Visit Congo’s Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Visit Congo’s Okapi Wildlife Reserve : The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established in 1992 and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The reserve, which is located in the Ituri forest near the Uganda-South Sudan border, aims to protect the local Okapi population, as well as a variety of uncommon flora and animals to thrill while on Congo Safaris Tours
The reserve is home to traditional pygmy hunter-gatherers from the Mbuti and Efe ethnic groups, who have long coexisted with wildlife. However, due to commercial bush meat and civil war disruption, it is proving hard to maintain animal populations, and many have declined dramatically.
What can I see and do during my visit to Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Congo?
Wildlife
The reserve also has endangered vegetation, primates, and birds. Elephants, chimps, crocodiles, buffaloes, bongo, leopard, dwarf antelope, giant forest hog, water chevratain, and other animal species may be found in the reserve. Furthermore, the reserve is home to the most primates of any African forest, with 17 different species. There are no game drives because this is a forest, and all animal observations are done on foot as you accompany a group of Okapis over several nature routes. Consider the viewpoints of any other creatures you encounter.
As previously stated, Okapi Wildlife Reserve is more than simply Okapis. It also has various more creatures, providing for incredibly interesting wildlife encounters for tourists who are fortunate enough to attend. It is home to chimps, leopards, big forest pigs, elephants, water chevrotain, forest buffalo, enormous pangolins, and golden cats. The reserve also has pygmy and forest antelopes, as well as numerous other antelope species and African dwarf crocodiles.
Birdlife
Okapi Wildlife Reserve is home to 376 different bird species. Congo peafowl, Great Crested Grebe, White-napped Dove, Long-tail Nightjar, Common Swift, African Emerald Cuckoo, Nkulengu Rail, Great Blue Turaco, and Spur-winged Lapwing are all found in the Ituri Forest.
Black-winged Pratincole, Bateleur, African Wood Owl, Speckled Mousebird, Bar-tailed Trogon, Crowned Hornbill, Cassin’s Honeybird, Cardinal Woodpecker, Black Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted Roller, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Grey Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, African Broadbill, African Pitta, Mountain Oriole Albertine Sooty Boubou, Wattle-eyed White, Collared Sunbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Brown Twin spot, Pin-tailed Whydah, African Pipit, Senegal Canary Western Nicator, Dusky Tit Whistling Cisticola, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Red-rumped Swallow, Slender-billed Greenbul, and Tit Hylia are just a few of the bird species that you will find at Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is one of the greatest sites to go bird watching in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve has 376 species documented. Vultures and herons are two of the most common.
Community Cultural Tours.
If an African safari would be incomplete without a visit to one of the continent’s indigenous tribes, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve would not disappoint. Mbuti pygmies are smaller than their Bantu neighbors that reside outside the reserve.
They are primitive people whose way of life has not been greatly altered by modern civilisation. The Mbuti and Efe pygmies, like the Batwa pygmies in Uganda, have been forest hunters and gatherers for thousands of years in the Ituri forest. After viewing the pygmies, you can observe how their lifestyles differ from those of their Bantu neighbors.
Guided Nature Walks.
Nature treks with a guide to some of the most beautiful sites in the forest may be organized. Okapi Wildlife Reserve, like many of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national parks, still includes unspoilt wildness that many people have yet to discover or visit.
Some of Congo’s reserves and national parks have stayed isolated and hence well-maintained due to their remoteness and restricted transportation networks. While resting at the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, you may climb Mount Mbeya or see the lovely rivers of Nepoko. The Ituri forest contains some of the most beautiful waterfalls you will ever see.
Camping
Visiting the remote areas of Congo, notably the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, is for those who are courageous and want to do something different. Something absolutely unique that they will be able to tell their friends who are more familiar with the more well-known African safari spots.
Camping in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience true African wilderness. The best places to camp are along the Epulu River.
Where can I stay when visiting Okapi Wildlife Reserve?
Accommodation facilities in Okapi Wildlife Reserve include; Hotel Kisangani, Vuvuke guest house and Plaza Hotel to mention but a few.
How to get to Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Congo?
The Okapi wildlife reserve in Congo is located near the country’s border with Uganda and Sudan. The game reserve is accessible by plane from Kinshasa to Bunia, followed by a drive to Epulu. Visitors can also travel from Kinshasa to Kisangani and then drive to Okapi, which takes around 8 hours
