Dzanga-Sangha Gorilla Trekking: Wildlife & Ba’Aka Cultural Safari

You’ll be met upon your arrival at the NSI International Airport by your guide who’ll usher you to your private car for the hotel transfer. The transfer takes approximately one hour or so, depending on the traffic jam. After check-in at the reception desk, you have a briefing with your guide so as to fine-tune the program of the next day. Later on, you have diner at the hotel restaurant.

Early in the morning we leave the hotel and embark on a 7 - 8hours scenic drive to Bertoua, the Capital of Eastern Region also known as the ‘rising sun region’. Located eastward at about 350 km from Yaounde, the scenic drive to Bertoua is scenery to thick forest landscape dotted by clusters of Bantu villages alongside the road, few tranquil rivers crossed by German colonial and new bridges, some relics of German colonial era (the town of Doume), as well as plentiful encounters with the locals as they go by their daily life. We expect to reach Bertoua in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Mansa Hotel or similar.

Early departure from Bertoua as we head on to Yokadouma via Batouri. The road to Yokadouma is currently under refurbishment and is partially paved (-just before Batouri), therefore our scenic drive of the day will be slower as we drive through the dirt part of the road. Notwithstanding, the itinerary is rewarding as we drive across culture and habitat of the local people, traverse thick rainforest, and encounter a lot of timber trucks overloaded with many species of timber logs among others. It may take us approximately 5 or 6 hours to attain Yokadouma that is located about 300km from Bertoua. Overnight at Elephant Hotel or similar.

From Yokadouma to Libongo, it takes approximately 5 or 6 hours’ drive through an approximate distance of 250 km dirt road. Upon arrival at Libongo, the Cameroon boarder town for The Central African Republic, we undergo the exit formalities with the immigration and board a powered pirogue for a 2hours voyage to Bayanga over the Sangha River. We will stop at Lindjombo, the Central African boarder town just on the opposite side, where we do the entry formalities to the country before proceeding to Bayanga which we attain in the evening. Dinner and overnight at Doli Lodge.

During the next couple of days, we will experience all that Dzanga-Sangha has to offer:

-Lowland Gorilla tracking at Baï Hokou

-Agile Mangabey tracking at Baï Hokou

From the lodge, we reach the gorilla research camp after about an hour and a half’s drive through the National Park. From here we hike through the rainforest in the company of the Ba’Aka trackers up to the point where we meet a family of habituated Western Lowland Gorillas. We are allowed to be in their immediate vicinity for about an hour, after which we hike back to Baï Hokou. From Baï Hokou, we can as well hike through the forest to witness a very impressive gathering of Agile Mangabeys. In the later afternoon, we return to our Lodge.

In the afternoon, we go for a village walk in Bayanga where we mingle with the local Bantu and share their daily way of living, their dreams and hopes as well as their daily struggle. We return to the Lodge in the evening for diner and the night.

This morning we undertake a certain number of very enriching activities with the Ba’Aka pygmies as they show us their way of life and the secrets of the rainforest. Two very interesting activities are Net Hunting with a group of Ba’Aka as well as an introduction to the wide range of medicinal plants the rainforest has to offer by a small group of Ba’Aka ladies.

In the early afternoon, we go for a visit to the world famous Dzanga Baï: Dzanga Baï is probably the most spectacular of all the Baïs in the Sangha Tri National. After breakfast, we leave the Lodge for the forest and after about 45min drive through the National Park, we attain our parking point from where we walk through a shallow waterway and then through the rainforest for about 30min to Baï Dzanga were an incredible amount of Forest Elephants congregate, together with Forest Buffaloes, Sitatungas, Bongos, Black & White Colobus and much more. In the early mornings, thousands of African Grey Parrots congregate for an exceptional spectacle. We spend the greatest part of the day watching wildlife interaction from a stilt watchtower raised in the middle of the bush. We return to our lodge in the afternoon where a group of Ba’Aka will entertain us with their incredible polyphony and their forest dances, just before dinner. Overnight at Doli Lodge

Today we leave Dzanga Sangha National Park early after breakfast. We board our boat and ride downstream the River to Libongo where our vehicle is ready for the the 5hours drive to Yokadouma. After a short stop at Lindjombo for Exit formalities and Libongo for entry formalities, we then live Libongo. On the way to Yokadouma, we will drive across many Baka pygmy settlements, Bantu people and a lot of encounters with timber trucks making their way to the Forest or to the port city of Douala. Overnight at Elephant Hotel or similar.

 Early departure from Yokadouma to Bertoua after breakfast. During this 5 – 6 hours scenic drive over a partially dirt road, we will meet many rustic villages along the way, local people, as well as sightseeing a lot of forest landscape. Not far from Ndelele (100km from Yokadouma), at the small village of Meputa, the Kadei River harbours a small heard of hippopotamus which we can quickly visit before proceeding to Batouri. Not far from Batouri in Kambele, there is also a site of small-scale mining of gold, that we visit time permitting, then finally take the road to Bertoua that we attain after a couple of hours. Overnight at Mansa Hotel or similar.

Early in the morning after breakfast, we leave Bertoua heading westward to Yaoundé that lays 340 km away. The road is completely tarred and might take approximately six hours or so to reach Yaoundé. Time permitting, we go for a quick city tour of Yaounde visiting the National Museum, driving across some lively places of the city, stopping but the monument of the reunification and much more. Overnight at Hilton Hotel.