Sparing some time and meeting with the rarely seen species of Lowland Gorillas is an experiential rewarding and once-a-lifetime decision made as far as profile building for a traveller who is aiming bigger and willing to explore every natural species recorded in the World’s biodiversity because these species are rarely and its numbers are growing mostly in Africa because of the heavy efforts made towards life conservation of these apes.
Meeting with Lowland Gorillas is not a limited adventure as one may assume but rather you get exposed to other Wildlife attachments depending on your interest in the due course, Species of Gorillas highlight the African Continent to be unique among the seven continents makes up the World, this is the main reason why the popularly known Gorilla hosting destinations usually receive huge percentage of tourists from different countries very interested and much more willing to meet up with unique features in the Jungles.
Lowland Gorillas are less in population when compared to Mountain Gorillas, therefore looking forward to real experience with the species of Lowland Gorillas the only destination with 100% assurance is the Democratic Republic of Congo.
About DR Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo is geographically located in the Central part of the African Continent typically sharing borders with South Sudan in the North East, the Central African Republic in the North, Congo Brazzaville and Angola in the West, Zambia in the South, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi in the East.
Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked among the largest countries in the African Continent recorded with a wide range of different Wildlife species in its biodiversity contributing part to Africa’s Wildlife.
About Lowland Gorillas. These are ground-dwelling herbivores apes which usually feed on young bamboo shoot and stem, flowers, tree leaves, insects, fruits like mangoes, oranges, pineapples, grapes and more. Lowland Gorillas are mostly characterised or distinguished from other species by their Gold and silver colouring appearance, they are smaller in size when compared to Mountain Gorillas.
Like other species of Gorillas, Lowland Gorillas also live in groups comprising male and female adults, juveniles and infants, groups are termed Gorilla families and usually, each family is led by a male old dominant silverback which is responsible for protecting its group members, looking for what to eat, guiding members plus construction of temporary grass thatched huts out of tree leaves and branches for shelter.
About Kahuzi Biega. Kahuzi Biega National Park is a protected area located in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo near Bukavu town and also situated near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwanda border, it was established mainly to provide a home to the species of Lowland Gorillas.
It’s characterised by thick tropical rainforests comprising of big tree species, shrubs, Savannah, grasslands, some bit of bamboo and Swampy areas which provide good habitat to different Wildlife species, Lowland Gorillas this park also offers a wide range of different Wildlife species including primates like Colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet and baboons, different bird species including African endemic species, insect species and different reptiles.
How to get there. The best recommended way of reaching the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Uganda is by landing in nearby Rwanda at Kigali International Airport and transferring from there up to the Goma border where you cross from to the suburbs of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It’s usually advised that you arrange all transportation services from Kigali up to the Goma border with a local tour operator rather than using public transport services which are not inconvenient and sometimes not secure. Reaching the Goma border, you will be required to present three required documents which include a valid passport, a valid yellow fever vaccination card and a tourist visa which costs $100 USD per person such that you are granted entry permission.
Transportation from the Goma border will be provided by Virunga Foundation using suitable 4×4 wheel drive Safari jeeps to transfer you up to your hotel of residence in the suburbs of Kahuzi Biega National Park.
What to do. Reaching Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Eastern part of Uganda, the main activities done include Lowland Gorilla trekking, bird watching which offers you sightings of different bird species and Nature walks following the well-established trails.
