Tumba-Lediima Nature Reserve- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Tumba-Lediima Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spans approximately 7,412 km² across the Mai-Ndombe and Équateur provinces, just east of the Congo River. Established in 2006, it safeguards a segment of the eastern Congolian swamp forests and forms part of the expansive Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe Ramsar Wetland Complex—the world's largest designated wetland, covering over 65,696 km². This mosaic of swamp forest and seasonally flooded grasslands supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including bonobos, forest elephants, sitatungas, forest buffalo, and numerous migratory bird species. What distinguishes Tumba-Lediima is its human tapestry: more than 100,000 forest-dependent inhabitants, primarily Bantu agriculturalists and indigenous groups, live within or around the reserve. Management falls under the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), with technical guidance from WWF under the CARPE framework. While the reserve is a haven for biodiversity, it also illustrates the complexity of conservation in inhabited landscapes—with overlapping logging and oil concessions, and ongoing efforts to involve communities in resource stewardship and participatory mapping of traditional lands.