Congo Wildlife

The Republic of Congo is widely known as the world’s leading destination for lowland gorillas and wild chimpanzees, which are usually found in the thick areas of rainforest that comprise the second largest swathe of tropical rainforest in the world. This is without doubt one of Africa’s most undiscovered destinations with excellent potential for wildlife safaris.

  There are many other species and natural attractions to appeal to visitors, and the number of quality camps is increasing to provide excellent bases for exploration.

Odzala National Park in the central north of the Congo is an ecotourism paradise with an exceptional diversity of plants and wildlife to enthral. Here you can encounter lowland gorillas, monkeys, elephants, Grimm's duiker, spotted hyenas, lions, buffaloes, bongos, leopards and other forest mammal species as well as many bird species.  

Nouabale-Ndoki National Park is another of the Congo’s highlights. Nestled in the far north of the country this uninhabited and pristine rainforest is an equally diverse place. 

Andrea Turkalo, one of our Natural World Heroes is known for spending over 20 years researching forest elephants in Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the south west of the country so visit to this area is a worthwhile addition to your safari too.

In Mbeli Bai you will see an array of wildlife at close range, including lowland gorillas, forest elephants, crocodile and buffalo.

High on many people’s lists when on wildlife safari to Congo are the gorillas, and one of the best places to do this is the Ouesso district in the Sangha Region and The Wildlife Conservation Society suggests that there are around 125,000 Western Lowland Gorillas in the region. As this area is quite challenging to access, expertise and experience are vital when venturing into these unpopulated areas.

These gorillas have shorter, lighter and slightly reddish hair and a slighter stature and are renowned for how difficult they are to habituate when compared to their Eastern cousins. 

The western lowland gorillas in this region are therefore of extreme importance as they remain some of the only habituated western lowland gorillas in existence.