Explore Congo
Explore Congo : During you’re your gorilla safari to Congo, stop by the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover more about the country’s history, as well as its cultural and national treasures. A visit to this spectacular location may always be combined with a gorilla safari tour in Virunga National Park in Goma or Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Bukavu.
The majestic dome-shaped monument built of white marble has a small collection of images and papers detailing the life of this educated man and Congo’s founder. Don’t miss a tour around the lovely gardens, which are topped by a Savorgnan monument. Book a Congo safari with Explore Rwanda Tours and include the Musée National de la République Democratique du Congo (National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on your agenda.
The National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MNRDC) is a museum in Kinshasa dedicated to the cultural legacy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s diverse ethnic groups and historical epochs. Representatives from the Republic of Korea formally handed it over to the Congolese government in June 2019.
The Korean Agency for Cooperation funded the $21 million building cost (KOICA). The building was constructed over a 33-month period by experts from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Korea under modern conditions (locally available construction materials, use of solar energy, natural air circulation with only partial use of air conditioning, and so on) and represents South Korea’s largest cultural policy investment in Central Africa to date.
In three 6,000 m2 public exhibition spaces, 12,000 artworks can be displayed in their cultural context. The majority of the collections of the National Institute of Museums (Institut des Musées Nationaux du Congo) must, on the other hand, be held in depots. In contrast to the past, when Belgian scientists from the Africa Museum in Brussels provided the director and scientific cooperation for decades, Congolese specialists are now being schooled in South Korea. As a result, Congolese cultural politicians’ global participation has expanded.
On November 23, 2019, the museum was launched by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi. Tshisekedi responded to European museum appeals for the repatriation of African cultural property by saying, “We urge the return of the scattered cultural inheritance, notably in Belgium.” The idea exists, but it must be applied gradually. Of course, it is a Congolese inheritance, and one day it will be necessary to return it, but it must be done methodically. The Democratic Republic of the Congo National Museum was founded to preserve and promote national history and principles, Explore Congo.
It is a facility that connects the past, present, and future by providing a symbolic framework with cultural and educational aims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country with a serious lack of historical and cultural content.
The NMDRC is expected to become not just an educational facility, but also a global centre for the collection, preservation, recovery, and research of extremely important relics.
It will expand from a simple structure into a modern museum that exposes its identity as a national monument, providing spiritual integration and a vision of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Explore Congo.
Other Things to Do in Congo
Kahuzi Biega National Park in Bukavu
This lovely national park, named after the 3,000-meter-high Mt. Kahuzi and the 2,700-meter-high Mt. Biega, is located in South Kivu Province and stretches from the Congo River valley to Bukavu. Extinct volcanoes Kahuzi and Biega provide wonderful trekking chances today. It was founded in 1970 to protect Eastern Lowland Gorillas and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ten years later. The main tourism activity in Kahuzi Biega National Park is Eastern Lowland gorilla trekking.
Poaching of gorillas has been a problem for decades, but thanks to park officials, a concentrated education campaign is still in place. The gorillas are still endangered today, but their quality of life and circumstances are improving year after year. The park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including elephants, chimps, genet, antelope, and serval.
Virunga National Park in Goma
Virunga National Park, located on the borders of Rwanda and Uganda, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is not only the oldest national park in the country, but also the most biologically diverse. There are lava plains, savanna, woods, valleys, active volcanoes, marshes, and even glacier peaks in the Rwenzori Mountains. The park is home to around 25% of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas and is the only park where three of the four great apes may be found in the same spot.
Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park is great for any visitor visiting Congo on a gorilla safari. In Congo, a gorilla trekking permit costs $400 per person during high season and $200 during low season. The Okapi, an endangered mammal that looks like a cross between a giraffe and a zebra, also lives in the park. It is possible to view hippos, lions, elephants, and a variety of rare and unusual birds. The park is separated into three sections, all of which are worthwhile to visit: the Rwenzori Mountains, the Lake Edward region, and the Mikeno volcanic area.
Nyiragongo Mountain
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Nyiragongo National Park dominates the skyline of Goma. This extraordinary 3,000+ metre volcano erupted on May 22, 2021, causing up to 15% of the surrounding region to be damaged and displacing over 500,000 people. Nyiragongo has erupted 34 times in the previous 130 years and is located near the juncture of the African tectonic plate. The landscape surrounding Goma is spectacular, with black solidified lava running so far that it seems like an aboveground coal mine. There is an active lava lake inside the crater that may be seen on occasion. The area has recovered well from the previous disaster, and there are several new businesses and marketplaces to discover.
Other intriguing destinations to visit during a gorilla trekking safari in Congo include a tour of the towns of Goma and Kinshasa, animal watching in Garamba National Park, Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Salonga National Park, exploring Tchegera Island, and visiting the stunning Zongo Falls, among others.
