NgondeTour is now able to organize gorillas tour combining Mikongo and Lope National Park in Gabon, Nouabele Ndoki National park in Congo and Dzanga shanga National park in Central African Republic.
Mikongo and Lope National Park: Lopé National Park has been the first protected area in Gabon (designated in 1946), encompassing almost 5,000km2 of tropical forest and mixed savannah. It is part of the ‘Lopé-Okanda Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape’, a UNESCO world heritage site. This region represents a glimpse of what much of central Africa was like 18,000 years ago as the cooler, drier, climate meant that large areas of forest were replaced by mixed forest-savannah mosaic. It is home to a diverse range of species, including the Western Lowland gorilla, forest elephant, mandrill, forest buffalo and central chimpanzee to name but a few. In recognition of its importance, in 2005 Lopé-Okanda NP was selected as an Exceptional Priority Area in the Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Chimpanzees and Gorillas in Western Equatorial Africa. The area is also highly significant in terms of our own species’ history, containing an array of human cultural remains and showing signs of continuous human habitation from 400,000 years ago to the present day.
Nouabele Ndoki National Park: This park contains the only two habituated families of Western low land gorillas. Run by WCS, the habituation program is part of a larger scientific program aimed at studying the endangered low land gorillas’ behaviours. Nouabele Ndoki is a 4000 km² untouched forest area inhabited by a wide range of big mammals such as elephants, gorillas, chimps, buffaloes, river hogs, panthers…
Dzanga Shanga National Park: This is no destination for those who expect animals to show up just in time for their sundowner: the rain forest does not reveal its rich secrets so easily. That said, there is no better or more convenient place for observing the fascinatingly d iverse wildlife of the rain forest. One has a realistic chance of seeing the forest elephants which come to a clearing here that is rich in minerals, of hunting excursions with pygmies, as well as sightings of local lowland gorillas. One can also encounter Sitatungas, or swamp antelopes, Bongos, the largest forest antelopes (seldom seen elsewhere), giant forest hogs, buffalos, Colobus monkeys, many kinds of exotic birds, such as ibises and grey parrots, as well as countless butterflies. In the dense forest, there are also chimpanzees and leopards.
