The Ituri has its headwaters in province of Haut-Uélé in the mountains to the west of Lake Albert, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Kaladau.

It is joined from the left by Shari River to the northeast of Irumu about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-southwest of Bunia.

From there it flows in a generally westward direction to Bomili in Tshopo province, where it is joined by the Nepoko River to form the Aruwimi.

About one-fifth of the rainforest is made up of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a World Heritage Site.

[3] In 1903 prospectors working for the Congo Free State discovered gold in the Ituri River.