Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Kahuzi-Biega National Park
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
72 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
10
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Roderic P
Reading, UK62 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
As part of an organised tour of the DRC, I had an amazing day tour of this National Park. The arrival in the early morning was accompanied by the morning roll-call and briefing of the well-equipped park rangers. In the visitor centre our group received a friendly and thorough briefing in good English from the Head Ranger. We then drove a couple of km in SUVs to the rendezvous point with our ranger/tracker team for the start of the jungle trek on foot. The gorilla family to be visited was already being observed by a paid of trackers who kept in constant contact to relay the location of the family which were feeding and continually on the move. We (ten of us) trekked in single file through thick bush with trackers at front and rear to open a path that ran up and down hills. After two hours we entered a wide cane field and found the gorilla family of one male silverback and at least two females and youngsters eating cane roots contentedly. We took precautions as directed by the trackers and wore face coverings as a health protection for the gorillas and we kept a distance of about 7m from each gorilla. We were able to stay for an hour. The encounter was amazing and truly memorable with continual photo-opportunities. I would thoroughly recommend Kahuzi-Biega National Park as a much quieter alternative to the highly-visited Mountain Gorilla treks in neighbouring Rwanda. In Kahuzi, we had the feeling of real exclusivity in this wildlife encounter and after return home I saw a BBC documentary ‘Gorilla Family and Me’ by Gordon Buchanan that, I believe, was about the very same gorilla family that we met. Truly memorable - I hope that Kahuzi-Biega receives many more wildlife tourists as it deserves recognition and a higher profile for the great work that is does.
(To note: In general in the South Kive province of DRC, our tour group was well looked after by local tourist authorities both in the park and nearby cities of Bukavu and Goma and I felt safe and secure at all times.)
(To note: In general in the South Kive province of DRC, our tour group was well looked after by local tourist authorities both in the park and nearby cities of Bukavu and Goma and I felt safe and secure at all times.)
Written September 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jnarvil
11 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
These people are doing absolutely amazing work. They work hard to protect and study gorillas while also giving tourists a good time. I was the only visitor during my gorilla trekking experience, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Congo is unpredictable and I'd definitely recommend going with a tour, but South Kivu is apparently not as dangerous as North Kivu so get a reputable tour guide and go for it if you're up for an adventure. Such a cool place!
Written September 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AKHK
Hong Kong, China26 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
We had an amazing experience seeing the gorillas. It was just the two of us and they were flexible to allow us to see the gorillas as we arrived late from the border crossing (immigration closed early so good to ask your guide to double check this). Our walk was quite short (about 20 mins) then saw the Bonne Annee family. So wonderful to see the little ones. We tipped generously and gave the head ranger and asked him to share it with everyone (in front of everyone) and I don’t think they get many tourists these days. It was safe and the rangers were very professional. Had a trip of a life time.
Written July 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bretts11
New York City, NY198 contributions
Aug 2023
We had a pretty negative experience at the park and I would suggest going elsewhere for a gorilla experience. The rules of the park (and government) state an 8-people max per trek, but the rangers sent out 20 with us, which obviously ruined any opportunities for peaceful viewing. They also say you can spend 30-60 minutes with the gorillas, but most people only took a few. The rangers harass the gorillas as they try to get away, it was a very uncomfortable experience. They'll find a gorilla sitting peacefully, then chop down all the foliage around it so that the tourist can get photos, which lead the gorilla to leave.....and rangers just chase them around. It didn't feel like "conservation" to me. We observed another group get sent out with 12 guests at a time while there. The hike was 2.5 hours to the gorillas, then 2 hours back. The price is $400 per person, but this review supports why it's so much cheaper than the surrounding countries permits.
Written August 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bidule05
France1,918 contributions
Jun 2022
We made 2 Grauer gorillas trekkings in Kahuzi Biega national park, which belongs to Unesco World Heritage. The organization of the trekkings was perfect. The rangers were highly knowledgeable and explained us all we’ve ever wanted to know about Grauer gorillas. They spoke fluently English and French. We learned that Grauer gorillas were the biggest specy of gorillas, ho only live in this area of the world.
We were amazed by the huge job made by the trackers and the rangers to protect gorillas and to allow us to watch them in exceptional and non-stressing conditions for gorillas. CONGRATULATIONS ! This was an unforgettable and unique adventure of a lifetime.
It is wonderful to observe behavior and way of life of Grauer gorilla families, with babies and juveniles playing together. We were also very lucky to see twin babies in the group of Bonane. Really a magic experience!
Close to the reception, we were moved to see Adrien Deschryver's grave, who did a lot for Grauer gorillas survival in Kahuzi Biega national park in Congo (he is the equivalen of Dian Fossey for mountain gorillas in Rwanda)
Altogether, Kahuzi Biega national park is a safe and wonderful area with breathtaking landscapes, where we saw families of gorillas during our 2 treks. Thus, I highly recommend to go to Kahuzi Biega national park for gorillas sightseeings. I’ll come back!!
We were amazed by the huge job made by the trackers and the rangers to protect gorillas and to allow us to watch them in exceptional and non-stressing conditions for gorillas. CONGRATULATIONS ! This was an unforgettable and unique adventure of a lifetime.
It is wonderful to observe behavior and way of life of Grauer gorilla families, with babies and juveniles playing together. We were also very lucky to see twin babies in the group of Bonane. Really a magic experience!
Close to the reception, we were moved to see Adrien Deschryver's grave, who did a lot for Grauer gorillas survival in Kahuzi Biega national park in Congo (he is the equivalen of Dian Fossey for mountain gorillas in Rwanda)
Altogether, Kahuzi Biega national park is a safe and wonderful area with breathtaking landscapes, where we saw families of gorillas during our 2 treks. Thus, I highly recommend to go to Kahuzi Biega national park for gorillas sightseeings. I’ll come back!!
Written July 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Miris_voyages
61 contributions
Feb 2023
Absolutely amazing place. If you are in the area (read: Congo, Rwanda, Burundi), you should go. It's not cheap to visit the gorillas, but worth every penny. If you are getting lucky, you'll have Lambert as your knowledgeable guide and his team of trackers will lead you a group of incredible animals.
If you have been to Uganda or Rwanda, you'll know the drill. Hiking in not so easy terrain - but doable if you are reasonably fit (don't wear sneakers though :-)). Then 1 hour of wildlife adventure. If you can afford it, the animals and the local community totally deserve your support. And you'll hopefully won't regret it.
If you have been to Uganda or Rwanda, you'll know the drill. Hiking in not so easy terrain - but doable if you are reasonably fit (don't wear sneakers though :-)). Then 1 hour of wildlife adventure. If you can afford it, the animals and the local community totally deserve your support. And you'll hopefully won't regret it.
Written March 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
grace m
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Friends
An incredible experience! The guides were very knowledgeable and the experience was well managed and organized. We received a detailed safety brief at the outset and learned about the gorillas (and the specific gorilla family) we would be seeing. Given our group size, we had the option to participate in either the shorter trek or the longer trek. I went on the shorter trek and my husband did the longer one. We both had an amazing time and loved every minute we were able to spend observing the gorillas. A truly unforgettable experience!
Written February 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
@trail781352
74 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
I came here for the gorillas which needles to say is mind blowing. But the 5 stars is fore the people that run the show. Professional, courteous, and you can tell they care about the animals. The facilities have wifi. The lodges and camp sites on scene are also fantastic.
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lola M
3 contributions
Feb 2023
Loved the gorilla trekking in the park. We stayed one night and also did a hike to Mount Kahuzi the next days. The rangers are excellent. They are so friendly, professional, and kind. Quite honestly it was such a pleasure to be there. It was beyond my expectations. I loved the park and the rangers made the experience that much more special. I stayed in a nice tent in the park, but they also have very cute lodges. I would highly recommend to anyone to go there.
P. S. The rangers in East Africa work very hard for very little pay so be kind and tip them well. They split the tips amongst everyone.
P. S. The rangers in East Africa work very hard for very little pay so be kind and tip them well. They split the tips amongst everyone.
Written February 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Felipe E
Madrid, Spain2 contributions
Sep 2011 • Friends
I went to Bukavu and the Kahuzi Biega National Park by mid of September this year. I was visiting a friend in Kigali who gave me the option to see gorillas in DRC. Apparently, not many people know that this park is safe for tourists and that offers gorilla trekking, camping and hiking. It is also less expensive than in Rwanda. We spent the best 4 days holidays I ever had. ON the first day we trekked gorillas which was a unique experience. The way to get to the family lasted less than one hour - although that was not a concern for us. The landscapes and forest were so beautiful that we could have walked for hours. IN the afternoon, we visited a tea plantation close to the park and then around 5 pm we camped on the top of a mountain (2,500m). 2 rangers and 3 guards came with us (which is included in the 50% fee for camping) to arrange the tents and prepare dinner and breakfast. The next 1.5 day we went to Idjwi Island right in the middle of Lake Kivu. I do recommend this trip especially for those visiting the area or expats from the region. I am not sure if I could have organized this alone though. I would say, especially to international tourists, to come with a tour operator to avoid complications. Check out the park's blog: http://kahuzibiega.wordpress.com/, I could not find a website.
Written September 29, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi
Im going to do the gorilla trek here, but has anyone done the nature walk here too, i would like to see more primates wildlife etc and someone mentioned the nature walk, or did anyone see any other wildlife on the gorilla trek , i cant seem to find much info on nature walks.
Written February 16, 2021
Hi, thanks for the review..can I ask how you go to out to the park for only $5 please? And how you got back to Bukavu?
Many thanks, Polly
Written August 18, 2019
Hi
Can I please ask which tour company did you go with? Or do you have a recommend tour guide for the Lowland Gorilla in Congo?
Thanks
Written January 8, 2019
I am sorry I am getting back to you late. I hope I can help you out. I used a company called Congo Tour and Travel located here in the US. Its important to get a reputable company to avoid horrible problems.
Written December 2, 2019
Hello everyone
I have a few questions that I hope someone can answer:
Some very good information here. I will be heading to Bukavu in Late July to see the Eastern Lowland Gorillas. I will be doing two treks. I have been looking around for information regarding a place to stay and a transportation contact to get to The National park for the treks.
1. Does anybody have any names of contacts (and their contact details) that can drive me to KB National park at a reasonable price? Right now, the best price I have is $150 USD return. This was a quote from someone in the tourist office at KB NP.
2. Anybody stay in a decent guesthouse or hotel for under $50? Preferably near where the Ihusi Ferry (from Goma) docks.
3. Where exactly does the Ihusi ferry dock in Bukavu?
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
Written March 26, 2018
carhais, i don t think you will get some thing cheaper than that on transportation since that money is inclusive of toll fees on 3 spots so basically better to have some one from the park office as you will be assured of the service.consider exodus hotel in Bukavu, poline his number +243998090498
In Goma, try caritus they have good offers.
Written March 26, 2018
Hi, trevormurphy. What would you like to know about this attraction?
Hi Joseu1. I'm just wondering who you got to arrange the Letter of Invitation for the DRC please?
Thanks,
Trevor
Written April 25, 2017
An invitation letter to kahuzi Biega can be easily obtained through a tour operator or a kahuzi biega national park, upon booking and proof payment of any safari activity in the park like , gorilla permit, Nature walk and confirmed accommodation.
Written April 25, 2017
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