Dzanga-Sangha National Park
Nestled in the extreme southwestern corner of the country between Cameroon and the Congos, this is the Central African Republic’s major natural attraction and enticing area for tourists to visit, fully capturing the remarkably unspoilt and pristine beauty that the destination has to offer. One of Africa’s best kept secrets, the park forms part of the wider Sangha Tri-National Park, which was established in 1990 and covers an incredible 6,865 miles of virgin rainforest. The park is home to an astonishing array of biodiversity, with the forest elephant population particularly healthy and presenting the best opportunity to track western lowland gorillas in Africa.
Quick facts:
- Size: the park covers an area of 1,143 kilometres squared.
- History: the park was established in 1990.
- Wildlife: gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and leopards can all be spotted here.
- Did you know: the Dzanga Bai is the most famous in the area.
Dzanga Bai
The Bais of the park offer the best wildlife sightings, with the Dzanga Bai being the most famous. A favourite of the forest fauna, this remains one of the most jaw dropping sites you will have the privilege to visit in Africa. Roughly translated to "the village of the elephants", Dzanga offers viewing of some tremendous wildlife interaction from the comfort of your treeline hide. Predominantly populated by the grunts and snorts of hundreds of forest elephants, gorillas are occasional visitors to the fringes of the Bai. Congregating on this forest clearing in order to access mineral salts and clay from the earth - with some excavations up to 4 metres in diameter - there can often be hundreds of elephants in the Bai at any one time. Other wildlife includes chimpanzees, often seen and heard whilst tracking through the rainforest, sitatungas, giant forest hogs, red river hogs, forest buffalos and duikers, making it an exceptional place for wildlife enthusiasts to get up close and personal with central Africa’s revered wildlife. Bai Hokou Research Camp is the base for all lowland gorilla research and tourism activities, with trackers heading out in the early hours of the morning to locate the gorillas whilst tourists follow behind.
Accommodation options in the park include the rustic Doli Lodge and Sangha Lodge, both set spectacularly overlooking the Sangha River. These lodges provide simple yet comfortable accommodation and the perfect base to explore the Bais and experience the Ba’Aka community that live in the park, and who are also expert guides into this unexplored wilderness.
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