

The drier windows, June to September and December to February, are the practical trekking seasons, when the trails are firmer. Rain falls in most months at this altitude. Treks start early from the park headquarters at Tshivanga.

Honest expectations

Trekking is permit-based, arranged in advance through the park, and physically demanding: steep ground, mud, and no fixed duration, since it depends where the group has moved. A distance rule applies around the gorillas and it is enforced, including a health screen, because they take human respiratory infections. Access to the lowland sector is not generally available.

Nearby

Bukavu is an hour east, Lake Kivu is below the park, and Lwiro is north along the lake road.