OVERVIEW
The DRC is endowed with a huge tourism potential but this is presently untapped despite the existence of the Tourism Ministry, the Office National du Tourisme (National Office of Tourism) and Fonds de Promotion du Tourisme (the Promotion Funds for Tourism), which have responsibility to boost the sector through adequate policies and projects.

Among the main tourist attractions of the DRC are national parks, museums, botanical and zoological site and several sites of interest in connection with the history of the country and its culture and traditions.

NATIONAL PARKS

Kahuzi Biega Park
Kahuzi Biega National Park is located in southern Kivu, close to the border with Burundi where a vast area of primary tropical forest lies. It is dominated by two extinguished volcanoes, the Kahuzi and the Biega. Between 2,100m and 2,400m altitude, there are 250 mountain gorillas surviving from the last generation. This habitat has been listed by UNESCO since 1980.

The fauna of the park includes: mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri) chimpanzee (pan troglodytes), owl-faced monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni), colobus monkey (Colobus guereza), red colobus (Colobus badius), forest elephant (Loxodonta African cyclotis), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhagent), Rockefeller’s sunbird (Nectarinia rockfelleri), African green broadbill (Pseudocalyptomena graueri), and Grauer’s swamp=warbler (Bradypterus graueri).

Kundelungu Park
Kundelungu Park, which is located in Katanga province was founded in the colonial era and received the status of a national park through Degree no. 70/317 of 30th November 1970 and no. 75/097 of 1st March 1975

Its surface are covers 7,600 sq.km. It is studded with a chain of high plateaus and savannah hills of between 1,200m and 1,700m. It is famous for the Lofoi Falls, and one of the rivers is a tributary of the Lufira. These falls are the highest in Africa and the second-highest in the world at 384m with a continuous stream of 347m.

In this park are animal species such as: Burchell’s zebra (Equus burchelli), roan antelope (Hippotragus equines), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Cape eland (Traurotragus oryx), reedbuck (Redunca redunca), waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteini), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), bushbuck (Traglaphus scriptus), blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola), lion (Panthera leo) leopard (Panthera pardus), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), hyena (Crocuta crocuta), jackal (Canis adustus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), baboon (Papio anubis) and the galago.

Maiko Park
Created under Decree 70/312 of 20th November 1970, the surface area of Maiko park extends across Orientale and Nord Kivu provinces. It covers a surface area of 10,000km. The park is entirely covered by dense and humid equatorial forest. It has a varied fauna and this park is noted for its rare species such as mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri), okapi (Okapia johnstoni) and the Congo peafowl (Afropavo congoensis).

Salonga Park
Created by Decree no. 70/318 of 30th November 1970, this park is one of the five sites recongnized by UNESCO in the DRC, together with Virunga, Garamba and Kahuzi Biega as well as the reserves in Epulu. They lie within the Central Basin of the Congo and stretch across the provinces of Equator, Bamdundu AND Kasai. With a surface area of 36,000sq.m, the Salonga Park is the biggest reserve of tropical forest in the world.

Tourism
The park has many species found in equatorial forest but it is noted as a refuge for the bonobo (Pan Paniscus), which is an endangered species and is endemic to the DRC.

The most common species found in this park are: bongo (Boocercus euryceros), sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei), grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), African slender-snouted crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), yellow-backed and black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor and Cephalophus nigrifrons), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious), forest elephant (Loxodanta Africana cyclotis), pygmy elephant (Loxodonta pumilio), forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) and three species of pangolin (Manis tetradactyla, M. gigantean, M. tricuspis tricuspis). The birdlife is very varied including species such as grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and Congo peafowl (Afropavo congoensis), a rare and endangered species. There are also several species of snakes and a wide variety of fish species.

Upemba Park
Located in the Katanga province, this park was created under the Decree of 15th May 1939. Its boundaries were modified by Decree Law no. 696041 of 22nd August 1969. Nowadays it is governed under Decree Law no. 75/241 of 22nd July 1975. It covers a surface area of 10,000sq.km.

Kudelungu Park and Upemba Park are the only places in the DRC where Grant’s zebra (Equus burchelli bohmi) are found wild. There are also some notable species of shellfish such as the thermophilic crustacean (Thermobathynella adami) in the hot springs of the Kaziba (55°C). The Park’s fauna includes: elephant (Loxodonta Africana), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), red lechwe (Onotragus leche), Cape eland (Taurotragus oryx), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious), southern reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), oribi (Ourebia ourebi), grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopious), red river hog (Patamocnoerus porcusi, waterback Kobus ellipsiprymnus), hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteini) as well as numerous birds.

Virunga Park
Since its creation under the Decree of 21st April 1925, this park has been recognized as a Reserve Naturelle Integrale (an integral natural reserve) under the name of Park National Albert (Albert National Park). It covers a surface area of 8,000 sq. km. Its boundaries were modified through the Decree of 12th November 1935. This park is located in eastern DRC and shares boundaries with the national parks Sanctuaire de Gorilla (Gorillas’ Den) (29,000 hectares) in Uganda and Parc National de Volcans (23,000 hectares) in Rwanda.

It has a large and varied fauna including elephant (Loxodonta Africana), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), many species of antelope (e.g. waterbuck and topi), warthog, lion, different types of pelicans in the plain of Rwindi, a colony of pelicans in the plain of Rutshuru, mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in the extinguished volcano chains, lowland gorilla in the east (Gorilla graueri), okapi (Okapi johnstoni), and species endemic to the Congo, bongo (Tragelapus euryceros) and giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertz-hageni), together with numerous species of birds.

Garamba Park
The Garamba National Park, which lies near the borders with Sudan, is well known for the numbers of white rhinoceros that live there (Ceratotherium simum cottoni). Three other mammals predominate: elephant, northern giraffe (Giraffe cameloparòalis congoensis) and hippopotamus. This reserve has been recognized by UNESCO since 1980.

Other species in the park include: buffalo (Syncerus caffer), hartebeest (Alcelaphus), waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), baboon (Papio anubis), colobus monkey (Colobus), vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops), roan antelope (Hippotragus equines), sitatunga (Timelaphus spekein, reedbuck (Redunca redunca), yellow backed duiker (Tragelaphus culvicator), forest hog (phacochoerus porcus), lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), bongo (Boocerus euryceros), red river hog (Potanochoerus porcus) and giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni).