Dzanga-Sangha

Dzanga-Sangha, in the far southwest of the Central African Republic, protects a magnificent stretch of the vast Congo basin rainforest and forms part of the Sangha Trinational, a UNESCO World Heritage site shared with Cameroon and the Congo. Its jewel is the Dzanga Bai, a huge natural forest clearing where, on any day, dozens or even hundreds of rare forest elephants gather to drink mineral-rich waters, an unforgettable spectacle watched from a viewing platform. The surrounding forest shelters western lowland gorillas, which can be tracked with expert guides, along with bongo antelope, forest buffalo and the semi-nomadic BaAka people whose deep forest knowledge enriches every visit. It is one of Africa's most pristine and moving wildernesses.

History

The Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve was set up in 1990 together with the adjoining Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, pairing a multiple-use reserve with a strictly protected park, and since then it has been managed by the government of the Central African Republic with international conservation groups, notably WWF, with programmes to protect forest elephants and western lowland gorillas that involve local communities, particularly the Aka. The Yaoundé Declaration of 1999 and the agreement of 7 December 2000 between Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo created the Sangha Trinational, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012 (Wikipedia, Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve).

The landscape

• The Dzanga Bai - the clearing where forest elephants gather.
• The forest elephants - the dozens to hundreds at the mineral waters.
• The lowland gorillas - the gorillas tracked with expert guides.
• The BaAka guides - the forest people and their deep knowledge.

When to go

The drier periods, roughly December to February and June to August, are the most practical for forest travel and wildlife tracking, when trails are firmer; the equatorial forest is warm and humid year-round, and the elephant clearing rewards visits in any season. Guides and permits are essential.

Things to know

Dzanga-Sangha is deeply remote, reached by long overland or charter journeys with basic facilities, so it is a genuine expedition destination for the committed rather than a casual visit, and gorilla tracking is strenuous. As part of a UNESCO World Heritage rainforest with its extraordinary elephant clearing and lowland gorillas, though, Dzanga-Sangha offers some of the most pristine and moving wildlife experiences in Africa.

Nearby

The town of Bayanga and the Sangha river lie near the reserve.

Key facts