Congo Birding tour

Day 1: Arrival in Brazzaville.
On arrival at Maya Maya International Airport, you will be transferred to your Hotel in the city.

The capital of the Republic of the Congo is Brazzaville, a city of 2 million on the western bank of the Congo River. A key port for raw materials bound for export, the city is vibrant and colourful, and a safe and enjoyable place for you to explore before or after your journey to the Congo Basin. Evidence of the French colonial period can be found in Brazzaville’s architecture, broad boulevards, and the Corniche, a riverside embankment lined with restaurants and cafés that look across the Congo River to Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Fun fact: This is the only place in the world where two national capitals face each other across a river.)

Depending on your time available to explore the city you could visit Poto Poto Market, St Anne’s Basilica, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pierre Savorgnan De Brazza Memorial or Mami Wata Restaurant, this restaurant is close to your hotel and a favourite for the locals and visitors alike for its delicious Congolese cuisine (as well as Western-style fare) and cocktails overlooking the Congo River.

Day 2: Onwards flight to Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
This morning after a leisurely breakfast your flight to Mboko airstrip in Odzala-kokoua National Park departs at 13h00 and is approximately a 2-hour flight.

On arrival at the airstrip your adventure begins with a safari drive (2-3 hours) through the park’s savanna and rainforest to your home for the next 4 nights Ngaga Lodge.

This evening you will join your guide around the fire for a conservation and gorilla track briefing to prepare yourself for the early departure in the morning in search of Western Lowland Gorillas.

Day 3-5: Ndzehi Concession at Ngaga Lodge.
In the Ndzehi Concession, adjoining Odzala-Kokoua, Ngaga Lodge is a focal point for world-class primate research, as well as unforgettable primate encounters. Ngaga is home to the Western Lowland Gorilla research team who has spent the past few decades in the forest navigating its trails and understanding its rhythms. You are invited to share in their knowledge and experience this intact rainforest thriving with life.

Several groups of gorillas live in the Ndzehi Concession surrounding Ngaga Lodge, of which three families have been habituated and can be observed. Each group is known by the silverback who sits at the head of the family, whimsically named after celestial beings.

During your time at Ngaga, tracking Western Lowland Gorillas in the closed-canopy forests around the lodge (3 gorilla tracks included) you will have the opportunity to join a Forest Guardian on a Conservation Walk to learn how they keep poachers at bay. You will get to know the forest and all its inhabitants by the guided forest walks, night walks, village visits (on request) and enjoy spectacular sundowners. You might also encounter Crowned Monkey, Moustached Monkey, Palm Civet, Galagos and Forest Duiker. Birds you might see include Black-Casqued Wattled Hornbill and Great Blue Turaco, Hartlaub’s Duck, Spot-breasted Ibis, Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Vermiculated Fishing-Owl, Bare-cheeked Trogon, White-crested Hornbill, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, African Piculet, African Grey Parrot, Rufous-bellied Helmet-Shrike and Western Buebill.

Day 6: Onwards to Lango Lodge.
This morning, we will enjoy breakfast and one last venture into Ngaga’s pristine rainforest before embarking on our road transfer through the park onto Mboko Lodge, this is approximately 2 hours’ drive.

On arrival we will enjoy lunch here before setting off on kayaks down the Lekoli River on a gentle safari where you may encounter Monkeys, Elephants, Forest Buffalo and a colourful array of birds like: African Green Pigeon and African Grey Parrots along the river’s edge as you drift past and make your way to Lango Bai. We will finish this journey on foot and arrive in time for a refreshing sundowner as you take in the breathtaking scenery.

Lango Lodge, situated on the edge of Lango Baï, offers one of the most arresting views of any camp in Africa, wraparound walkways and elevated chalets maximize the view.

Day 7-9: Exploring Lango.
We will explore deeper and truly immerse ourselves in this remarkably pristine ecosystem. Time at Lango is getting up close with nature, walking in the footsteps of elephants on well-worn trails through streams, Baïs and forests. We will get in touch with this awe-inspiring landscape by getting wet and muddy on foot or seek drier adventures in the forests that surround Baï.

Watch flocks of African Green Pigeons coming to roost, Forest Buffalo grazing and if you are lucky, we could encounter an elusive Bongo or shy Forest Elephant as you wade through the water in the Baï and waterways in Lango’s mystical forests. Discover the small wonders the forest hides beneath its canopy and relish in the freedom to explore. Be on the lookout for the following forest birds: Guinea Turaco, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Spotted Honeyguide, Green-backed Woodpecker, Lowland Sooty Boubou, Swamp Greenbul, Eastern Bearded Greenbul, White-browed Forest-Flycatcher, GreenCrombec and Blue-billed Malimbe.

During your time at Lango we will traverse the Baï, Lekoli River and surrounding area on long and short walks through the various biomes as you set forth in the footsteps of great explorers and unearth the history and heritage of the area.

Day 10: Onwards to Mboko Lodge.
We will be up early this morning for our last walking safari at Lango Lodge. We will then enjoy breakfast pack our things and make our way on the raised wooden walkway through the wetlands and hop onto the vehicle for a game drive transfer to Mboko Lodge, situated where the forest meets the savanna.

After lunch we will go on a forest walk or enjoy a relaxing afternoon in camp on the river deck. In the late afternoon we will have a river cruise. Mboko is set along the Likeni River which leads into a network of waterways with surrounding savannas, we will cruise the winding waterways with a new view around every bend in the river. Enjoy watching Spine-tail Swifts catching insects.

Day 11-12: Mboko Lodge.
Mboko Lodge is the home of adventure. A combination of wide-open grasslands, gentle rivers and towering forests provides a place of peace and adventure in equal measure. Alongside your guides you will explore riverbanks and forests looking for colourful birdlife, Forest Elephants, Buffalo, Spotted Hyenas, charismatic monkeys and the shy Bongo Antelope. There are also Hippos found in this part of Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Birds to look out for are: Palm-nut Vulture

At Mboko Lodge the activities are a combination of walking, boating and kayaking through some of the Congo Basin’s most beautiful habitats. You will have a opportunity to take a dip or cool your feet in the quiet streams found at Mboko or you can enjoy a relaxing spa treatment. The river deck offers a unique vantage point to look for birds and you may also see monkeys or flutters of butterflies while enjoying the tranquillity of the river babbling past.

Day 13: Departure.
We will enjoy our last breakfast on the deck before our game drive through the savanna to Mboko airstrip. A private plane will be waiting for your departure back to Brazzaville to connect with your international flight home. If our 13-day Congo adventure does not suit you we do have a 9-day itinerary available on request