Kundelungu National Park

Kundelungu National Park (Parc national de Kundelungu) is a vast and scenic protected area in the Haut-Katanga Province of southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Established in 1970, it spans approximately 8,165 km² (earlier estimates around 7,600 km²) and serves as the sister park to the nearby Upemba National Park. It lies on the Kundelungu Plateau, about 180 km northeast of Lubumbashi, making it one of the more accessible parks in the DRC.

The park divides into two main zones. The southeastern zone covers the higher, ecologically intact southern portion of the Kundelungu Plateau, featuring natural escarpments, grasslands, and miombo woodlands. The western zone encompasses the Lufira River Basin, associated lakes, and lower-lying savanna areas that support mixed-use activities, including sustainable fisheries and limited community transhumance.

The landscape mixes grassy savanna on large steppes, dotted with gallery forests, escarpments, and dramatic waterfalls. Its high altitude and rainfall foster a unique blend of montane and Katanga-region endemism, creating a biodiversity hotspot with specialized plants, orchids, and reptiles. Rivers cascade over cliffs, feeding important watersheds that sustain ecosystems and the livelihoods of around 50,000 people across the DRC and into Zambia.The star attraction is Lofoi Falls (also called Chutes de Lofoi or Kaloba), one of the highest waterfalls in Central Africa. It plunges an unbroken 340 meters (about 1,115 feet) into a gorge, surrounded by lush vegetation and dramatic cliffs. Other notable waterfalls include Masansa and Lutshipuka. Hiking to viewpoints offers spectacular vistas of the plateau and surrounding woodlands.

Historically, the area teemed with megafauna, including black rhinos, elephants, buffalo, thousands of lechwe, Grant’s zebra, greater kudu, and large predators. Decades of conflict and poaching drastically reduced populations, leaving few large mammals today. Current wildlife includes antelopes (such as sable, impala, puku, and kudu), buffaloes, warthogs, hippopotamuses, monkeys, jackals, porcupines, and snakes. The park is an Important Bird Area, with species like egrets, marabou storks, pelicans, and the rare shoebill in wetland areas. African Parks, in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) since a 2025 management agreement, is working to restore ecosystems through anti-poaching, community engagement, and planned translocations of species like zebra, oribi, and cheetah.

The region has a rich cultural heritage, with human habitation dating back over a millennium and significant Iron Age archaeological sites. The park’s watersheds provide critical water security, while sustainable tourism development aims to generate jobs and support local communities near Lubumbashi.

Kundelungu stands out for its open plateau scenery—unlike the dense rainforests elsewhere in the DRC—offering hiking, scenic viewpoints, and potential for wildlife viewing as restoration progresses. Best visited in the drier months (June–August or December–February), it represents a promising frontier for conservation and eco-tourism in Central Africa.
In summary, Kundelungu combines dramatic waterfalls, highland savannas, and restoration potential into a unique and under-visited gem of the DRC’s protected areas.