The Ituri Forest is one of the largest intact tropical rainforests in Africa and among the most biodiverse regions on earth. The forest around Epulu is ancient — these trees have been here for millions of years, surviving the climate oscillations that stripped forest from much of Africa during the ice ages — and the accumulated evolutionary depth shows in the density of species. Forest elephants, chimpanzees, forest buffalo, bongo antelope, river otters, and over 300 bird species inhabit the reserve. The forest itself is the spectacle: cathedral-scale trees rising 50 metres, the permanent green twilight at ground level, the constant background noise of insects, birds, and falling water.
Walking in the forest around Epulu requires a local guide — both for navigation and for the best chance of wildlife encounters. The Mbuti communities who live in and around the reserve have deep knowledge of the forest, and an encounter with Mbuti hunters — with their permission and appropriate respectful arrangement — gives access to a way of reading the forest that no outside biologist can replicate. The forest trails from the Epulu station pass through varied habitat: gallery forest along stream banks, dense undergrowth on drier ridges, and occasional clearings where elephants have opened the canopy.