Tourism in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

is uncommon. Tourists can see wildlife, indigenous cultures, and geological phenomena not found easily or anywhere else in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. In the capital city, Kinshasa, limited tourism opportunities exist. In downtown Kinshasa an ivory market exists where other than the obvious, Congolese art, tribal masks, and other beautiful goods can be procured. Outside Kinshasa is a bonobo preserve called

Lola Ya Bonobo Founded by Claudine André in 1994, Lola ya Bonobo is the world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos. Since 2002, the sanctuary has been located just south of the suburb of Kimwenza at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, Kinshasa, in the Dem ...

. In Kinshasa visits to the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

or the city golf course or downtown restaurants can be nice. Tourists can trek to see the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

and

lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Afri ...

s in wild, meet

pygmies In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...

still practising their traditional way of life in the forests, spot bonobos and

okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species ...

—two rare species not found anywhere else on earth, and climb to the summits of active volcanoes and see a boiling lava lake in the crater of

Mount Nyiragongo Mount Nyiragongo ( ) is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about north of the town of ...

. The DRC has experienced frequent unrest in the eastern part of the country. Private trips are cheaper in the DRC than in neighbouring Rwanda or Uganda.

Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park , iucn_category = II , iucn_ref = , location = Democratic Republic of the Congo , map = Democratic Republic of the Congo , relief = 1 , coordinates = , area = , established = , nearest_city = Goma , photo =Virunga National Park-107997 ...

is the first national mark in Africa, established in 1925. The park is main driver for tourism in the DRC. It is an UNESCO World Heritage site located in the east of the DRC. On May 11, 2018, two British tourists, a park ranger, and a Congolese driver were kidnapped in Virunga National Park. The ranger was killed but the other three were released. Virunga National Park closed temporarily to address safety concerns. The park reopened in February 2019. Tourists can visit Virunga to obtain a gorilla trekking permit or to hike to the largest lava lake in the world, Mount Nyiragongo.

External links

Virunga National Park Tourism Website

References

{{Tourism in Africa Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Virunga National Park

See also

External links

References