Garamba National Park
Established in 1938, Garamba's vast savannahs hold DRC's only giraffe population, reintroduced southern white rhino, and one of Central Africa's largest elephant herds.
Savannah, giraffe, and a rhino comeback story
Garamba sits in the transition zone between the Congo Basin's dense forest and the Guinea-Sudano savannas, giving it a landscape of rolling grassland, gallery forest, and swampy depressions unlike almost anywhere else in DRC.
The park was once home to the world's last wild population of northern white rhino, functionally extinct in the wild since the mid-2000s after decades of poaching and militia activity, including incursions by the Lord's Resistance Army.
Since 2005, Garamba has been managed in partnership between African Parks and ICCN, a partnership renewed in 2025 to mark twenty years of joint conservation work. In 2023, 2025 and 2026, southern white rhino were translocated into the park to begin restoring its rhino population.
Garamba's Kordofan giraffe, the DRC's only giraffe subspecies, has grown steadily under this management, alongside chimpanzee, lion, and hybrid forest-savanna elephant populations found in few other African landscapes.
What makes Garamba distinct
Garamba's mixed forest-savanna ecology supports species combinations found almost nowhere else on the continent.
Kordofan giraffe
Garamba holds the world's last wild population of this Critically Endangered giraffe subspecies, DRC's only giraffe.
Southern white rhino
Reintroduced in 2023, 2025 and 2026 after the northern white rhino's functional extinction in the wild here.
Hybrid elephants
Garamba's elephants show intergrade traits between forest and savanna elephants, among the largest such populations in a protected area.
Lion & buffalo
Open grasslands support lion prides and both savanna and hybrid buffalo herds.
Chimpanzees
Eastern chimpanzees inhabit gallery forest in the park's eastern buffer zone.
Rare forest species
Giant forest hog and golden cat move through Garamba's forested pockets, a legacy of its transitional ecology.
How a Garamba safari typically comes together
Garamba is managed by African Parks, with logistics generally arranged well in advance through the park directly.
Fly into Garamba via charter
Access is typically by charter flight given the park's remote north-eastern location, coordinated with African Parks.
Arrive at park headquarters
Visitors are briefed on current programmes, including rhino monitoring and giraffe conservation.
Savannah game drives
Guided drives across Garamba's grasslands look for giraffe, elephant, lion, and buffalo.
Rhino and giraffe tracking
Dedicated tracking activities follow the park's reintroduced rhino and its giraffe population.
Return via charter flight
Departures generally retrace the charter route back to a regional hub.
From the brink of losing its rhinos to active recovery
Garamba has been on and off UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger since 1984, first placed there over threats to the northern white rhino. Decades of civil war, Lord's Resistance Army activity, and illegal gold mining have repeatedly set back conservation gains.
The African Parks-ICCN partnership has driven a clear recovery since 2005, including the rhino reintroductions and a solar mini-grid programme powering over 500 households near the park. See our travel guide for current access conditions.
Planning questions, answered
Are there still rhinos in Garamba?
The original northern white rhino population is functionally extinct in the wild, but southern white rhino were reintroduced in 2023, 2025 and 2026, restarting a rhino population in the park.
What happened to the northern white rhino?
Poaching driven by rebel groups, including the Lord's Resistance Army, drove the population to extinction in the wild; the last individuals were seen in Garamba around 2006-2008.
Can you see giraffe in Garamba?
Yes. Garamba holds the world's last wild population of the Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe, DRC's only giraffe subspecies.
Who manages Garamba National Park?
African Parks has managed Garamba in partnership with ICCN since 2005, a partnership renewed in 2025.
How do I get to Garamba?
Given its remote location in Haut-Uele Province, most visits are arranged via charter flight coordinated directly with African Parks.
More of the DRC to plan around Garamba
Ready to plan a Garamba safari?
Our team coordinates charter access and current guidance for visiting Garamba's rhino and giraffe programmes.
What to do here
Top experiences in Garamba National Park
- Kordofan giraffeGaramba holds the world's last wild population of this Critically Endangered giraffe subspecies, DRC's only giraffe.
- Southern white rhinoReintroduced in 2023, 2025 and 2026 after the northern white rhino's functional extinction in the wild here.
- Hybrid elephantsGaramba's elephants show intergrade traits between forest and savanna elephants, among the largest such populations in a protected area.
- Lion & buffaloOpen grasslands support lion prides and both savanna and hybrid buffalo herds.
Entry requirements for visiting Garamba National Park
Every traveller needs a visa in advance. Read our step-by-step DRC e-visa and Congo tourist visa guide for the official DGM portal walkthrough, letter of invitation (LOI) requirements, fees, processing times and airport entry checks.
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