Mahura Forest

Mahura Forest is a tropical rainforest that is located in Congo and is one of the many wonders of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is situated on the northern side of Virunga National Park just next to the park headquarters in Rumangabo. This forest is one of many wonders as it is where you can visit the two great primate species of the Democratic Republic of Congo and those are the mountain gorillas as well as the Chimpanzees. It is also where the Mikeno lodge is situated right in the heart of this forest.

The Chimpanzees of the Mahura forest can be visited now since they have been habituated and are adjusting to having the human presence in their territory. On the Chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park, the trekkers get to join the team that is habituating the chimpanzee family of the Mahura forest found in Rumangabo. This is an extraordinary experience as fresh as it is since the park has just reintroduced this activity on the Virunga Expedition package that lasts about 11 days but gives you the best of Virunga National park that is; the park’s visitors stay three nights in the prestigious Mikeno lodge, one night in Bukima tented camp that is closer to the home of the mountain gorillas, 3 nights at the Lulimbi Tented camp that is situated in the savannah side of Ishasha valley that’s the southeastern shores of Lake Edward, 3 nights at Tchegera Island Retreat and the greatest night for volcano lovers at the peak of the world’s largest crater lake that is a night at Mount Nyiragongo summit. All the major corners of the Virunga are touched when you book this Virunga safari package. Chimpanzee habituation was being carried out in the earlier 2000s in the park but saw many chimps dying due to exposure to human diseases and it saw an end by 2014 but with more research, it is back and being carried out in Mahura forest so you can book your opportunity to be part of this experience. Another reason was the political unrest in that area where the rebels were hiding in Mahura forest so having a tourism activity in the region was near to impossible.

The mountain gorilla orphanage is also located in Rumangabo sector of Mahura forest in the compound of Mikeno Lodge. The orphan gorillas are rehabilitated in this forest with a very skilled team of caretakers.

Mahura forest is also blessed with a number of monkeys i.e. the blue monkeys and the colobus monkeys; the Angolan black and white colobus that are only found in the dense rainforests and also in lowlands and coastal regions. These are found in the Congo Basin, North East of the Congo river. You can also find several bird species in the Congo, Mahura forest such as the Ruwenzori Turaco bird. 

Notice, most of the animals that are found in forested and mountainous areas have thicker and more fur on their bodies firstly to keep their warmth as those highlands’ temperatures are usually very low.