We at Central African Republic Travel and Tours are proud to present our overland trip from Yaoundé all the way to Bayanga in which we will visit both the Lobéké National Park (Cameroon) and Dzanga Sangha Reserve (Central African Republic) to do a safari in which we combine camping in Lobéké and staying at a lodge in Dzanga Sangha. We will do the overland part in Cameroon by car and will then use a boat to go to Dzanga Sangha and then switch to 4×4 again.
It will take us two days from Yaoundé to drive to Bertoua, then go through Yokadouma all the way down to Mambale on the second day, from where we will discover the Lobéké National Park. We will spend four days in Lobéké, you will be accompanied by a professional local guide, who will show you the park and you will go search for animals such as African gray parrots, antelopes, elephants, gorillas and other primates. We will then go back to Mambale for the night and the next day we will go to Libongo by car where a boat will with for us. We will take the ferry from Lidjombo to Bayanga, where we will switch once again to a car. The next three days you will spend by exploring the forest, track gorillas, see the elephants from the viewing platform and track agile mangabeys.
Please know that this expedition includes a lot of walking through dense rainforest. You don’t have to be an experienced hiker, but know that sometimes we do need to walk for a few hours, take off our shoes to go through a shallow stream and that you will have to be on your guard to not trip. During your travel you will encounter wildlife and have unique experiences such as gorilla tracking or seeing buffaloes and elephants. Know that wild animals are unpredictable and you have to take precautions and behave in a responsible way.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to add at least one buffer day before your travel in case your flight is delayed and also add at least one buffer day after the safari so you definitely not miss your flight back. We are not responsible for you missing any transfer flights due to bad planning.
Day 1: Yaoundé – Aton – Doume – Bertoua
Our tour starts in Yaoundé, from where we will start in our comfortable 4×4 vehicle with your own private driver and guide who will take you all the way to Bertoua, passing Aton, Akong Mbang, Doume and eventually Bertoua where we will stay for the night.
Day 2: Bertoua – Yokadouma – Mambale
Today we will drive from Bertoua through Yokadouma all the way down to Mambale from where we will go to a guesthouse from the Lobéké National Park.
Day 3: Lobéké National Park: Petite Savanne
After the necessary paperwork we will go to the headquarters by car and then go hike to the viewing platform of the Petite Savanne. The hike is about 6 km, so it will take one and a half hours to two hours. We will stay here and look for animals the rest of the day (buffaloes, gorillas, elephants, bongos, sitatungas, primates, giant forest hogs) and will then overnight in the forest in tents.
Day 4: Lobéké National Park: Djangui
We will hike around 8 kilometers from the Petite Savanne viewing platform to the platform of Djangui. We’ll look for wildlife again and then overnight in tents near the base.
Day 5: Lobéké National Park: Back to Petite Savanne
In the morning we’ll go look for animals again and then we’ll walk back for 8 kilometers to Petite Savanne. After a day of searching for animals we’ll have another night in the forest.
Day 6: Lobéké National Park: Guesthouse
We will hike back to the starting point of the headquarters and will then stay in the guesthouse in Mambale.
Day 7: Mambale – Libongo – Bayanga
We will drive all the way from Mambale through a dirt road to Libongo, where we will cross the river by boat. We will take the ferry boat from Lidjombo to Bayanga. In Bayanga we will transfer you to a nice 4×4 car and will drive you to Doli Lodge. It is also possible to stay in Sangha Lodge in case you want to upgrade your travel and see the pangolins. Please, let us know if you want to change Doli Lodge to Sangha Lodge.
Day 8: Dzanga Sangha National Park: Gorilla Tracking
After an early breakfast we go to the search for one of the three groups of habituated gorillas of the Dzanga Sangha Reserve. If we’re lucky we can find them in less than half an hour, but it can also take us a few hours. So, be prepared for a few hours of hiking through the beautiful rainforest of Dzanga Sangha and be on the lookout for other animals such as colorful birds, caterpillars, millions of butterflies, antelopes and others.
Day 9: Dzanga Sangha National Park: elephants at Dzanga Bai
Today we’ll drive towards Dzanga Bai and after a hike of 45 minutes in which we walk through the forest and pass a shallow stream (barefoot) we’ll arrive at the platform where we’ll watch the animals interact for the rest of the day. You’ll see dozens and dozens of forest elephants, but also animals such as giant forest hogs, forest buffaloes, red river hogs, bongos, sitatungas and birds such as turacos, African gray parrots, white-throated bee-eaters, woodland kingfishers, and more.
Day 10: Dzanga Sangha National Park: Agile mangabey tracking
Together with the Ba’ka trackers we’ll go look for the agile mangabeys and watch them interact in their natural habitat. We will hike for 4 hours or so and you’ll have the chance to see other wildlife such as buffaloes, elephants and sitatungas.
Day 11: Departure
End of tour after breakfast. Let us know if you need assistance with the way back home.
Includes:
– Accommodation
– All activities as described
– Park entrance fees
– Transport as described
Doesn’t include:
– Accommodation in Yaoundé
– Meals outside of the parks
– Drinks
– Visa
Lobéké National Park (Cameroon)
Lobéké National Park is a national park of 2.178 km2 which is mainly made up of equatorial forest and is a part of the Congo Basin in the extreme south-east of Cameroon. The park is part of the cross-border conservation initiative, known as the Trinational de la Sangha (TNS). It is a priority biodiversity conservation landscape which includes, in addition to the Lobéké National Park, the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve (Central African Republic) and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (Congo-Brazzaville). Lobéké has a network of marshy clearings, particularly on the eastern side of the park. The park was created in April 2001.
Lobéké National Park has a very rich biodiversity in fauna and flora. There are 45 species of mammals, 305 species of birds, 18 species of reptiles, 16 species of amphibians, 134 species of fish, 215 species of butterflies and 764 species of plants belonging to 102 families. Several of these species are endemic and the park has one of the highest concentrations of elephants and gorillas in Africa.
The park is an ideal eco-tourism destination where you will meet very few to non other tourists. The Lobéké National Park has several bais (clearings) where viewing platforms have been built to observe the birds, gorillas, elephants and other mammals. There are platforms in Bolo, Djangui, Ndangaye, Ngoa, Djaloumbe and Petite Savane.
Dzanga Sangha (Central African Republic)
Dzanga Sangha is the most known and most beautiful park in all of the Central African Republic and the best destination in central Africa for those interested in seeing wildlife, wildlife photography. It also has a great infrastructure for tourism. There are two lodges in the park: one midrange and one upper midrange. There are a few great activities available in cooperation with the WWF and there is an excellent viewing platform near the famous Dzanga Bai from where you can see the forest elephants, up to 200 and more can be seen in one day. Besides being an excellent destination for elephant viewing and photography, Dzanga Sangha is also the best place in Africa for tracking of western lowland gorillas.
There is also a group of tracked agile mangabeys. This is a great activity in which we follow them through the forest. It’s an impressive scene and a good way to learn more about these fascinating creatures. Throughout the hike you’ll get to see buffaloes, sitatunga and bongos as well. If you decide to stay in Sangha lodge there are always one or more habituated pangolins around which you can observe.
