Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park DR Congo

Upemba National Park is located within Katanga province which is the largest province in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.Upemba National Park was first established in 1939. As with much of the wildlife of the region, in contemporary times the park continues to be threatened by the activities of poachers, pollution, and the activities of refugees and militia.

Upemba National Park consists of a number of distinct bioregions, which includes a savannah plateau (1,400m-1,800m) with rocky outcrops separating the affluent of the Lufira River which drops down into the Kamalondo depression and from there into the marshes and lakes (585m) of the Upemba wetlands. In the northeast, the park is dominated by the Kibara plateau with its wooded foothills and high altitude savannah plateau, the center by the basin of the Lufira from the Kiobo waterfall to the marshes that border the lake, and in the south by a straight and long grassy plateau from Kayo to the Lufira. The park’s deep gorges, cliffs, and waterfalls and its marshes and lakes form a striking contrast to its immense expanse of savannah, making arguably one of the most magnificent landscapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The system of lakes, rivers, swamps, and wetlands supports a variety of fish fauna. The park also has a variety of bird species which includes several threatened or endangered species, such as the shoebill, wattled crane, and spotted ground-thrush, as well as Schmidt’s snouted frog -only known from the park.

There are ten large fishing lakes subject to the legal exploitation of their resources. Fishermen have formed local cooperatives and they fish between the months of March and November but how well this is enforced is difficult to assess. There is evidence to suggest that fishing continues throughout the year and that the use of illegal nets is common practice.

Lake Upemba

Lake Upemba has a maximum depth reported to be only 3.2 meters (10 ft) and it is a site of intense algae growth. The watercourses of the region fluctuate according to the season and the water level in the lakes is high from March to June, and low from October to January. Many of the bodies of water in the area are characterized by extensive swamps, with papyrus, Nile Lettuce, and water caltrop among other species.

Size of Upemba National Park

Upemba National park borders were re-defined from 17,730 square kilometers to 10000 square kilometers as a project that was aimed at the improvement of the conservation of wildlife animals in the great Katanga Province. Upemba national park is divided into two sectors; the lower section with Lake Upemba (depression) and another savannah grassland open for visitation during Congo wildlife safari. Among the top attractions and places to be visited is the Upemba depression, a lush area of lakes and marshes including the lake Upemba, and bordered by the Lualaba River, and also its higher section is in the dryer Kibara plateau mountains. Upemba national park wildlife safari can be added to Kundelungu national park which is an adjustment to each other.

The habitat of the park varies from Afro-montane grasslands and forests at higher altitudes in the Kibara Mountains: through Miombo woodlands and tropical rain forests to marshes, wetlands lakes, and streams with riparian zones at the lower altitudes it is home to some 1,800 different species, some of them discovered as late as 2003.

Location of Upemba National Park

Upemba national park is located in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo bordering Angola, Zambia, and Tanzania via Lake Tanganyika and the park is located 2291 km from the main capital Kinshasa.

How to get around Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park, though situated in Katanga province, is 400km from the border of Angola and Zambia, it also borders Tanzania – although Katanga province and Tanzania does not share a land border – the border was within Lake Tanganyika. Katanga has a wet and dry season. Rainfall is about 120 cm (49 in) and this means that the accessibility of Upemba can start with Water transport crossing from Tanzania or by Land or Air. Check out Lubumbashi International Airport in Lubumbashi to get international flights to enable you to book a Congo Safari in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Things to do in Upemba National Park

Landscape

It has varied landscapes and ecosystems that make it rich and interesting: valleys, shrub savannah, grassy savannah plateau, high plateaux dotted with forest galleries, and the large marshy valley of the Kamalondo depression, Where flows the river Lualaba, destined to become the river Congo.

Game drives to see the scarce wildlife

During a game drive Small herds of zebra, a few isolated pairs of Oribi, and several troops of baboons and other recorded species include lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, and the Katanga impala which is endemic to the park. A game drive in the park will give you a chance to spot some of these animals.

Top birding destination

The park is also a birding destination. It home to over 400 bird species, the forests and water bodies like River Congo, lake Upemba attract various bird species like Red-necked Spurfowl, Common Quail, Helmeted Guinea fowl, African Fish-Eagle, Grey Crowned-Crane, Wattle crane, Chestnut owlet, bee-eater, Racket-tailed roller, shoebill, Dickinson’s Kestrel, barbets, Angola Lark, Cisticola, Souza shrike, honeyguide greenbelt, leaf-love, Warblers, Nicator, Miombo rock thrush, flycatchers, sparrow weaver, paradise, seed eater, fire finch, and many others.

Fishing

Upemba national park has various lakes and rivers within and around it where fishing is done. Some of these water bodies include; Lake Upemba, Lake Kisale, River Luabala. Tourists engage in this activity and at the end of it, they go back to their accommodation with their catch and make a meal.

Fishing is largely for Tilapia and Capitaine but other than in the ‘off-season’ there are no further restrictions and nothing is known with regards to the lakes’ carrying capacity, optimal harvesting yields, or current off-take levels.

Boat cruise

The park has various water bodies where a boat cruise can be done. This activity enables tourists to spot various water birds and gives good scenery perfect for taking photos.

When to visit Upemba National Park

Lubumbashi has a humid subtropical climate, with warm rainy summers and pleasant, dry winters, with most rainfall occurring during summer and early autumn. The annual average rainfall is 1,238 mm (48.75 inches).

Where to stay in Upemba National Park

Being a bigger town in the region fairly there are accommodation facilities in the area where you can find maximum comfort while planning a safari to Upemba national park.