A Central African Republic wildlife safari offers a glimpse into a much more real Africa as you enjoy tracking western lowland gorillas on a gorilla safari or watching forest elephants as they graze the bais. Much more pioneering than other destinations in Africa, the landscapes are much more pristine, with thick forests that are largely unexplored, with huge appeal to those looking to explore a path less travelled.

Bordered by Cameroon to the west, Chad to the north, Sudan to the east and the Congos to the south, this former French colony’s most accessible wildlife is within the southwestern expanse of rainforest within Dzanga-Sangha National Park, located near the border with Cameroon and the Congos. A glimpse into a world that has remained unstirred by the modern world in which we live, here you will experience the local Ba’Aka pygmy community, an ethnic group that leads a traditional life within the forested jungle and that is only witnessed first-hand by a relatively small number of adventurous travellers. As part of the Sangha Tri-National Park, it was established in 1990 covering 6,865 miles of virgin forest.

Venturing into the forest thickets accompanied by local Ba’Aka trackers the wildlife you could encounter includes lowland gorillas, forest elephants and other animals, including bongo and sitatunga antelopes, mangabey monkeys, forest buffalos and a variety of bird species from the 379 species currently listed. Endemic species such as the Dzanga robin and rare Hartlaub duck may be seen, as well as numerous raptors and water birds. The forest clearings or ‘bais’ tend to present the highlight of a Central African Republic wildlife safari, so our local experts spend the majority of time observing and tracking in these prime areas. 

The Dzanga bai in particular is rich in minerals that attract animals, with useful tree-top hides offering the optimum chances of coming in close contact with forest elephants, who tend to visit the bais daily with numbers ranging between 50 and 100, so this is a spectacle not to be missed, as they congregate to access the salt water of the bai. You may also see forest and river hogs and flocks of African grey parrots.