Sankuru Nature Reserve- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Situated in the heart of the Congo Basin, the Sankuru Nature Reserve spans roughly 30,570 km²—an expanse larger than the U.S. state of Massachusetts—established in November 2007 to shield vital watersheds and the region's richest wildlife, including bonobo, okapi and forest elephant populations. Uniquely, the reserve stands as the world's largest continuous protected area for great apes and marks the first major conservation landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be co-managed by indigenous communities; it also holds the country's inaugural REDD+ conservation initiative, integrating climate action with local stewardship. Travelers interested in intersections of ecological importance and human culture will find Sankuru compelling. Survey efforts in the mid-2000s uncovered previously undocumented okapi in the reserve's southern reaches, reflecting its role in expanding scientific understanding of Congo's biodiversity. Beyond habitat value, Sankuru plays a critical environmental role—its intact forest stores up to two billion tons of carbon, a vital buffer against emissions tied to deforestation.