Western Lowland Gorilla Viewing in Odzala and Nouabale Ndoki National Parks (Republic of Congo)
Written: Jun 21 '02 (Updated Jun 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique parks to get extended views of gorillas in the wild
Cons: Lodge facilities are more basic than elsewhere in East and southern Africa.
The Bottom Line: Unique chance to see gorillas in the wild in an undiscovered part of Africa.
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| Prim8Pal's Full Review: Democratic Republic of Congo |
These parks in the Republic of the Congo provide a unique and wonderful chance to see gorillas and other wildlife (NOTE: THEY ARE NOT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO BUT IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO...epinions currently doesn't have a category for Rep. of Congo so I'm writing here). We spent 1 1/2 weeks in the lush rainforests in June 2002 which offer an excellent alternative to the more established gorilla viewing tours in Uganda and Rwanda. These parks were featured in National Geographic magazine's megatransect project led by Michael Fay.
Odzala National Park
This park in northern Congo can be reached by small plane or road from Gabon, thus eliminating the need to go through Brazzaville which currently has some political problems. The highlight of the park are the many bais (also called salines) which are natural clearings in the vast rainforests. These clearings are wide open and have minerals and plants that are favored by gorillas and other animals. Hides have been built at some of these bais where you can just sit all day and watch the animals come to feed or drink.
If you fly in, you'll arrive at M'boko, a beautiful tented camp on raised platforms. The camp is adjacent to a bai and some riverine forest. We saw forest elephants and forest buffalo coming through our camp, and also crested mona monkey. A pirogue (motorized canoe) ride along nearby rivers brought views of the sitatunga, an extremely shy antelope that's almost impossible to see on safaris elsewhere in Africa, but quite common here.
The real highlight was the spent two days we spent at Lokoue bai which is reached by a 6 hour pirogue ride from M'boko. The ride itself was quite intriguing. We saw many monkey families, four chimpanzees, lone gorillas feeding in trees, and one crocodile. The lodging at Lokoue is simple (igloo tents and a long drop toilet). Lokoue bai is an easy 1 hr 40 minute walk along flat terrain from the camp. This area has an extremely high concentration of gorillas...about 40 families and lone male gorillas are known to visit the bai monthly, staying from a few hours to two days each. On our first day we saw three gorilla families and two blackback males feed in the bai. The silverbacks are especially impressive with their heads topped with brown and massive muscles. Viewing distances varied, but generally you could get some pretty good photos with a 300 mm or better lens. It was interesting watching more than one gorilla group feeding in peace but keeping a wary eye on the other gorillas. We also saw buffalos in the clearing and various birds. On our second day we saw two family groups and three lone male gorillas. The extended and easy viewing makes this a great alternative to East Africa.
Nouabale Ndoki National park is reached by a one hour 15 minute flight from Odzala, then a one hour 40 minute drive and a 40 minute pirogue ride. The gorilla researchers here have just established a simple but clean tourist camp. Here you can visit Mbeli bai whch has been featured in several nature tv programs. We saw gorillas on all three days we stayed here. We also saw many sitatunga which was very surprising.
Our tour was organized by a British company Discovery initiatives (www.discoveryinitiatives.com). other companies that go to Odzala include Mountain Travel Sobek and Wild Frontiers. Some great info on Odzala can be found at www.ecofac.org (in French but some pages are in English if you look carefully). The local agent who handled our logistics flawlessly was Mistral Voyages in Libreville, Gabon. Our trip was in conjunction with a trip to the Lope Okanda Reserve in Gabon (see my separate review of this area in Gabon)
Overall, I would highly recommend these areas to the wildlife enthusiast. Best time of year is the dry season (June through August) when gorillas are more likely to be in the bais.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
Prim8Pal
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Member: Glenn Hori
Location: Pleasant Hill, California
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 6 members
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