D.R. Congo Travel Guide: Parks, Culture & Travel Notice

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the second-largest country on the continent, is the Amazonia of Africa: vast rainforest, great rivers, volcanoes, and the music and energy of Kinshasa.

Travel Notice: November 2026

Virunga National Park is reported to be closed to visitors, with no confirmed reopening date, and Kahuzi-Biega is not bookable. Governments including the UK and Ireland advise against all travel to eastern DRC, including North and South Kivu, and a health notice for an Ebola outbreak covers Ituri and North Kivu.

This page is a guide to the destination, not a booking page. Please check your government’s current travel advice and talk to us before planning a trip here.

Why the DRC Matters

Africa’s Great Rainforest

The DRC is the Amazonia of Africa. Its borders enclose half of the continent’s rainforest, and tropical forest covers half the country.

Kinshasa

On the southern bank of the Congo River, the capital is a megacity of music, culture and resilience at the heart of Africa’s largest river system.

Rumba and Style

Kinshasa is famous for Congolese rumba and soukous, which influence African pop worldwide, and for the stylish Sapeurs in their flamboyant suits.

Virunga National Park

Virunga is a World Heritage Site with mountain gorillas, volcanoes, the plains of Lake Edward and the Rwenzori slopes.

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega is home to eastern lowland gorillas, which are larger than mountain gorillas, with shorter hair and long arms.

The Albertine Rift

The far east rises into montane habitats along the western rift valley, with some of Africa’s most varied wildlife.

Looking to Track Gorillas?

Uganda and Rwanda offer mountain gorilla trekking now, in Bwindi, Mgahinga and Volcanoes national parks. See our gorilla trekking tours.

Get to Know the DRC

Kinshasa and the west

Kinshasa lies just south of Malebo Pool, a wide stretch of the Congo River, and the river is central to its identity, economy and transport. French is the official language, and Lingala is widely spoken in daily life. The city receives about 1,325mm of rain a year, chiefly between October and May, with average highs of 27 to 32°C all year.

Virunga National Park

This enormous park runs north from Lake Kivu to Mount Hoyo. Its volcanoes shelter mountain gorillas, and golden, blue and colobus monkeys may also be seen. The Rwindi and Vitshumbi sector, on the southern side of Lake Edward, has grasslands with elephants, buffalo, kob, topi and lions, and shores with hippos and pelicans. The park also takes in the western flank of the Rwenzori Mountains.

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

This 600,000-hectare park has montane forest, bamboo thickets and alpine heathland, rising to Mount Kahuzi at 3,308 metres. The lowland western sector near Irangi receives about 1,900mm of rain a year. Other wildlife includes owl-faced monkeys, colobus monkeys, chimpanzees and forest birds such as the rare African green broadbill.

Size and climate

The second-largest country on the continent covers 2,344,113 square kilometres, from the Atlantic Ocean east to Uganda. Rainfall is heavy in most areas. Beyond the forest, the country has woodland, open savannah and montane habitats.