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[ Symphonies Naturelles ] [ BOMBO-LUMENE PARK ]
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- Bombo-Lumene Game reserve is located
130 kilometers from Kinshasa on the road to Kikwit in the Bandundu
Province. The road has been recently paved and is in excellent
condition.
- VISIT BOMBO-LUMENE SOON!!
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- THE CHALET
- click on the image to see a
larger version
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Built in 1958 by a Belgian
agricultural extension agent
stationed there, the rooms were finished with wood paneling, and the
original fireplace, made from stone masonry, still stands in the living
room. The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN)
has equipped the chalet with all the amenities. The only thing one
has to bring, is food. Cooking utensils, pots and pans are
stocked in the kitchen. Water, soap and towels are provided in the
bathroom.
Not far from the chalet, a few shade trees provide
shelter from
the sun and a small
gazebo made from wood poles and thatch roof can harbor a barbeque party
during a rain shower.
The park guards record information on flora
and fauna in the reserve.
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VIEWS FROM THE
BATEKE PLATEAU |
Bombo-Lumene reserve is
located on the Plateau de Bateke which is covered predominantly by
savanna grasslands. Rivers
have cut valleys through the savanna and provide water for the
forest galleries contained within.
The chalet is built on the plateau where it benefits
from the
winds that often blow across the savanna. From the chalet porch
one can often see plateau storm theatres. With little obstacles to
block the view, lighting bolts can be seen several kilometers
away.
Trails
down from the plateau into the valleys are very steep. Villagers
often have to
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IN THE FOREST |
On the edge of the forest gallery, the
Bombo Lumene park
staff
have built some small gazebos. Here one
A short walk away, on the trail in the forest, one can sit on a
bamboo
bench
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THE VINE BRIDGE |
 In
order to cross the Lumene river the park staff has built a traditional
vine bridge.
One
can fish for the renown "Mbenga" or Tiger fish. Sport
fishermen enjoy fishing for the tiger fish because it is a fierce
fighter.
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A POND IN THE
CLEARING |

Not far from the vine bridge one can walk out into a small grassy
clearing where a natural pond can be found.
This pond is often visited by antelope and water buffalo.  
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NSELE |
Located not far from Kinshasa is the Park
of the Nsele. Created near
the mouth of the Nsele River and next to the
Congo river, this park offers great picnic facilities and was once the
site of a relatively large zoo. One can find the "Malebo"
palm tree on the grounds. It is after this palm tree that the
Malebo Pool, the wide area in the Congo river between Brazzaville
and Kinshasa, was named. |
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