Congo, Brazzaville chimpanzee safari and gorilla

Day 1: EUROPE – BRAZZAVILLE
Arrive to Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo. Show visa and yellow-fever vaccine document. Meet the Guide company’s, driver and transfer to the hotel. Depending on the arrival time chance to enjoy the evening.              Accommodation: Hotel Hippocampe. BB.

Day 2: BRAZZAVILLE-CONGO RIVER-SAPEUR-CITY TOUR 
(Saturday -the best day to meet Sapeurs-).After breakfast, city tour Visit central market and the city’s highlights: some interesting post-colonial architecture, freedom square and central station, the French Cultural Centre, Pierre di Brazza Memorial, not far from here we can see Kinshasa’s skyline and the mythical Congo River.From Brazza you can see the city of Kinshasa, the capital of Republic Democratic of Congo. They are geographically the closest capitals of any two countries in the world. Brazza is the only African capital to have retained its colonial name. Brazzaville is named because the Italian explorer Pierre Savorgnan di Brazza, the white man who first reach the Republic of Congo.Since it is Sunday we will enjoy the Brazaan nightlife and we will try to meet the famous ‘Sapeurs’, men dressed in 1930s style outfits. It is quite a unique sight and it only happens in Brazzaville and in neighboring Kinshasa, an interesting cultural phenomena. Accommodation: Hotel Hippocampe. BB..

Day 3: BRAZZAVILLE – LÉSIO LOUNA GORILLA RESERVE – IBOUBIKRO (140 km)
After breakfast at 6:30 h, we leave Brazzaville at 7:00 h and drive to Lesio Luna Gorilla Reserve (3 hours aprox).The Iboubikro base camp is accessible via the National 2, which links Brazzaville to the north of the country. From Itaba and Imvouba villages (120 Km and 130 Km from Brazzaville), we must follow the road signs to Mâh village. From Mâh to Iboubikro camp we drive 18 Km by track exploring the beautiful Blue lake scenery. The Iboubikro site (« gorilla village ») is located on the banks of the Lésio River. It is here where the gorilla reintroduction project has been implemented. Gorillas are named with the name of the place where they were found. It is an isolated and remote location, so we have to bring our foods and drinks which can be stored in a fridge, a fully equipped kitchen is at our disposal free of charge, dining room and hall will make your evenings enjoyable.

Visit of Blue Lake and surrounding, an exceptional site for a picnic in the shade of a straw hut. Bathing permitted only to good swimmers because of its depth. Walking time one-way: 1:30 h, also accessible by 4×4, about 20 minutes, from Iboubikro camp. Visit of the young gorillas is approximately 10 to 15 minutes or according the decision of the guide (hopefully, may be a few more). The visit of babies must be performed before 16:00 h and there is a pause between 11:30 h – 14:00 h.

You can enjoy a botanical path, an hour long marked walking trail around the site introduces visitors to the reserve’s forest environment and provides information on the local flora, especially those plants favoured by gorillas. By following the botanical path at sunrise or sunset you will be able to watch troops of arboreal monkeys.We enjoy butterflies and during day and night the intense sounds of birds and insects. Accommodation: Camping or shared twin room at Iboubikro camp. FB..

Day 4: IBOUBIKRO – ABIO – MBOUAMBÉ – IBOUBIKRO
Today we get up very early and leave Iboubikro camp at 7:00 h. We drive, accompanied by the reserve guides, from Iboubikro camp to Abio camp (1:30 hoursaprox). Abio camp is accessible by a road that connects the National 2 to the MpoumokoTabet village. From here to the camp we drive 12 Km by track enjoying beautiful scenery. We visit the great solitary gorilla that lives in the island.

After that, we will take a canoe along Lounariver to Ipope, from where we will climb (1 hour aprox) to admire the wonderful landscape. Along the way by river, if we are lucky, we can find hippos, crocodiles and even gorillas. We will return along Luna river and continue by Lefini river to reach Mboambé (4 hours aprox from Abio camp departure time). Our driver waits for us at Mboambé from where we will drive to the camp. Accommodation: IBOUBIKRO. FB.

Day 5: IBOUBIKRO-BRAZZAVILLE-LOUFOULAKARI WATERFALLS-BRAZZAVILLE
Breakfast, we leave to Brazzaville and drive to Loufoulakari waterfalls, one of the best in Congo, around 1h30 from the capital, we will get pic nic there. Return to Brazzaville and visit the Brazza memorial to learn the Congolese culture and history, visit the local handicrapht. Accommodation: hotel Hippocampe. HB.

Day 6: BRAZZAVILLE-POINTE NOIRE
Breakfast at 7:00 h. And transfert to the airport and departure to Brazzaville, transfert to the hotel and visit the center of Pointe noire the second big town in Congo, it is an economical town who provide petrol to all the rest of the country we can see a lot of offshore on the sea exploited by many different society’s ,  visit the local market, far.  Accommodation: hôtel. BB.

Day 7: POINTE NOIRE-DIOSSO MUSEUM-POINTE NOIRE (2h drive) 
Breakfast. Full day to visit the Kouilou region, one of the rich, because we will visited the most important Bantu kingdoms from 1800 to 1974 when the last king dead, Loango Kingdom’s was very respected when the first European arrive in this part of Africa, we can appreciate the building of palace build around the 19 century, transform now in museum with a beautiful collection of Congolese art. If we get time we can visit the Diosso Gorge where we can have a wonderful landscape. Return to Pointe Noire Park in Cameroon. Accommodation: Mbeli camp. BB.

Day 8: POINTE NOIRE-CONKOUATI PARK 
Early breakfast between 6:30 h and 7:00 h and departure to Conkouati camp, Conkouati-Douli park was created in 1999 on the Ocean Atlantic Coast is the most important ecologicaly diverse habitat in Congo. Trought beach and coastal habitat, lagoons and mangroves savannah and wetlands to the mountainous zones of the Mayombian forest.we have to option to going to the parc, one is follow the coast by boat, or use the car and drive during 3h or 4h, some time in the jungle, and past some beautiful village where we can stop just to good morning people and continue,Conkouati parc is very interesting Park in Congo because is firstable close to the sea, and share the border with Gabon, and get a lot of Mangrove, in the park we can see Chimpanzees who is our objective, Bufalo, elephant is also in the park, on the beach in the sea side turtles come’s there lay their Eggs on the beach, the it one of the curiosity’s in the park, transfert to the Camp and get the rest. Dinner at 19:00 h. Accommodation: Conkouati camp. FB.

Day 9: CONKOUATI PARK
Early breakfast at 6:30 h. Sure that today will be a very special day, we will be introduced to the Chimpanzees. We will visit by boat and past in the lagoons after Chimpanzee visit we can stop to some mangrove’s, return to the camp after lunch we can try to see tortles eggs on the beach. Accommodation: conkouati camp. FB.

Day 10: CONKOUATI PARK-POINTE NOIRE
Breakfast and return Pointe-Noire, transfert to the hotel and get the rest. Accommodation: hotel. HB.

Day 11: POINTE NOIRE
Breakfast and relax day on the beach. Accommodation: Hotel. BB.

Day 12: POINTE NOIRE-EUROPE 
Breakfast, last visit to handicrafts market and diner and tranfert to the airport, and Good Bye Africa.