28/05/2026
An expedition into the African Rainforest – the experience of a lifetime in Congo-Brazzaville
Last week, I had the enormous privilege of participating in Kamba’s African Rainforest Experience: an eight-day journey into Odzala National Park, deep in the heart of the Republic of Congo.
This is the “good” Congo — not the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is so often in the news for all the wrong reasons, most recently due to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri. Brazzaville and Odzala are far removed from this, approximately 1,700 km away.
We arrived in Brazzaville and, after an overnight stay, boarded the Kamba plane for a two-hour flight into the national park. From there, a three-hour road transfer brought us into gorilla territory and to Ngaga Camp.
Located deep within the dry rainforest habitat, Ngaga was our home for three nights and the starting point for two unforgettable gorilla treks. Trekking Western Lowland Gorillas is a very different experience from tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda. With a maximum of only four guests per group, it is intimate, immersive, and deeply personal.
On the first day, we had to work hard to find our gorilla family, eventually locating them after nearly three hours of trekking through the dense forest. The second day was easier: the group was much closer to camp, and we spent a magical hour watching the youngsters play in the trees, always under the watchful eye of the massive silverback Neptune and the protective mothers nearby.
Dewald, the camp manager, told us that Jupiter - one of the older silverbacks - and his family regularly wander through camp. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to witness this ourselves, but it is certainly a fabulous reason to return soon.
From Ngaga, we continued to our next camp by kayak and on foot, wading through crystal-clear channels toward the bai where Lango Camp is located. Here, the environment changes dramatically: this is now the “wet rainforest.”
The mineral-rich bai in front of Lango attracts large numbers of forest elephants at night, who come here to mine for essential nutrients. One evening, using the camp’s night-vision camera, we counted 55 elephants in front of camp. Simply listening to them splashing, trumpeting, and rumbling in the pitch-black darkness was utterly riveting.
Lango, in addition to being great for “armchair safaris”, is the base for extended walks through this extraordinary wet ecosystem, following the “Elephant Boulevards” - which often means wading through waist-deep water. The birdlife is exceptional, and the area is particularly well known for sightings of the Congo Grey Parrot.
We had enormous fun, occasionally being pushed well outside our comfort zones. Forest buffalo crossed our paths many times, and we frequently encountered signs of nearby elephants, but our exceptional rangers were always completely in control, and at no point did we feel unsafe.
From Lango, we moved on to our final destination: Mboko Camp. Although only a short drive away, the landscape here changes entirely once again, opening into savanna habitat.
From Mboko, we explored the nearby river systems by motorboat, enjoying wonderful sightings of several primate species, including Colobus and Putty-nosed monkeys, while regularly encountering elephants feeding on the beautiful grasses and pink flowers along the riverbanks. We also came across a beautiful slender-snouted crocodile basking in the sun on a fallen log.
Back at Mboko Camp, a cheeky elephant bull decided to feed directly in front of the guest rooms, causing great excitement - and a slightly delayed dinner.
The following morning, it was time to board the Kamba plane and return to Brazzaville, where we were treated to a performance by the Sapeurs, the famous fashion subculture that forms such a vibrant part of the city’s daily life.
It was a life-changing experience - memories I will treasure forever. Food for the soul.
And yet, it is impossible to truly put into words. You simply have to experience it for yourself.
