Salonga National Park

Central Congo Basin, DR Congo

---

Salonga National Park, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo within the central Congo Basin, is Africa's largest tropical rainforest reserve, covering about 36,000 square kilometers. Established in 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, it is a highly isolated and pristine forest accessible primarily by river.

The park features vast swamps, dense rainforests, and diverse habitats that support an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including significant populations of bonobos, forest elephants, and the rare Congo peafowl. It protects a highly biodiverse ecosystem that remains largely undisturbed and plays a vital role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration.

Despite threats from poaching and encroachment, the park is critical for the conservation of many endangered species and is one of the last great wilderness areas on Earth.