Bamingui-Bangoran National Park

Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, spread across the wooded savannas of northern Central African Republic, is one of the country's great wilderness areas, part of a vast biosphere reserve of grassland, gallery forest, rivers and scattered granite outcrops. Far from the rainforests of the south, this is classic central African savanna country, sheltering elephants, buffalo, antelope such as roan and hartebeest, lions and a wealth of birdlife across an immense and little-visited landscape. Rivers and seasonal water holes draw wildlife across the plains, and the sense of untouched, roadless wild is profound. For the truly adventurous, Bamingui-Bangoran offers a rare glimpse of pristine savanna wilderness in the heart of the continent.

What you actually see

• The savanna wildlife - the elephants, buffalo, antelope and lions.
• The gallery forests - the wooded ribbons along the rivers.
• The granite outcrops - the rocky hills rising from the plains.
• The wild rivers - the waters and water holes drawing wildlife.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, is the most practical time to reach the remote north and for wildlife viewing, when animals gather at shrinking water sources and tracks are passable; the rains make the region largely inaccessible. This is a genuine expedition destination requiring specialist organisation.

Honest expectations

Bamingui-Bangoran is exceptionally remote with almost no tourism infrastructure, so it is a true expedition destination for the committed and well-organised rather than a conventional safari, and wildlife is genuinely wild and dispersed. As a vast, pristine savanna wilderness sheltering elephants, lions and rich wildlife in the heart of Africa, though, it is an extraordinary and humbling landscape for the intrepid.

Nearby

The town of Ndélé and the wider northern savanna lie around the park.