Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo covers approximately 11,730 square kilometres of Katanga savanna, miombo woodland, and interconnected lake systems in Lualaba Province, holding savanna elephants with a population that surpassed 200 individuals by 2026, zebra herds that grew from 35 to 170 animals between 2022 and 2026, the last Katanga buffalo, hippos, Nile crocodiles, and over 400 bird species, with visits arranged through the Forgotten Parks Foundation managing the park in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. Upemba is one of Africa’s oldest national parks, established in 1939, and contains the headwaters of the Lualaba River, the primary tributary of the Congo River, along with over 80 interconnected lakes including the eponymous Lake Upemba. Access is logistically demanding and expensive, requiring charter flight or overland travel to the park headquarters, and visitors should verify current security conditions with the Forgotten Parks Foundation before planning a trip. The dry season from May to September is the most productive visiting period.

Upemba’s status as one of central Africa’s least visited national parks reflects both its logistical remoteness and the security challenges that have affected the broader DRC over its recent history. The Forgotten Parks Foundation’s management since 2017 has progressively strengthened the ranger force, reduced poaching pressure, and enabled the wildlife recovery that has made the park’s zebra and elephant populations the most visible indicator of a genuine conservation success in progress. The park’s 80-plus interconnected lakes and the headwater systems of the Lualaba River give Upemba an ecological importance for the Congo Basin that extends far beyond its boundaries.

Zebra and Wildlife Recovery

The Crawshay’s zebra population of Upemba National Park represents one of the most documented wildlife recoveries in central Africa’s recent conservation history. The population was reduced to approximately 35 individuals by years of poaching and reduced protection, and the Forgotten Parks Foundation’s ranger programme has enabled a recovery that reached 170 animals by 2026. This population growth, from a near-functionally-extinct level to a viable herd in less than a decade of consistent protection, is among the more encouraging stories in DRC conservation. The zebra are seen in the open savanna sections of the park, typically in groups of 10 to 30 animals in the grassland areas between the lake systems.

The Crawshay’s zebra is a subspecies of plains zebra restricted to the Katanga and Zambia region, and Upemba holds one of the most conservation-relevant populations of this form. Game drives through the savanna sections in the morning hours are the most productive for zebra observation, with the herds active near the waterholes and open grassland between the lake systems before moving into the woodland shade during the midday heat. Warthog is widespread across all open habitats. Oribi inhabits the shorter grassland sections. Situtunga uses the wetland margins of the lake systems in the more flooded sections of the park.

Savanna Elephants and Large Mammals

The elephant population of Upemba National Park surpassed 200 individuals by 2026, representing a recovery under the Forgotten Parks Foundation’s anti-poaching programme from a period when poaching had reduced the population to critically low levels. These Katanga savanna elephants use the open woodland and the lake system corridors, and herds of 10 to 40 animals are seen on game drives through the park’s interior in the dry season when vegetation is lower and animals concentrate near the permanent water of the interconnected lake system. The elephant population is expected to continue growing as protection strengthens across the park’s 11,730 square kilometres.

The Katanga buffalo is the last surviving population of what was once a more widespread subspecies, and its presence in Upemba makes the park a globally important site for buffalo conservation beyond the species’ general abundance across Africa. These buffalo inhabit the more open woodland and grassland sections, with herds of 50 to 200 animals seen in the dry season near the lake margins. Hippo is abundant in the park’s numerous lakes and river sections, with pods of 10 to 30 animals occupying the deeper water bodies and visible from the park’s lake shore viewpoints. Nile crocodile uses the lake edges and river sections throughout the park.

Lake Upemba and the Congo Headwaters

Lake Upemba is the central water body of the park’s interconnected lake system and provides permanent habitat for hippos, crocodiles, and the endemic fish species that Lake Upemba is noted for among freshwater biologists. The lake’s fish community includes cichlid species found nowhere else in the world, and the park’s lakes collectively form one of the most significant freshwater endemic fish habitats in central Africa. The Lualaba River, which flows through the park and forms the upper course of the Congo River, creates the hydrological connectivity between the lake system and the broader Congo Basin drainage that makes Upemba ecologically central to the largest river system in Africa.

The lake and river system also provides the most productive wildlife viewing corridor in the park, as the permanent water attracts elephants, zebra, buffalo, and predators to drink and wallow at the lake margins throughout the dry season. Boat-based excursions on the larger lakes provide a different perspective on the park’s wildlife, with hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds accessible from the water in a way that vehicle-based game drives cannot replicate. The 80-plus interconnected lakes of varying size create a mosaic of open water, papyrus wetland, and flooded grassland that supports a waterbird diversity among the richest in the DRC.

Birdwatching in Upemba

Over 400 bird species have been recorded in Upemba National Park, a total that reflects the diversity of habitats across the park’s lake systems, miombo woodland, and open savanna. Shoebill stork is present in the papyrus and swamp sections around the lake margins and is one of the most sought-after birds for visiting ornithologists, though sightings require time in the papyrus habitats where the species forages for lungfish and other large prey. Wattled crane uses the open floodplain and marshy lake margins. African fish eagle is resident throughout the lake system and calls from exposed perches along the water’s edge.

The miombo woodland sections support specialist species including miombo pied barbet, Anchieta’s sunbird, and various cisticola and warbler species typical of the Katanga miombo zone. Saddle-billed stork and yellow-billed stork feed along the lake shores. Pel’s fishing owl inhabits the gallery forest sections along the rivers. Carmine bee-eater is present in the dry season, often in large flocks above the open areas near the water. The park’s position at the heart of the Congo-Zambezi watershed transition zone means that species from both the Congo Basin forest zone and the Zambian miombo zone occur within the same park area, giving Upemba an unusual avifaunal composition.

Access and Logistics

Reaching Upemba National Park requires serious logistical preparation and advance coordination with the Forgotten Parks Foundation, as the park has no established tourism infrastructure comparable to more visited African parks. The nearest city is Lubumbashi, the DRC’s second city in Haut-Katanga Province, from which a charter flight to the park headquarters at Lusinga is the most practical access. The Lusinga airstrip within the park provides the primary entry point for visitors working through the Forgotten Parks Foundation’s programme. Overland access from Lubumbashi via Kasenga is also possible in the dry season but requires multiple days and a fully self-sufficient 4WD convoy.

The park has experienced security challenges including incidents involving armed groups operating in the broader Lualaba Province area, and the Forgotten Parks Foundation’s current security situation report should be obtained before planning a visit. The rangers employed by the Forgotten Parks Foundation number over 250 and maintain security within the park’s core areas, but the broader DRC security environment requires ongoing monitoring. Visits to Upemba are best suited to adventurous travellers with experience in remote African wilderness destinations, significant logistical flexibility, and a realistic understanding of the infrastructure available in the park. The Forgotten Parks Foundation at upemba.org provides current visiting information.

Cost Breakdown for Upemba National Park

Best Time to Visit Upemba National Park

Getting to Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park is located in Lualaba Province in southeastern DRC, with Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga Province as the most practical international entry point. Lubumbashi International Airport has connections from Nairobi, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Kinshasa. From Lubumbashi, charter flights to the Lusinga airstrip within the park are the standard access method, coordinated through the Forgotten Parks Foundation. The Forgotten Parks Foundation’s website at upemba.org provides current access information, security updates, and visit logistics for the park.

The DRC requires a visa for all foreign nationals, obtainable from DRC embassies or through specialist travel agents in advance of travel. The Congolese franc (CDF) is the official currency, though US dollars are used in most major transactions. Current travel advisories for Lualaba Province and the broader DRC should be checked carefully before planning a visit, as the security situation can change and the park’s remoteness makes any security incident difficult to respond to quickly. All visits should be planned in direct coordination with the Forgotten Parks Foundation, who maintain the most current and reliable information on access and safety conditions in the park.