The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is one of the best places in the DRC to protect wildlife and is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It lives in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, close to the borders with South Sudan and Uganda. Ituri Forest is very big, but the reserve is only 13,700 square kilometers, which is only a fifth of it. Some of the most interesting things in the park are Mount Mbiya and rivers like Ituri, Epulu, and Nepoko.

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was made in 1992 to protect the Okapi, which is now critically threatened. It’s the only park where people can see Okapi in their natural environment. It is home to 377 bird species, 13 primate species, and 101 animal species besides the Okapi. There are 2,000 lions, 8,000 forest elephants, birds, butterflies, and other bugs who live there. The Efe and Mbuti pygmies live in the Ituri forest. They are the last true forest people in the world.

The Pygmies of the Ituri forest have lived in the forest for thousands of years, gathering food and hunting. So have the Batwa. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a great place to go on guided hikes and learn about the lives of a real African tribe because there are Mbuti pygmies living in the bush. On a safari in Congo and the reserve in particular, you can expect to see and do everything in the bush, including hunting with the pygmies.

The Okapi

Reserve for Wildlife in Okapi

Even though there is war and fear in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has the most diverse wildlife in Africa. The Okapi, bonobos, mountain and eastern lowland gorillas are some of the rare species that live in Congo. This animal, the okapi, is also called the forest giraffe or Okapia johnstoni. It has stripes on its skin that look like zebras. The Okapi is amazing because it was only found in 1901 at the Virunga National Park. Its closest living relative is the giraffe. The only place you can find it is in the DR Congo, in the Ituri forest and the Virunga National Park. About 5,000 of them live in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve alone. Most of them live in the Ituri forest, but some are also in Virunga National Park.

Since they were first protected in 1933, the Okapi has been listed as a threatened species by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). This new group is because their number of members has been going down for 20 years. The Congolese government has made the Okapi a national symbol of protecting wildlife, and it can be seen on a number of national flags.

The Okapi and other animals in the reserve need big, dense woods to live and do well. The Okapi and the reserve are most at risk from people moving into the forest from overpopulated parts of Eastern Congo, poaching for bush meat, illegal logging, and illegal gold and Coltan mining. The Okapi and the reserve are hard to protect because of the unstable political situation in the eastern part of Congo and the fact that security is always changing. They killed six people and thirteen Okapi when they attacked the Epulu Park offices in 2012. The Zunguluka guard post was broken into and destroyed in 2015.

Most of these attacks are done by gangs as a way to get back at government troops and the Okapi Conservation Project for their good work in the Reserve against poachers and illegal miners. The biggest danger to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is that people are constantly moving into it from other parts of the country. Pygmy tribes have learned to live in harmony with nature by only taking what they need. However, newcomers are to blame for cutting down too many trees and hunting too much.

Between 1996 and 1998, the number of wild elephants in the park went down because of rebels in the reserve. At that time, the ivory trade in Congo made a lot of money. It still does, but it’s riskier now. Animal protection groups all over the world were concerned about the plight of elephants. Money was given, and Operation Tango began to stop the killing of elephants and protect areas that the Congolese government could not reach.

The operation went really well and helped make the reserve more stable, which is still the case now. This activity also showed that the reserve needs help from other countries in order to stay alive. We’ll see in the next sentence that the Okapi Conservation Project and the Epulu Conservation and Research Center are both very important groups.

Project to Protect Okapi

The Okapi Conservation Project worked with the Congolese government to set up the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. John Lukas is in charge of the Okapi Conservation Project, which helps and continues the work of the ICCN to protect, preserve, and run most of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve’s business. The project was set up in 1987, before the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, to protect the reserve’s native pygmies and endangered Okapi.

The project’s main focus is on the Okapi, but the reserve’s protection efforts have also helped other species, like chimps and forest elephants. With about 14 Okapis, the Epulu Conservation and Study Center was set up as a place to study and raise the animals.

Reserve for Wildlife in Okapi

Work by the Okapi Conservation Project is focused on community support, outreach programs, and learning about wildlife. The project also helps teach people inside and outside the reserve about how important the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is. The initiative has put money into making its local workers, Guards, and people who live outside the reserve better able to help it reach its goal. One of the most important things that the project did was provide housing and medical care for fam

ilies of guards who work on the reserve. Besides that, the initiative pays all the costs of running the reserve, like gas, office supplies, patrols, uniforms, boots, and communication tools like satellite phones.

The project has also helped set up a well-organized intelligence network with pygmies and people who live near the reserve to fight poaching, illegal logging, and mining. They have been able to convince the pygmies and other people in the area that they are on their side, which has earned their trust.

Because the project has good working ties with the people in the area, it has helped build hospitals (including ambulances), schools, and water systems in the area. Besides that, they help local farmers use new farming methods to make their yearly crops produce more. A fund has been set up by the effort to help the families of fallen rangers.

It is important to remember that the Okapi Wildlife Reserve’s future depends on good and strong leadership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the things that have been said above. People are hoping that the recent presidential elections mark the start of a new era in the country. They believe that major political changes will pave the way for peace and wealth across the whole country.

Safari Activities in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve

Seeing wildlife: As we already said, Okapi Wildlife Reserve isn’t just for Okapis. It also has a lot of different animals, so people who are lucky enough to visit will have very interesting wildlife experiences. In the reserve, you can see chimpanzees, leopards, elephants, water chevrotains, forest buffaloes, giant pangolins, golden cats, pygmy antelopes, forest genet, Anubis baboons, and many other species of antelope. You can also see African dwarf crocodiles.

Watching birds:

One of the best places to see birds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The area is home to 370 species that have been named. The most well-known animals are vultures and herons.

Experiencing other cultures with the pygmies.

If you can’t imagine going on vacation in Africa without seeing one of the continent’s native groups, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve will not let you down. The Mbuti pygmies are not as tall as their Bantu friends who live outside the reserve. They are very primitive people whose ways of life have not been greatly changed by modern society. Pygmies from Mbuti and Efe have lived in the Ituri forest for thousands of years, just like the Batwa pygmies in Uganda.

They hunt and gather in the forest. Gypsies gather things like honey, insects, seeds, fungus, and plants when they’re not hunting. They know how to find healing plants in the wild and can tell them apart. Most Batwa were forced to leave the woods to make room for mountain gorillas, but the Okapi Wildlife Reserve pygmies are still happy living in the Ituri forest. The pygmies respect the forest and the people who live in it. Because of this, it has been easy to work with them while letting them keep living the way they always have.

Bantu and Pygmy neighbors have lived together happily for a long time. They eat less rice and other starchy foods and more game meat to get a more balanced diet.

When the park officials say it’s okay, the pygmies will take you into the bush to look for birds and animals. Animals that they really like are antelopes and monkeys. They use bows and arrows to hunt and fiber nets or arrows to catch fish.

Moving with the pygmies is the best way to find the rare Okapi because the pygmies use strange clues to find them. The pygmies can figure out what kind of plants and animals they are by carefully looking at the marks that have been left behind. After seeing the pygmies, you can look at how their Bantu neighbors live and see how they differ.

Hikes in nature:

It is possible to set up guided nature walks to some of the most beautiful spots in the forest. Like many of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national parks, Okapi Wildlife Reserve still has a lot of wild areas that haven’t been changed and that not many people have been to or found.

Some of Congo’s areas and national parks are far away and don’t have good road networks, so they are well protected. While you’re in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, you can climb Mount Mbeya or visit the beautiful Nepoko rivers. In the Ituri forest, you might find some of the most beautiful streams you’ll ever see.

Camping:

People who are brave and want to do something different should go to the farthest parts of Congo, especially the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Something truly unique that they might talk about with their friends who are more familiar with the more well-known tour spots in Africa. If you camp in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, you will have the rare chance to experience real African wilderness. The best places to camp are along the Epulu River.

Things You Need to Know Before Going to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve

Right now, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is full of tourists who are very daring and know that they have to take chances to experience something new. Yes, I mean taking a chance by going to Congo even though the country has a bad image. Making the choice to go or not go, even if there are reports of rebel activity or kidnapping or an outbreak of Ebola.

These brave tourists know that people live in these countries and that there are many more foreigners who are also willing to take risks. In fact, the chances of getting Ebola or getting caught in the middle of a rebel attack are so small that you might wonder why we can’t take the risk. Are you ready to take the risk that many other people are?

When is the best time of year to go to Okapi Wildlife Reserve?

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is open all year, but the best time to come is during the dry season, which runs from June to August. Before you go to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, you should be careful and check with the Okapi Conservation Project or your tour company to see what’s going on there. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is right on the line between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as we already said. Most people who live near the area live in Isiro.

You should start your trip from Isiro, Kisangani, or Beni and stop at Epalu on your way to the Center. If you’re coming from Beni or Kisangani by car, allow one full day for the trip and another for the return. You’ll need a strong four-wheel drive that’s in good technical shape (with extra tires) during the wet season. People arriving in Kinshasa or Kigali, Rwanda, can also book private flights from the airports in Bunia or Goma.

You can get into the park for free, but you can’t stay there. When you go to the area, you would have to make your own plans for where to stay. The best place to stay is at the reserve center in Epulu. Their own place to stay, but there are only a few rooms open at different times of the year. There are also the Plaza Hotel, Immo Baje, Hotel Kisangani, Vuvuke Guest House, and Immo Baje close.