Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park is a national park in the Central African Republic on the border with Chad. The park covers an area of ​​1 740 000 hectares. The climate is tropical, but there is still enough rainfall every year, especially in the months of June to November.

In 1988 it was included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO because of the great diversity of animal life present in the park. Among the species represented are the black rhinoceros, elephants, leopards, gazelles, crocodiles and buffalo. In addition, more than 300 bird species have been documented, including the pelican. However, the park has suffered greatly from illegal hunting of the animals by heavily armed hunters. The hunt is believed to have wiped out 80% of the park’s wildlife. In addition, park employees were repeatedly attacked and general security in the park declined sharply. Therefore, in 1997 it was decided to include the park in the list of endangered world heritage.

Several Ecofac guards died in 2009. The park is accessible by road via Ndélé, but two days of travel are then necessary, in conditions of minimum security since the coupeurs de route invade the area. The northern borders are not very secure either, due to the presence of armed groups (in particular Chadian rebels) and the proximity to Darfur.

The park is home to several hundred species of birds (ostriches, eagles, vultures, marabouts, pelicans, kites, cranes with red legs, guinea fowl, bee-eaters, multicolored rollers, etc.) who live there and make it a real treasure for bird watchers. The waterways are full of crocodiles with also the pond of Gata which shelters one of the largest concentrations of hippos in the world …

For this expedition we’ll take a chartered flight to N’Dele after which we’ll go further by 4×4. Once in the forest we’ll combine the use of cars with hiking and boats.

This is a very adventurous and rough trip, far away from civilization. You will not have electricity, running water and other luxuries. Please, bring a good tent with camping material. We’ll be eating simple local meals and will light up a campfire during the night.

Day 1: Bangui – N’Délé

In the morning we will take the plane from Bangui to N’Délé somewhere after 9 am. We will then go to N’Délé and stay overnight in basic accommodation.

Day 2: N’Délé – Gounda 
We will jump into our 4×4 and drive to the small village of Gounda, we will stop on the way to admire the forest and look for wildlife.

Day 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: St Floris National Park

For the next five days we will be exploring the park. We will visit the local villages and see how the people live in the area. They will show us how they fish and hunt. We will go with them on the rivers in canoes and we will camp in the forest. Every day we’ll go hiking to get to know the bush and be on the lookout for wildlife.

Day 8: Back to N’Délé

Today we’ll drive back to N’Délé where we will stay overnight.

Day 9: Flight N’Délé – Bangui

Our plane will be waiting for us somewhere after 10 – 11 am and we’ll fly back to Bangui, where we’ll bring you to your hotel. End of tour.

Make sure you have at least one (or more) bufferday in Bangui in case we have any holdups. We are not responsible for you missing any flights due to bad planning!

Includes:
– Local guide and supporting team
– Park entrance fees
– Camping permits
– Basic local food
– Transport

Doesn’t include:
– Plane charter Bangui – N’Délé: count up to 10.000 – 12.000 usd.
– Camping material
– Visa
– International flights