Mangroves National Park, Marine park and Ramsar site in Muanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mangroves National Park sits where the Congo River meets the Atlantic, covering a vast coastal region with tangled waterways and root systems. The dense forest creates a maze-like environment with shallow water channels that support abundant fish populations and nesting birds.

The government established this protected zone in 1992 to safeguard the fragile coastal ecosystems from degradation. This decision came because scientists recognized how critical these mangroves are for fish reproduction and bird migration routes.

Local fishing communities around the park rely on the mangroves as their main resource for food and materials. You can see traditional boats and settlements scattered along the waterways where people still live much as they have for centuries.

Visiting requires advance permission from the conservation authorities before you arrive, and hiring a local guide is strongly recommended. The dry season offers better conditions for traveling through the waterways than the rainy months.

The park is the only marine park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the country's smallest protected area at 768 km2. It was designated a Ramsar site on 18 January 1996. Its mangrove species include Rhizophora racemosa and Avicennia germinans, and its staff consists of a curator and 25 guards.