Kahuzi Biega National Park is a secure area close to Bukavu town in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its located near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and most visitors that travel to the park come from either Goma or Rwanda via Rusizi border. Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the biggest national parks in the country with a coverage size of 6000 sqkms.
Kahuzi Biega National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, engraved in 1980 for its exceptional biodiversity of rainforest habitat and its Eastern lowland gorillas. The park is named after spectacular extinct volcanoes which lead its high altitude sector that is Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega and its one of the safest destinations managed by Wildlife Conservation Society.
Kahuzi Biega National Park is the new tourists’ destination for travelers in Congo who enjoy looking at the Eastern Lowland gorillas. The park is offering the chance to admire the world’s largest species of primates, and have a simple hike of the two mountains that make the national park which are the extinct volcanoes which is a key issue for conservation of the national park and the forests in Congo and the forest elephants.
Brief Background of Kahuzi Biega National Park Congo
The Kahuzi Biega National Park was celebrated as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1980. Though, enormous number of Rwandan refugees came to live in and around the Park due to the internal conflict in Rwanda in 1990-1994. Then there were two major wars in the area, the First Congo War (Nov. 1996 – May 1997) and the Second Congo War (Aug. 1998 – July 2003).
Subsequently Kahuzi Biega National Park has been put on the tilt of World Heritage in Danger since 1997 due to the overwhelming threats and danger caused by the political instability; influx of refugees, illegal settlers, poaching, removal and burning of timber, presence of militia groups. Currently the situation has much upgraded and the park authority, the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) is working energetically to observe the gorillas and safeguard Kahuzi Biega National Park.