Odzala-Kokoua National Park

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, in the north of the Republic of the Congo, is one of Africa's oldest and most pristine protected areas, a vast, remote expanse of the great Congo Basin rainforest, one of the largest tropical wildernesses on earth. This dense, primeval jungle, laced with rivers and dotted with open, marshy forest clearings known as bais, is a stronghold for the western lowland gorilla, and offers the rare and thrilling chance to track habituated gorillas on foot. Forest elephants, forest buffalo, chimpanzees, and a spectacular wealth of birds also gather at the bais, making Odzala a magnificent and truly wild rainforest safari.

History

Odzala-Kokoua is one of Africa's oldest national parks: it was first protected in 1935, declared a biosphere reserve in 1977 and given its present designation by presidential decree in 2001, with support from the European Union's ECOFAC programme since 1992. The nonprofit African Parks has managed it with the government since 2010, it opened to visitors in August 2012, and in 2023 the Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua was inscribed on the World Heritage List for its biodiversity and its forest elephants (Wikipedia, Odzala-Kokoua National Park).

The landscape

• Gorilla tracking - the western lowland gorillas on foot.
• The forest clearings (bais) - the marshy openings where wildlife gathers.
• The forest elephants - the elephants of the Congo Basin jungle.
• The pristine rainforest - the vast, untouched Congo jungle and rivers.

When to go

June to September, the main dry season, is the best time for tracking and travel, when the forest is more accessible; the park is deeply remote, reached by charter flight and boat, and visited on organised trips staying at a few exclusive lodges. Gorilla tracking is strenuous and encounters, while good, are wild and never guaranteed.

What to expect

Odzala is extremely remote and reached only by charter flights and boats on organised trips to a handful of exclusive, expensive lodges, so it is a serious splurge and logistical undertaking rather than a casual safari, and the Republic of the Congo has minimal tourism infrastructure; gorilla tracking is demanding jungle trekking. For the rare and extraordinary experience of tracking lowland gorillas and encountering forest elephants in one of the most pristine rainforests on earth, though, far from any crowd, Odzala is genuinely magnificent.

Nearby

The Congo Basin forests and the capital Brazzaville are reached by air.

Key facts