Lola ya Bonobo

Lola ya Bonobo means paradise for bonobos in Lingala, and the sanctuary in forest at the southern edge of Kinshasa is the only one anywhere dedicated to the species. Orphans arrive after their mothers are killed for meat, usually as infants and usually traumatised, and are raised by human substitute mothers before being integrated into groups in large forested enclosures. The organisation also runs a release site at Ekolo ya Bonobo in Equateur, where animals have been returned to the wild and have bred there.

What you actually see

• The bonobo groups - adults and juveniles in large forested enclosures, watched from marked paths.
• The nursery - infants with their human substitute mothers, the first stage of the process.
• The social behaviour - the species' unusual conflict resolution, visible in the groups' daily interactions.
• The Lukaya falls - a small cascade beside the sanctuary, used as a picnic spot.

When to go

June to September, the drier season, is easiest for the forest paths. Mornings are when the groups are most active. Visits run on the sanctuary's own schedule and are booked in advance rather than dropped in on.

Honest expectations

Bonobos catch human respiratory infections, so a distance rule applies and anyone unwell should not come; this is enforced. These are rescued animals in enclosures, and there is no contact with them. The drive out from Kinshasa is slow and arrangements are made ahead.

Nearby

Kinshasa is north, and the Lukaya valley runs south from the sanctuary.