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.

History

The first reserve here, the Zoological and Forest Reserve of Mount Kahuzi, was created on 27 July 1937 by the Governor General of the Belgian colonial administration, and in November 1970 the Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver established the national park around it; five years later it was extended to 6,000 square kilometres. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980 for its rainforest and the diversity of its mammals, above all eastern lowland gorillas, and in 1997 it was put on the List of World Heritage in Danger (Wikipedia, Kahuzi-Biéga National Park).

What's there

• 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.

What to expect

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. The park has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 1997.

Nearby

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

Key facts