Nouragues Nature Reserve

Nouragues protects a thousand square kilometres of untouched rainforest in the interior, centred on a bare granite inselberg that rises high out of the canopy, and its research stations have hosted decades of work on how tropical forest actually functions. Limited visits run by arrangement, coming up the Approuague river by pirogue past rapids and staying in camp carbets under the trees.

The landscape

• The inselberg - the bare granite dome rising out of the canopy.
• The primary forest - a thousand square kilometres with no road anywhere.
• The research stations - decades of tropical forest science in the canopy.
• The Approuague approach - the pirogue journey up through the rapids.

When to go

July to November is the dry season and the practical window. Visits are limited and must be arranged well ahead. The wet season complicates the river approach.

What to expect

This is not a walk-up destination: access is controlled, numbers are small and arrangements take time. Conditions are camp conditions. The inselberg climb is strenuous and run only with the reserve's agreement.

Nearby

Régina is downstream, and the Kaw marshes are north.

Key facts