World Country Guide

Central & Eastern Congo

In the south, the Upemba National Park straddles the River Lualaba, northeast of Bukama, and includes several lakes inhabited by hippos, crocodiles and numerous aquatic birds. Here too are fishermen, cattle farmers and peasants, as well as a number of mining communities. Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi are typical tropical towns; Kalemie and the banks of Lake Tanganyika are reminiscent of the French Riviera.
The whole of the south is dotted with freshwater lakes such as Munkamba, Fwa and Kasai; there are also numerous impressive waterfalls, such as Kiobo, on the River Lufira, and Lofol, 384m (1259ft) high, north of Lubumbashi.
The high plateaux of Congo extend across the eastern part of the country, around lakes Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward, Albert and Bukavu. Bunia is a small, pretty town featuring villas, restaurants and hotels.
In the north is the Garamba National Park, covering 400,000 hectares and featuring lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and giraffes. Lake Albert, which contains more fish than any other lake in Africa, lies at an altitude of over 618m (2027ft). It can be reached from Bunia, which is also the point of departure for numerous excursions into the forests and mountains, native villages, the Caves of Mount Hoyo and the Escaliers de Venus Falls.
Lake Edward is the home of birds of all sizes and colours. The highest peak in the Ruwenzori range is the Pic Marguerite, at an altitude of 5119m (15,795ft). The snowline is at 533m (1776ft). This region is also inhabited by gorillas and by the extremely rare okapi. The mountain scenery between Goma and Beni was regarded as some of the most spectacular in Africa, although the volcanic eruption of Nyiragongo, 3470m (11,385ft) in January 2002, damaged the surrounding area to some extent.
Covering an area of 12,000 sq km (4633 sq miles), this comprises an immense plain bounded by two jagged mountain ranges that serve as a natural enclosure for the animals which roam at liberty in this huge natural reserve. Game includes numerous lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes, hippos and colourful aquatic birds.