Best Travel Guide To Salonga National Park Wildlife in DR Congo

Best Travel Guide To Salonga National Park Wildlife in DR Congo 

Discover the magic of Africa's largest tropical rainforest reserve, Salonga National Park situated at the heart of the central basin of the Congo River in DR Congo, the park is very isolated and accessible only by water. It is the habitat of many endemic endangered species, such as the dwarf chimpanzee, the Congo peacock, the forest elephant, and the African slender-snouted or 'false' crocodile.

Size and History of Salonga National Park:

Covering an area of about 36,000 km2, Salonga National Park was established as the Tshuapa National Park in 1956 and gained its present boundaries with a 1970 presidential decree by President Mobutu Sese Seko. In 1984, the national park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage, and in 1999, the site was listed as endangered, however, following the improvement in its state of conservation, the site was removed from the endangered list in 2021.

About Salonga National Park:

The park is in an area of rainforest about halfway between Kinshasa, the capital, and Kisangani. There are no roads and most of the park is accessible only by river. Sections of the national park are almost completely inaccessible and have never been systematically explored. The southern region inhabited by the Iyaelima people is accessible via the Lokoro River, which flows through the center and northern parts of the park, and the Lula River in the south. The Salonga River meanders in a generally northwest direction through the Salonga National Park to its confluence with the Busira River.

Located in the center of the Congo Basin, Salonga National Park protects the largest rainforest in Africa and the second largest in the world. The large size and ecological complexity of this rainforest have allowed species and communities to evolve relatively undisturbed. As a result, the national park protects a highly bio-diverse and unique ecosystem. Of 735 identified plant species in the southwestern part of the park, 85% rely on animals to disperse their seeds, a process called zoochory.

Wildlife animals, mammals, and primates in Salonga National Park:

The park is a habitat for various large mammals at relatively high densities, including Bongo antelopes, black-crested mangabeys, leopards, and bonobos. The southern region has been the location for studies of bonobos in the wild. There are much higher populations of bonobos near the Iyaelima settlements than elsewhere in the park, apparently because the Iyaelima does not harm them and are playing a strong role in their conservation. Despite hunting pressure, a viable population of forest elephants survives in the park. 

Other mammals in the park include the Dryas monkey, Thollon's red colobus, long-tailed pangolin, giant pangolin, tree pangolin, Angolan slender mongoose, aquatic genet, hippopotamus, the African golden cat, bushpig, yellow-backed duiker, sitatunga, okapi, bushbuck, water chevrotain and forest buffalo. African slender-snouted crocodiles are also found within the park.

Birding in Salonga National Park:

Bird watching is also an interesting activity at the Salonga National Park home to over 300 bird species and half of the birds here are residents, some to see include; the grey parrot, palm vulture, black-bellied bustard, black stork, and yellow-billed stork. The Congo peafowl, a threatened bird species endemic to the Congo Basin and the national bird of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lives in both the primary and secondary forests within the park.

Fishing in Salonga National Park:

The Salonga National Park rivers are home to an impressive range of fish species, with over 320 species. Some of the most well-known include the African tilapia, Bulldog pike, Congo yellowfish, giraffe catfish, Kamba catfish, Nile perch, and the Nile tilapia.

Tourist activities in Salonga National Park:

Salonga National Park provides fantastic safari activities that can be adventured by the tourists on their visit including Wildlife viewing, bird watching, fishing, hunting, cultural experience, and guided nature walks among others.

Arrange with Ultimate Wild Safaris for a safari in the deep jungles of DR Congo’s Salonga National Park.

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