The park is in an area of pristine rainforest about halfway between Kinshasa, the capital, and Kisangani. There are no roads and most of the park is accessible only by river. CTT (www.congotravelandtours.com) is the only operator and logistics company currently organizing overwater transport from the Congo River into the Salonga Park via minor rivers. The southern region inhabited by the Iyaelima people is accessible via the Lokoro River, which flows through the center and northern parts of the park, and the Lula River in the south.

The Salonga National Park was established as the Tshuapa National Park in 1956, and gained its present boundaries with a 1970 presidential decree by President Mobutu Sese Seko. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Due to the civil war in the eastern half of the country, it was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1999.

When someday comes you'll need to get in.

When someday comes you'll need to be able to get around.