Kahuzi-Biega national park

Kahuzi-Biega national park

Kahuzi-Biega national park is a conservation area in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo 30Km from Bukavu town.

It lies near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border.

Kahuzi-Biega is home to the Eastern lowland gorillas also known as Grauer’s gorilla. The Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. They are distinguished from other gorillas by their stocky body, large hands and short muzzle. Despite their size, eastern lowland gorillas survive mainly on fruit and other herbaceous materials, just like other gorilla subspecies.

Gorilla permits in the DR of Congo are booked at $400 per person per permit.

The park was established in 1970 by the Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver. The park is named after two dormant volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega, which are within its limits.

With an area of 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi), Kahuzi-Biega is one of the biggest national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is set in both mountainous and lowland terrain.  This makes it one of the last refuge for the rare species of Eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), an endangered category under the IUCN Red List.

Kahuzi-Biega national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, added to the IUCN list in 1980 for its unique biodiversity of rainforest habitat and its eastern lowland gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in Kahuzi-Biega national park allows you to have a clear comparison of the Eastern lowland gorillas and the mountain gorillas of Virunga national park.