Okapi Wildlife Reserve

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, in the Ituri Forest of northeastern DRC, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting one of Africa’s most unusual animals: the okapi, a forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe with a horse-like body, dark chestnut coat and zebra-striped legs, first described to Western science only in 1901 and found in the wild nowhere outside this region of the Congo Basin. Covering roughly 13,700 square kilometres, the reserve protects a significant share of the Ituri Forest’s old-growth rainforest.

The Okapi

Okapis are notoriously difficult to spot in the wild given their solitary, forest-dwelling habits and naturally low population density, and even within the reserve, sightings on a standard visit are far from guaranteed. The Okapi Conservation Project’s research and breeding station near Epulu offers the most reliable way to see okapis up close, maintaining a small population of habituated individuals for research and conservation purposes.

The Ituri Forest

Beyond okapis, the reserve’s dense old-growth rainforest supports forest elephants, thirteen primate species, and the Mbuti and Efe peoples, among the region’s indigenous forest communities, whose traditional hunting and forest knowledge have made them important partners in the reserve’s conservation work.

A Remote, Specialist Destination

Okapi Wildlife Reserve sees very few international visitors compared to DRC’s gorilla parks, owing to its remote location and limited tourism infrastructure. A visit here is a genuine expedition rather than a standard add-on itinerary, requiring considerable advance planning, and is best suited to travellers specifically motivated by the reserve’s unique conservation story rather than those seeking guaranteed wildlife encounters.

Access

The reserve is reached via the town of Epulu, itself a long overland journey or charter flight from Bunia or Kisangani, logistics considerably more involved than Virunga or Kahuzi-Biega’s more established tourism routes.

Best Time to Visit

The drier months from December to February and June to August offer somewhat easier travel conditions on the reserve’s unpaved access routes, though rainforest weather remains unpredictable across most of the year.