Dzanga Sangha in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
Visit the world-renowned Dzangha Sangha National Park in the Central African Republic. After hundreds of years of being closed because of civil strife, inaccessibility, and lack of infrastructure, you can finally enter the mysterious heart of the continent in comfort and safety.
Day 1
Upon arrival in Douala, you are transferred to the Hotel Akwa Palace where you have dinner and settle in for the evening.
Day 2
After breakfast at the hotel, you board your private charter (three hour flight) to the Central African Republic. Upon arrival in Bayanga, CAR, you are transferred by 4x4 vehicles to the Doli Lodge for welcome drinks and dinner.
Your base camp, Doli Lodge, is an ecotourism lodge built specifically to allow interested parties to experience the rare ecosystem of Dzangha. The lodge features four rustic but comfortable wood houses with roofed terraces, set in the jungle on a wide section of the Sangha River. Each of the rooms, built on raised platforms, have private en-suite bathrooms with a running sink, shower and toilet. A generator provides electricity for six hours per day. In the evenings, enjoy meals atop teak-decks and watch the sun set while hippos romp in the river upstream.
Day 3 & 4
The world-renowned Dzangha-Sangha National Park is in the remote southwest corner of the Central African Republic. Spend the next three days exploring the bai. Large viewing platforms called miradors allow you to watch the animals interact in their natural habitat. Avid birders find the occasion to identify numerous exotic species. One of the highlights of your stay in Dzangha is trekking through the mist in search of the lowland gorilla in one of only two places in the world where lowland gorillas are habituated to human presence. Mangebey tracking is also available to those who are fit to keep up with the agile and fast-paced primates.
During your stay, you participate in an authentic Ba’aka (known as pygmies or forest people) hunt in which it is possible to see the animals lured by the magical music of the pygmy hunters. Moreover, Ba’aka women take you on a forest walk to teach you about medicinal local plants. After a canoe down the Sangha River, you visit Bayanga village to observe village life and local customs; here you enjoy a private viewing of the unique tortoise dance.
Throughout your stay, you are briefed on the threats facing the Dzangha-Sangha protected area, including uncontrolled logging and mining, unsustainable agricultural practices, and heavy poaching. Each of these activities compromises the forest’s capacity to provide food, products, and services on which local people rely for their physical, social, and cultural well-being. In addition, these activities threaten the habitat on which the flora and fauna depend for survival. The large-scale conservation program in Dzangha-Sangha protected area is an effort to conserve the last remaining undisturbed lowland tropical forest. Ecotourism has become a major component to protecting the forest while still helping local communities realize economic benefits from the protected areas.
Day 5
After an early breakfast, depart for morning activities in the
Depart on your private charter back to
GENERAL INFORMATION
Price: €2700 per person; an additional day in Bayanga at the Bai or with the Ba’aka can be added for €515
Inclusions:
park fees; accommodation; meals; activities per the itinerary; and vehicles and guides for all included activities.
Exclusions:
all commercial air and private charter air (private charter air to be quoted upon request); medical immunizations; passport and visa fees; all gratuities; telephone or internet charges; fuel surcharges; optional excursions or deviation from the scheduled tour; excess baggage charges; laundry; medical expenses; meals not specified in the program itinerary or special meals not on the menu; all beverages; telephone or fax charges; room service; gratuities to guides and staff; and other items of a purely personal nature
