Salonga National Park is Africa`s largest tropical rainforest reserve. Situated at the heart of the central basin of the Congo river, the park is very isolated and accessible only by water. It is the habitat of many endemic endangered species, such as the dwarf chimpanzee, the Congo peacock, the forest elephant and the African slender-snouted or `false` crocodile.
Dense swampy forest. Bird calls from a high closed canopy. Undulating rivers with sandy beaches on one side and trees and palms marking the edge of the water on the other side. Monkeys high up in the trees greeting passengers in pirogues. A large swarm of disturbed fruit bats hover over an island on the broad river. A fishermen greets from the other side of the National Park border. A small sitatunga antelope jumps into a little stream to get to the other side. A pair of hornbills crosses the sky. A palm-nut vulture circles the sky.

Salonga National Park is the largest protected area of tropical forest in Africa and the third largest forest national park in the world. To date, it remains one of the few areas in the world that is big enough for the evolution process to occur at a natural rate and remain relatively undisturbed by human activity.

Salonga is situated in the heart of the Congo Basin, south of the Congo River. It spans over 33,350 km². It consists of two large blocks (“north” and “south”) separated by a corridor of about 45 km wide . Its shape is reminiscent of human lungs. And really nature breathes here.