Kahuzi-Biega National Park is one of the exceptional safari destinations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with diverse wildlife species thriving in its lush tropical rain-forest. It is remarkably one of unique parks where the Eastern Lowland gorillas and other wildlife co-exist.
Kahuzi Biega national park harbors a wide diversity of unique wildlife animals that survive in the natural tropical rainforest of the park. It is one of the great national parse in the DR-Congo where silver coexists together with gold due to the fact that the park is home to the lowland silverback gorillas as well as the golden monkeys. These are all primates’ animals that are surviving together with other primates in the forest such as the white and black colobus, monkeys, the red tailed mangabey, the baboons the L’Hoest’s monkey, the, blue monkeys as well as other wildlife animals such as the forest elephants, the buffaloes, the antelopes among other wildlife animals.
Wildlife in Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kahuzi-Biega National Park being one of the best Congo parks is known for its diverse species of wildlife including different species of primate including among others the Eastern Lowland gorillas, red tailed mangabeys, baboons, L’Hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys plus several other species of wildlife especially buffaloes, antelopes and forest elephants.
Lowland Gorillas
Tthis is one of the key attractions in Kahuzi Biega national park that attracts a number of travelers. Travelers from all over world take gorilla safaris to see the Grauer’s gorillas. As earlier mentioned the lowland gorillas are different from the mountain gorillas and they offer an extremely exciting experience just at the first sight you will meet with them. The lowland gorilla trekking permit costs US$400 per person and travelers will be allowed to spend only on hour with a lowland gorilla family, as you enjoy watching a gorilla family feeding, the juvenile gorillas playing among other behavior patterns.
The African forest elephants
This is one of the endangered elephant species that are hard to be spotted elsewhere in the DR-Congo basin. Elephants are known for their unique feature of camouflage with environment though this sub species endangered and rare in other national parks. The forest elephants differ from the savannah elephants in such a way that they are smaller than the African savannah elephants, they have smaller ears, they mainly feed on fruits, leaves, roots of branches and they are herbivores in nature. The uniqueness about the forest elephants that are in the Kahuzi Biega national park is that they occupied both the high altitude and low attitude areas of the park. Though they are among the nocturnal animals in the forest, they live in groups of 10 individuals and when sighted they offer a magical experience due to their gentle character.
Kahuzi Biega has a few of the wild cats such as the leopards, golden cat which are carnivores in nature and they are nocturnal thus they can easily be seen at night in Kahuzi Biega national park. On the same note these are predators to other animals like the antelopes, forest elephants among others.
The African forest buffaloes
They as well differ from the savannah buffaloes in terms of color as they are characterized with the red color texture thus easy to make comparison with the savannah buffaloes. They forest African buffaloes are also known as Aka the Dwarf buffalo.
The antelopes
Some of the antelope families in Kahuzi Biega national park include the duikers, bongo among others and they are found all over the park though rare to find due to the fact that have been depleted by the hunters who hunt for as bush meat as well as being eaten by the predators as food.
The monkeys
These are other primate animals that are common in Kahuzi Biega national park such as the white and black colobus monkeys, the red tailed mangabey, the L’Hoest’s monkeys, the golden monkeys, the blue monkeys among others. These have dominated the lowland areas and they keep jumping from one tree to another to look for food as they play.
The lowland gorilla trekking adventure will expose you to all the above mentioned wildlife in Kahuzi Biega national park as well as nature in the forest.
Birds in Kahuzi Biega National Park
Over 349 bird species can also be spotted on birding tour in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. 42 of the total bird species in this park Albertine rift endemic and they include among others Shelley’s crimson wing, Grauer’s broadbill, Rockefeller’s sunbird, Ruwenzori Turacos to mention but a few. This makes it a suitable destination for travelers who are birding enthusiasts. Most of these bird species are endemic to Albertine Rift and the Rwenzoris; some birds found here include the Rockefeller’s sunbird, Grauer’s broadbill, Ruwenzori Turaco, and Shelley’s crimsoning.
Other notable inhabitants include 69 endangered reptiles and 44 amphibian species, a gorilla safari to Kahuzi-Biega national park will truly leave you with a lifetime memorable experience.