East Congo
Salonga National Park is the largest tropical rainforest wildlife reserve in Africa, as well as one of the largest parks overall on the continent. Located in the innermost regions of the Congo River Basin jungle, this is one of the most isolated and remote places in Africa, and one of the most pristine wildlife reserves on Earth. Home to a wide variety of rainforest animals and very few humans, Salonga is the quintessential, exotic dark heart of Africa at its best.
Located far from the African coasts and surrounded by hundreds of miles of some of the densest rainforest on Earth, the history of Salonga is largely untainted by the modern world. Local tribes in the area remained largely undisturbed through the colonial era, which was designated as a national park in 1956. It was subsequently expanded, and in 1984 designated as a World Heritage Site.
Salonga is a treasure trove of rainforest wildlife, notably primates and birds. Larger game in the area includes Forest Elephants, Leopards and Pygmy Cape Buffalo. Hippos and Crocodiles are common in the water areas. The park is also known for many smaller species not commonly found outside the Congo River Basin, including the Mongoose and several species of Pangolin.
Salonga National Park is one of the most isolated and difficult to reach places on the African continent. Despite its immense size of 36,000 square km, it is largely inaccessible. The closest town is Inongo, 200 miles to the west, while the capital of Kinshasa is 400 miles to the southwest. As of this writing no visitor information was available. Web: N/A.
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