Carpeted by huge swaths of rainforest and punctuated by gushing rivers and smoking volcanoes, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) is the ultimate African adventure. As much a geographical concept as a fully fledged nation, DRC has experienced one of the saddest chapters in modern history, suffering a brutal 20th century of colonial exploitation, authoritarian madness and what has been dubbed Africa's first 'world war', which finally ended in 2003 with the rise of the Kabila political dynasty.
The major attraction or rather the reason for most visitors to the country is for tourism purposes. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a blessed country as it holds the few remaining species of three types of animals that are endangered. They are the mountain gorillas, the Okapis and the lowland gorillas. The Virunga National Park is the home to the last individuals of the mountain gorillas in the whole world and is found in Nud Kivu.

The DRC has much more to offer in terms of culture as the experience is the most authentic. Get to try some local dishes in the restaurants around. The people of DRC have kept their cultures strong despite the high levels of westernisation of most African cultures. Thus, we recommends including some cultural tours or community visits where you can interact with the local communities and learn about their ways of living. The main languages spoken in the DRC are French, Swahili and Lingala.