Foracloseencounterwithagorilla, youmust go
deep into theheart of theCongoBasin: nopricey
permitneeded, just ahealthy spirit of adventure,
theability to standvery still andbucketsof
mosquito repellent, discovers
DebbiePappyn
Photography
DavidDeVleeschauwer
heDemocraticRepublicofCongo isunlikely tobeonmost
people’sholidaywishlists. But for thosewithasenseof
adventureandan interest inwildlife, a trip to thiscentral
Africancountryand itsneighbourCongo isagenuineopportunity
tobeapioneer, toquietlydiscover the treasuresof these lush
countries. Treasureshereareendangeredspeciessuchas the
western lowlandgorilla, thewesternchimpanzeeand theAfrican
forest elephant,whichcanall be found in theunspoilt settingof
theCongoBasin, theworld’ssecond largest tropical rainforest
after theAmazon.
Thebuzzbeganat theendof 2012whenWildernessSafaris
opened its first twosafari camps,NgagaandLango. Thearrival
of thecompany representedan important investment inCongo
tourism, acountry that is just beginning toattract visitorsand
develop travel opportunties. But theDRCandCongohave
alwaysdrawn thedie-hardadventurer, keen toexplore the
mightyCongoRiver bykayakor hikealong theCongo-Nile trail.
Odzala-KokouaNational Parkwasestablished in the 1930s
andextends for 13,500km
2
. Thepark isnowmanagedby the
OdzalaFoundation, a joint venturebetweenAfricanParksand
theCongolesegovernment. Itwasasmartmove tohookupwith
WildernessSafaris. Tourism initiativessuchas thiscando
may2014
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