Elila River

The Elila River is a tributary of the Lualaba River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It rises in Mwenga Territory of Sud-Kivu Province and flows west through Shabunda Territory and then Pangi Territory in Maniema Province, entering the Lualaba just downstream of Kindu.

Map of Elila, Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the upper reaches there are rolling grasslands to the south of the river, but the Itombwe Mountains to the north are rugged, covered by rainforest except where rock bluffs emerge from the steepest slopes. This country is home to gorillas. The middle and upper Elila valley is traditionally home to the Lega people.

At one time thought to be extinct, in 2011 the endangered frog Hyperolius leucotaenius was found and photographed on the banks of the Elila.