Congo and Central African Republic Pioneering Trip

World Primate Safaris – Congo/CAR - A Pioneering Trip to Dzangha Bai, Bai Hokou and Mbeli Bai - Forest Elephants, lowland gorillas and pristine forests...

In September 2007 we decided to run a World Primate Safaris pioneering trip to the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. An area renowned for its rich diversity of fauna and flora and with the only habituated group of lowland gorillas we could not ignore it!

With a small group of 7 intrepid clients in tow I set off to the Republic of Congo and Brazzaville to start the trip. Arriving in Brazzaville (via Air France) I have to say I was completely surprised...a complete contrast to Kinshasa just over the river, Maya Maya Airport of Brazzaville was quiet and we had no problems clearing passport control and immigration. A quiet clean city with (for Africa!) fairly good roads.

The next morning we wake for a short flight northwards to Ouesso, a small mining town, and then continue onwards by motorised pirogue up the Dzangha River (7hrs) to the WCS Bomassa Research Camp where on the short drive in we see forest elephant and bongo!! A great start to the trip! The WCS Camp is a fairly basic but comfortable camp located in the forest along the banks of the Dzangha River...In the morning it becomes evident just how far we have come as two of our intrepid lady travellers wake up to a rather inquisitive forest elephant looking in at them through their bedroom window!

The next day is another long trip via motorised pirogue along the Dzangha River to the Dzangha-Sangha Forest Reserve. After a long day of travel on the River, crossing the border post from Congo into the Central African Republic, the simple comforts of Doli Lodge are extremely welcome. A terraced restaurant raised on stilts over the Dzangha River also hosts the bar to which all clients make a bee-line!

A lovely location set amidst the forest and the shores of the fast flowing Dzangha River (one of the main tributaries of the Congo River); simple stilted rooms with en suite bathrooms (with running water), double beds and terraces looking out over the river. Food is eaten in the riverside restaurant and is generally of a good standard with a mixture of western and local food including freshly caught fish from the river!

The next 4 days or so are spent exploring the surrounding area and bais to see what fauna and flora we can spot. The departure point for each of the activities listed below is from the WCS Research Camp at Bai Hokou which is approximately a 1.5hr drive from Doli Lodge in 4x4’s on a very bad forest track. I have taken the liberty of listing the activities individually below:

Bai Hokou Bai Walk: a stunning walk through a variety of bais in thick forest vegetation. Bais are forest clearings often with rivers running through them that host a variety of wildlife including buffalo, forest elephant, forest hog, lowland gorillas and much more. These animals visit the Bais in order to profit from the rich mineral content in the soils and, in particular the elephants, will excavate the ground in order to access these minerals; this excavation often sculpts the surrounding topography as trees are felled and often 4m deep cave systems are opened up!
A beautiful forest walk on which we were lucky enough to come across numerous elephants grazing in the Bais. I have to confess that even after numerous years of travelling and guiding in Africa this is one of the most stunning places that I have visited.

Dzangha Bai: accessed by wading through a small river and ankle deep elephant dung client would have been excused to wonder exactly what they were doing. 30mins later it became clear…walking into Dzangha Bai is a breathtaking experience; climbing up into the treeline hide/mirador a spectacular forest scene opens up before your eyes as literally hundreds of elephants are burrowing for minerals, excavating the forest floor, gurgling in the stream, playing and growling…
The mirador itself is comfortable with high back chairs for your comfort; an afternoon spent watching the elephants interacting and digging for minerals is really quite a spectacle and surprisingly turns out to probably be one of the highlights of the trip (for me!). Dzangha Bai on occasions is home to up to 120 elephants at any one time!

Bai Hokou Gorilla Tracking: to track the only group of habituated group of lowland gorillas (although now there is another group), is a real privilege, and this is how our clients approached this whole experience and the whole trip. Due to recent interactions with a solitary silverback the habituated group had actually moved off further than usual…After 5 hours of hard tracking through thick jungle vegetation, swamps and streams we finally had a bit of luck…through the luscious vegetation we suddenly glimpse the black outline of what is unmistakably a gorilla; as we look around we slowly pick up other hairy shapes moving through the undergrowth. For the next hour we move through the forest in silence with the gorillas as they sunbathe, munch on green shoots and groom each other…
Even though sightings are not as clear as when tracking the mountain gorillas I would almost say that this was more of a thrill; some of the hardest tracking that I have done (at one stage you could have stumbled across 3 very sweaty tourists stripped down to their underwear due to being covered in ants!!), but also the most satisfying as so few people have had this opportunity and it is truly one of the most remote and beautiful corners of Africa. You are also privileged to be able to track in small groups as only 3 tourists track the gorillas at any one time. A fantastic experience with some great wildlife viewing opportunities, aside from the lowland gorillas as you walk through the various bais you also come across a variety of forest hog, sitatunga, forest elephant and a host of primates chattering through the treetops…

Traditional net hunting with the Ba’Aka Pygmies: as I read back through this I realise that each of these activities listed were highlights for me!! The net hunting with the pygmies was no different. Picking up the local hunters from their village we are accompanied for the next 30mins drive with some hauntingly beautiful singing as the pygmies sing their way to the hunt…With 20 hunters the noise is incredible, everyone is so excited about the impending hunt, women, men, everyone is involved and awaiting the chase.
Following the pygmies into the forest is a challenge in itself; obviously smaller than us they move swiftly through the forest setting their nets and then beating the undergrowth driving any small forest life towards the nets; on the first couple of attempts two duiker escape the nets. This is actually one of the most amusing moments in the forest as each and every one starts to blame the other for this mistake. On the last attempt success! A small porcupine is caught by one of the pregnant pygmy women and it is swiftly dispatched…separated into various parcels and wrapped in leaves it is divided equally between the hunters with nothing being left to waste…
Overall this was a fantastic experience and not intrusive which is what I had expected. The pygmies are happy to explain their local beliefs and remedies to you and interact with you in any way that they can; in fact it is almost as if you are the spectacle! An amazingly friendly tribe that has been looked down upon for years by other African tribes; accompanying them through the forest they go about their business as if you were not there and it is up to you to keep up with them…

Leaving Doli Lodge after 4 or 5 days we make our way back south and back into the Republic of Congo by motorised pirogue (don’t forget your sun cream and waterproofs as either way you either end up very sunburnt or very wet!). A night back at the WCS Bomassa Camp before our next excursion is welcome but also frustrating as we are keen to move on to Mbeli Bai and the lowland gorillas. A couple of members of our group have been waiting for this visit for a number of years and it is now only a few hours away!

The next morning we hop in the 4x4 and drive 40mins to the “jetty”. We are greeted by our friendly “punters” and make our way down to the waters edge and board our pirogues; this time there is no motor and we are only inches off the water as we are paddled through swamp like terrain with buttress roots towering above us. An absolutely stunning and unexpected pirogue trip into the middle of nowhere (there is no road access); 1.5hrs later we arrive at the boardwalk where we walk 15mins into Mbeli Bai Camp.

Mbeli Bai Camp: a simple camp set on a small hill surrounded by dense forest and wetlands. The communal area is fairly basic (much more basic than Doli Lodge) but acceptable. 4 small “stilted” double rooms are located approximately 20 metres around the camp in a semi circle, showers and long drop loos are separate from the rooms approximately 5 metres away. Washing facilities are simple but clean.
Due to the amazing remoteness of this camp silverback gorillas, forest elephants and much more forest life are seen in and around camp…we even had a silverback gorilla (Vincent) who visited us on the first morning which was quite a shock!!

Food throughout our stay was perfectly acceptable however due to the remoteness of the camp one must accept that it is difficult to have fresh produce on a daily basis. A mixture of tuna, sweetcorn, spam, etc was the main basis of lunches with spaghetti and sauces being a typical evening meal….although on our last night we were treated to fish, pizza and cake!

A welcome 40 minute walk along wooden boardwalks through the forest brings you to the famous Mbeli Bai. The viewing platform is comfortable with sun chairs and a mosquito netted area for sitting in to avoid the various sweat bees and mozzies! Tourists are lucky enough to spend approximately 3 full days here admiring the surrounding area and observing the various forest life that enters the Bai which includes forest buffalo, lowland gorillas, forest elephant, red river hog, crocodiles and otters.

Throughout our stay highlights included two occasions when our friendly silverback gorilla, Vincent, came and sat literally 20 metres from the viewing platform for approximately 2 hours; this of course provided some amazing photo and viewing opportunities. Frequent visits from forest elephants to bathe in the lake in the centre of the Bai and also families of lowland gorillas made this a magical experience. Grazing lowland gorillas only 30 metres from forest elephants bathing in fresh water provide an amazing spectacle as you sit back and relax observing them from the treeline…

After 3 or 4 days at Mbeli Bai we sadly make our way back to Bomassa and over the next 2 days travel southwards by pirogue, plane and 4x4 back to Brazzaville. A welcome return to western comforts at the Meridien Hotel but a sad return to the hustle and bustle of city life after one of the most memorable wildlife experiences of my career. A sumptuous dinner for the last night, in a restaurant looking out over the Congo River and the sparkling lights of Kinshasa on the far bank provide a fitting end to this safari.