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Located in the far north of Congo Brazzaville, the National Nouabalé
Ndoki Park extends over almost 4,000 km2 covered essentially by primary
forests. The fact that this zone has never been cut down by timber jacks
is of ultimate importance for botanical and biological interests.
The park contains several waterhole clearings, called ‘bai’
in pygmy language, and there are several big game animal species that
come to them: gorillas, elephants, red river hog, forest buffaloes,
sitatungas, bongos, otters and numerous birds. The marshes in the wet
forests shelter various species including the black-headed miniature
deer.
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We can find chimpanzees and panthers in the forest.
Conservation and animal and plant studies are carried out by the
WCS, together with the Congolese government.
The central camp is located at Bomassa, at the southern entrance
of the park, and in addition to the camp facilities of the conservationists,
there are around ten rooms in bungalows, and camp showers and bathrooms.
Near Bomassa is Wali Bai where we can see buffaloes, elephants and
sometimes bongos.
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After
a day at Bomassa, we take a 3-hour drive to the Mbeli Bai camp –
the biggest camp in the park. There are 4 tents on wooden platforms,
and showers and bathrooms for visitors. A 30-minute walk takes us to
the bay where a watchtower for a maximum of 8 people, is set up overlooking
the trees and giving a fantastic view of animal life at the bay: mammals
come out of the forest to get mineral salts in the muddy salt marsh.
One after another, and sometimes together, the babies accompany their
mothers in the grass and water, protected by the domineering father.
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This is how we can get a
whole family of gorillas into one picture near a herd of elephants
and a few sitatungas and birds: nature as it was before the arrival
of man!
Stay at Nouabalé Ndoki
Impossible to enter by road, the park can only be entered by a private
charter plane from Libreville, from 2.5 to 4 hours, according to
the power of the plane. You can thereby adapt the transportation
to the exact length of the stay you desire. Inside the park, you
can get around in a 4-wheel drive, a dugout canoe and on foot with
guides and animal trackers. |
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Around the Mbeli Bai, you can take organised walks into
the forest. The researchers are generally available during mealtime
to explain their work and answer your questions. You must be in good
physical shape.
A 3 to 6 day stay is recommended.
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Extension
of the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve into the CAR (Central African Republic)
After a one-half hour flight from Bomassa, you reach
Bayanga – the base of the Dzanga-Sangha Reservation, making
up an enormous inter-border protected area with Dzanga-Ndoki,
Nouabalé-Ndoki and the Cameroonian Lobéké
Lake Park.
Dzanga-Sangha is known for its exceptional concentration of elephants.
At the Dzanga Bay, you can sometimes find more than one hundred
elephants playing together in the opening. You can also see red
buffaloes, bongos and giant forest hogs.
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Contact with the pygmies is also an advantage of this
reserve. You can visit their villages, and follow them in their collecting
of medicinal plants. You can even go fishing with them, watch their traditional
dances and listen to their traditional singing.
The Doli Lodge is a very pleasant lodge built up on posts over the river.
There are 5 wood bungalows each containing 2 big bedrooms with a bathroom,
and a bar –restaurant overlooking the river.
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Doli Lodge |
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Stay in Dzanga-Sangha
According to your available time and interests, you
can stay at the Doli Lodge – only a 30-minute walk from
the Dzanga Bay, between 2 and 5 days. The price includes complete
meals and activities to be determined in advance.
You can also visit the
National Odzala Park
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