Safari bucket list - Republic of Congo

Why the Republic of Congo should be on your safari bucket list

After the Amazon, Central Africa’s rainforest is the largest in the world. It includes an enormous section in the Republic of Congo. The OdzalaKokoua National Park is a stronghold for protected numbers of lowland gorillas, wild chimpanzees, and forest elephant. RwandAir flies to Brazzaville, the gateway airport to this safari centrepiece. Here’s our guide to its natural wonders.

Despite Odzala-Kokoua National Park being one of Africa’s oldest parks this vast green wilderness nestled in the northwest of the Republic of Congo has operated for much of its time under the radar of the global safari tourism industry. War, disease and poaching each took their toll on animal numbers, but in 2010 the park’s fortunes vaulted when African Parks – in partnership with the Congolese government – took over management. That same year African Parks took over running Akagera National Park and went on to rewild its ecosystems ravaged in the aftermath of the genocide against the Tutsi.

Working in partnership with local communities in Odzala-Kokoua, African Parks has introduced a policy of education, conservation employment opportunities and animal habituation, which has resulted in a decline in bushmeat poaching, and in a small but steady rise in the number of people visiting the park. Their efforts even included an amnesty programme, where poachers were allowed to surrender their weapons and train as park rangers. The result is a thriving ecosystem.

Biodiversity bonanza

Scientists estimate that Odzala-Kokoua is home to some 4,500 species of plants (30 per cent unique to the region), at least 100 mammal and over 440 bird species. It is one of the world’s last intact ecosystems with its untouched forest setting an ecological gold standard of incredible biodiversity. While it is best known for its gorilla and chimpanzee populations, resident mammals in the park also include thousands of forest elephant and buffalo. The previously under-threat populations of gorilla and elephant have been revealed in the African Park’s latest surveys to be stable and growing. Denizens of the dense forest that covers 13,600 square kilometres also include healthy populations of bongo antelope, sitatunga, bushbuck, giant forest hog and red river hog, as well as numerous duiker species from the large yellow-backed duiker to the tiny Bates’s pygmy antelope.

Primates love it here. Gorillas and chimps are the headliners, but you’ll find 11 primate species in total – the highest number to be found in any central African forest – among them the black and white colobus and the rare-to-see De Brazza's monkey and the agile mangabey.

The park is also a birdwatchers’ paradise. You can’t miss the African grey parrot that congregate in thousands-strong tree-top roosts while other notable species include the grey-necked rockfowl, forest swallow, Zenker’s honeyguide, Gosling’s apali, black-eared ground thrush, grey ground thrush, eastern wattled cuckoo-shrike, Verreaux’s batis, Bates’ weaver, yellow-capped weaver and Rachel’s malimbe.

Wide-ranging landscapes

Another reason for the park’s unique mix of species is its range of habitats. A mosaic of rivers, forests, savannas, swamps and flooded forests and marshes to rivers and swamps. The north generally comprises more dense forest and steep hills, while the south has areas of savannah plains and forest islands. Some of the best safari sightings are to be had at the many ‘baïs’ – the local term for a swampy, grassy opening in the rainforest. There are more than 140 of these saline watering holes in the forest. Each is a gourmet restaurant, spa and playground all in one for huge herds of elephant as well as other mammals such as the only viable population of the forest-adapted spotted hyena in the Congo Basin.

Gorilla tracking

At US$400 per person, gorilla trekking permits in Odzala are an affordable option. Other advantages include the relatively flat terrain for the hike (though you still have to make your way through dense forest) and the fact you can begin your hike from your camp in the park. Ngaga camp in the primary forest above the Ngaga Stream is the closest option. Here there are two habituated groups of lowland gorillas – smaller and less shaggy than their mountain cousins – each with their own dominant silverback.

When to visit

Gorilla tracking is possible here all-year, but the dry seasons from December to February and from June to September have less humidity to hamper the trek and due to the bountiful ripe fruits, gorillas often feed in the trees, which makes it easier to observe their behaviour and interactions. The drier conditions also encourage more wildlife to the oases of the baïs for easy spotting.

Where to stay?

Tourism in the park has been boosted by the development of three luxury ecocamps and a charter flight service from Brazzaville. African Parks runs Imbalanga camp, a tented forest camp in the east of the park and accessible via the national road. Odzala Discovery Camps, managed by Congo Conservation Company, consists of a series of three high-end tourism camps – Lango Camp and Ngaga Camp –located in the south of the park.

More Republic of Congo National Parks

Conkouati-Douli National Park

The Republic of Congo has a stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline and this park includes beaches which are popular nesting spots for leatherback sea turtles while humpback dolphins and whales also visit the shores. Conkouati National Park is known for its conservation of great apes. There are over 8,000 chimpanzees and 2,000 gorillas living here as well as more than 1,000 forest elephants and it is an important site for migrating wetland birds.

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park

Located in the far north of the Republic of Congo bordering Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Its 4.000 sq km consists mainly of pristine rainforest and is of extreme importance for the conservation of wildlife such as forest elephant, gorillas, chimpanzees, forest buffalo and more. The park reopened last year after a restructuring programme.

Ntokou-Pikunda National Park

Created in 2012 to preserve the primitive habitat of 15,000 gorillas. It is also home to a population of 8,000 elephants and 950 chimpanzees. Currently, few services exist for tourists.

Ogooué-Leketi National Park

Created in 2018, Ogooué-Leketi National Park sits in an awe-inspiring landscape of vast savannas, gallery forest and rainforest to the north and west. The park is home to forest species of gorillas, chimpanzees, elephant, buffalo, red river hogs and several species of monkey.