Democratic Republic of the Congo is famous for its wildlife tours in the spectacular lush forests by the Congo River. Almost every safari experience you have ever dreamed about can come true in this country where you can fly, drive, walk and glide past some amazing species and horse ride or wade through the delta on the back of an elephant. Being the third largest country in the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo encompasses several ecological wonders and environmental splendours in its territories. From the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean in the west, plateaus and savannas in the south and southwest, dense grasslands to the north to central fertile basin of Congo River and adjacent rainforests, the country is blessed with several natural features. Lake Tanganyika, the second largest lake in the world by volume, shares its majority of the length inside the territories of Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Previously known as Belgian Congo, the country passed through many stages of changing of names like Congo-Kinshasa and Zaire before arriving to its present identity of Democratic Republic of the Congo. After the dominant era of the Kongo Empire, the region was introduced to rest of the world by British explorer Henry Morton Stanley. It fell under Belgian reign after the Berlin Conference of 1885. Finally, Democratic Republic of the Congo was granted freedom on June 30, 1960.