The Wild Heart of Africa
The DRC
A country cloaked with a dark past, burdened with a challenging future, this is the heart of mystery. Adventure at its finest, the DRC is the ace of spades in this genre. Murky water aside, this is a country that will change you. Bestowed with the 'green-lungs' of Africa, the interior is vast and wild. Wildlife is widespread however sparse inside the rainforests and the DRC is the only place to see the endemic Bonobo or 'Gracile Chimp'. In the east lies the geological scars of the great Albertine Rift, a refuge for 300 + Mountain Gorillas and the largest primates on Earth, the Grauer's Gorilla. The DRC epitomizes what has been lost and amplifies what is worth saving. This is the heart of light.
Virunga
Virunga National Park is not only the oldest National Park on the continent, but it is the most biologically diverse. Savannah meets rainforest here with Mountain Gorillas relaxing up on the misty gradients of the Albertine Rift while shy Lions patrol along the savanna tracts at the foothills. It might be one of the boldest conservation efforts in Africa with the largest team of conservation guards on the continent. The cobination of exceptional Mountain Gorilla viewing, summiting the largets active lava lake volcano on Earth and witnessing the profound conservation ethic - Virunga is the most powerful destination in Africa. Be careful visiting Virunga, it will change the way you travel for the rest of your life.
Kahuzi Biega
A little further south of Virunga and near the shores of the mysterious Lake Kivu is the only place on Earth to see habituated and wild Grauer's Gorilla. These primates are not only the largest on Earth but are among the most vulnerable too. Near the park headquarters is a world famous Chimpanzee sanctuary offering a new life to orphaned chimps at Lwiro Primate Sanctuary. Near Lwiro is the famous Belgian research station full of everything that was left behind at the fall of the colonial era, libraries, preserved specimens and architecture. Along with Virunga, this is a a destination deserving of exposure.