Reasons for visiting Lomami National Park

Reasons for visiting Lomami National Park

Lomami National Park is one of the protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is located in the heart of the country between Maniema and Tshopo. The park was gazetted in 1992 and was officially opened for tourism activities in 2016making it the newest national park in the country. Lomami National Park covers an area of roughly 8,879 square kilometers, making it among the largest national parks in the country.

The park derived its name from the River Lomami, a river that flows through the park’s territories. Lomami National Park encompasses diverse ecosystems, including swamps, forests, savannahs, tropical rainforests, and rivers. The park is home to a large array of wildlife, such as Bonobos, forest elephants, forest buffaloes, leopards, Okapi, Congo peacocks, grey parrots, bushbuck, several antelopes, various primate species like chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, mangabey, Salonga monkeys, and dray monkeys, as well as different kinds of bird species.

Lomami National Park is one of the undiscovered protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to its strategic location in the challenging and remote terrains. However, the park offers a lot of exciting tourism activities to travelers on a Congo safari in the park, such as game drives, primate tracking, nature walks, community visitors, birding, hiking’s and boat cruises among others.

What to do and see while on a Congo safari in Lomami National Park

The park offers a lot of remarkable Congo Safari tour activities to its visitors, the chance to explore and uncover the park’s untouched wilderness and its diverse wildlife.

Guided game drive/ viewing

Guided game viewing is the main activity offered to every visitor on a Congo safari in Lomami National Park. Game viewing in the park offers you an opportunity to explore the hidden gems of the park, including its diverse ecosystems like the savannas, rivers, andrainforest, in search of the wildlife species. Game viewers can conduct park visits by walking through the jungle forest, taking boat cruises, or boarding safari vehicles. During game viewing, visitors will encounter a fascinating variety of wildlife roaming the magnificent, lush vegetation, including forest elephants, leopards, forest buffaloes, red-river hogs, and several antelope species such as bongo, bushbuck, and duiker. They will also spot monkey species like colobus monkeys, Slater’s Angolan colobus, mangabey, and guenons, along with primate species such as chimpanzees and the largest bonobos. Different bird species fly throughout the savanna, forests, and river shores.

Bird watching

Lomami National Park boasts over 275 bird species, both migratory and resident. Birding is one of the most thrilling activities to take while on a Congo safari in the park. Bird watchers can spot various species of these birds and enjoy the various activities in the park. Also, there is a night nature walk, which allows visitors to track the night species of birds, animals, nd insects. Safari visitors in the park will spot bird species including Congo peafowl, African grey parrot, Cassin’s Spinetail, shining blue kingfisher, Johanna’s Sunbird, black goshawk, blue-breasted Bee-eater, croaking cisticola, crested guinea fowl, and pale crowned cisticola, among other remarkable species.

Fishing safaris

Fishing in Lomami National Park is one of the famous activities that you should not miss while on a Congo safari in the park.

This interesting activity offers you the chance to see various fish species that fishermen catch. Visitors normally fish in the Lomami River in Lomami National Park, and they mainly use traditional foxhole canoes. Fishermen commonly catch tilapia in the river.

Primates sighting

Lomami National Park is famous for its large bonobos, one of humanity’s closest relatives. A visit to Lomami National Park offers you amazing views of fascinating African primates, from extraordinary ones like the large bonobos, Stupa red colobus, Lomami red colobus, Scatters Angolan colobus, Northern black mangabey, Katanga red-tailed monkey, Yellow-nosed red-tailed monkey, DE Brazza’s monkey, Lomami river blue monkey, Congo basin Wolf’s monkey, Lomami river Wolf’s monkey, Lesula, and Dryas monkey, among others. You will encounter these primates feeding or playing in the Tshuapa forests.

Cultural encounters

Lomami National Park is one of the protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which enriches the various ethnic groups. The park is surrounded by several indigenous communities search as Mbole, Mituku, Tetela, Ngengele, Arabise, Lengola, and Langa. A visit to local communities on a Congo cultural tour in Lomami National Park offers opportunities for visitors to interact with local communities living near the park. This may include visits to villages, cultural performances, and learning about traditional lifestyles and customs, as well as visiting the hunting grounds and the fishing spots, among others.

Boat rides

Boat rides in Lomami National Paare are another exciting activity to take part in. These rides are relaxing safaris offered to many visitors while on a Congo Safari Tour in the park. The National Park offers visitors opportunities to explore the Lomami River by boat, offering a unique and amazing look at the park’s magnificent landscapes and wildlife. Visitors can enjoy leisurely boat trips along the river, observing wildlife along the banks and taking in the astonishing views.

Guided Hiking /nature walks.

Nature treks are one of the more active ways to explore the landscape and wildlife of the Park. Nature walks through the forests, along the rivers, as well as the savanna grassland,  offer you the scenic views of the landscapes where you may spot a variety of forest and savanna species, as well as having a unique opportunity to get extremely close to large Bonobos on foot.

Best time to visit Lomami National Park

Visitors can visit Lomami National Park throughout the year, depending on their needs and preferences. The best time to visit the park falls during the dry seasons, which run from June to July, and September, and then from December to February. During this season, there is little or no rainfall, and the weather conditions are generally pleasant and lovely, making it easier to spot a variety of wildlife, participate in outdoor activities, and have passable roads.

Accessibility

Accessing the Park is a bit challenging due to its strategic location and poor infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Visitors can reach the park by both air and road transport. Most visitors commonly access the park by air. The Democratic Republic of Congo has several charter flights for visitors to Lomami National Park. Travelers can fly into the nearest towns of Kindu or Kisangani, then hire a private car to the park. You can also choose to drive by road to the entrance or to nearby towns where most of the park’s tour operators stay.