Follow in the footsteps of Africa’s most illustrious explorers to the wilderness of the Congo Basin, where plains gorillas and forest elephants outnumber tourists, the dark forests are burning with giant butterflies and the Ba’Aka tribes hunt and sing in the shadows.
Nsimalen International Airport (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Meet and great at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
The tour begins in with our charter flight down to Dzanga Sangha for the first night at Sangha Lodge. [D]
Dzanga-Sangha is the northern section of the north-western Congo Basin. In the reserve are large populations of Forest Elephant, Lowland gorillas, 16 of the country’s primate species (such as De Brazza’s Monkey with its distinctive white beard), hundreds of bird species, reptiles, frogs etc. you visit a village of the Ba’aka pygmies and if you want, you can join them in a hunt for food into the forests. The woman will share some traditional knowledge of the plants and you learn about their lifestyle in the forest. The WWF works with the Ba’aka in establishing conservation, education and health programs in the area. The next few days, may be spent visiting Dzanga Bai, tracking lowland gorillas and hunting with the Ba’aka.
Gorilla tracking. Today you head down to Bai Hokou where you will spend time tracking a group of Western Lowland Gorillas. Dzanga Sangha and its neighbor in Congo Nouabale-Ndoki National Park are the only places in the world where you can find habituated Lowland Gorillas. [B,L,D]
Visit to Dzanga Bai. Dzanga Bai is large mineral rich clearing in the middle of the rainforest where forest elephants gather in large numbers to indulge in drinking the mineral rich waters that bubble up in places in this Bai. The interaction between so many different groups of Forest elephants ensure that no one can ever get bored at this place, while the possibility of some of the other normally shy forest creature like Bongo, Giant Forest Hog, Red River Hog, Sitatunga and Forest Buffalos visiting the Bai keep us alert. [B,L,D]
Today you head out with a group of Ba’aka net hunters as they go about their daily hunter-gatherer lifestyle. It is fascinating and a joy in itself to see how well adapted and comfortable the Ba’aka are in the forest while you may find it overwhelming and almost intimidating. You will be shown several of their medicinal plants while the hunt goes along in the background, and the excited cheers will alert us if they do catch something. THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT CONTRIVED AND THE HUNTERS ARE THERE TO CATCH THEIR FOOD SO PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SOME ANIMALS MAY BE KILLED DURING THIS TIME. [B,L,D]
River activities and trekking. Heading upriver by boat you will hike to a series of waterfalls in the area. These will take us through the best examples of prime rainforest that you would ever see. Apart from the amazingly beautiful waterfalls, you will see some of the most spectacular trees imaginable. Climbing to the top of the falls will provide vistas over the canopy of the forest while the possibility of seeing the extremely rare and endangered Grey-necked Rock fowl will excite any birders. [B,L,D]
In the evening you may do a night walk near the lodge with the hope of finding some of the more elusive nocturnal animals such as Potto, Thomas’s Galago, Tree Pangolin, African Palm Civet, Frazer’s Eagle Owl, Vermiculated Fishing Owl and several more.
Back into the park today to return to Dzanga Bai, and a repeat of Day 3 Activities. [B,L,D]
Today we take a charter back to Yaoundé or Bangui where the tour ends.
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