SAMPLE PROGRAM FOR HOLIDAY SEASON – JULY to SEPTEMBER
Arrival date and time to be determined.
Upon arrival, transfer to a 3 stars standard hotel. Upgrade of accommodation is possible.
Day 1: Saturday LOPE NATIONAL PARK
Transfer to the train station for your train to Lope departing at 9.45am. Arrival at Lope National park around 14.35 (that’s the scheduled arrival time but note that the train can be delayed for hours). Transfer to Lope Hotel.
Day 2: Sunday MIKONGO
After an early breakfast, you will go to Mikongo forest camp (45 mn drive from Lope village). Your campsite will be set up for the night by your guides. You will start hiking in the forest as soon as ready and will come back to the campsite before the sun sets.
Overnight Mikongo campsite
Day 3-4 Monday – Tuesday MIKONGO
You will spend all these two days on hiking the rainforest and tracking the gorillas guided by professional and experienced trackers. The Mikongo gorillas are wild and not habituated to humans. There used to be a gorillas habituation program in this area but once habituated, the gorillas were looking for human presence and went into villages where they got killed. That’s why the habituation program has been stopped. Being wild is what can preserve gorillas in this area. A basic picnic will be served at lunch time when in the forest. You will the day 3 overnight at Mikongo campsite and will come back to Lope Hotel on Tuesday evening.
Diner and night at Lope Hotel In the night around 2am, the driver of Lope Hotel will bring you back to the train station for your train coming back to Libreville.
Day 5 Wednesday Scheduled arrival time in Libreville around 7am but large delay can be reasonably expected. Transfer to a 3 stars standard hotel.
DAY 6 Thursday BRAZZAVILLE Departure to Brazzaville around 6pm on A SKY (affiliated to Ethiopian Airlines): You are met at the airport, helped through immigration and transferred to a hotel of three stars standard for overnight. Upgrades of accommodation are possible.
Day 7: Friday NOUABELE NDOKI NATIONAL PARK Fly Brazzaville – Ouesso (Air Congo). Transfer via motorized pirogue to Bomassa, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park headquarters for overnight. This can take seven + hours; it depends on the size of the pirogue, motor available that day, and river conditions. For 2 – 3 clients, a faster aluminum boat is used. It can also mean a very late arrival into Bomassa if Air Congo has been delayed leaving Brazzaville.
Day 8: Saturday MBELI CAMP Transfer to Mbeli Camp via road (45 minutes) and pirogue (90 minutes). Afternoon at the observation platform, a 45 minute walk from Mbeli Camp. This saline clearing in the forest is where you hope to observe wild gorillas coming to feed. Overnight at Mbeli Camp.
Day 9: Sunday MBELI BAI Full day at Mbeli Bai observation tower with picnic lunch. You return to camp at 16:00 to avoid elephants in the forest after dark. Overnight at Mbeli Camp.
Day 10: Monday MONDIKA CAMP Transfer to Mondika Camp via pirogue (90 minutes), road (30 mins) and on foot (2 hours). Some flooded swamp to cross. Afternoon in camp. Overnight Mondika Camp.
Day 11: Tuesday MONDIKA CAMP Visit one of two habituated gorilla families at Mondika. The harems may be 20 minutes walk from camp or several hours. You are accompanied by trackers and scientists. You are allowed to remain with the gorillas for approximately one hour. Return to camp for lunch. Forest walks in the afternoon, or relaxing in camp with the Ba’Aka trackers. Overnight at Mondika Camp.
A second gorilla permit may be arranged in advance for a 25 % reduction in cost. This way you can observe both families of habituated gorillas.
Day 12: Wednesday WALI BAI Return to Bomassa, park headquarters for lunch. Take a guided walk in the afternoon to Wali Bai, a saline clearing close to park headquarters. Overnight at Bomassa.
Day 13: Thursday OUESSO Transfer via motorized pirogue to Ouesso for overnight in a simple hotel, the best standard available. There is time to explore the town on foot and pay a visit to its market.
Day 14 : Friday BRAZZAVILLE Fly to Brazzaville. It is hoped that the flight will arrive from Brazzaville and depart Ouesso sometime early to mid morning but delays are common. Transfer to three star hotel for overnight. Upgrades of accommodation are possible. Please discuss with CWA. Meals in Brazzaville are your responsibility.
Day 15 Saturday: Free day in Brazzaville. Guided city tours can be arranged upon request. Please requests costs and programs. Or you may explore Brazza by yourself, on foot and by using Brazzaville’s plentiful taxis. Overnight in a three stars standard hotel in Brazzaville.
DAY 16 Sunday LIBREVILLE Transfer to airport in early morning for your flight back to Libreville. Scheduled arrival time around 9am but some delay should be reasonably expected.
Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to Sunset Beach Hotel
A guided city tour can be arranged upon request in the afternoon.
DAY 17 Monday SETTE CAMA Early transfer at the airport for your flight to Gamba (no time for breakfast); from Gamba, one hour boat shuttle through the laguna which is strewn with a myriad of densely vegetated islets.
The Sette Cama safaris camp is composed of bungalows which have now been entirely renovated. It is located right on the beach. You will start going on excursions in the afternoon if the flight has not been delayed. Overnight Sette Cama safaris Lodge
DAY 18-19 Tuesday and Wednesday SETTE CAMA: During dry season, animals are more likely seen in the forest. For these two days, you will go hiking for two days in the forest to increase your chance of seeing wildlife such as hippos, forest elephants, gorillas and a variety of small mammals and birds. You will be guided and helped by porters and logistic support. Overnight in Tented camp in the forest
Overnight Sette Cama safaris Lodge on day 19
DAY 20 Thursday SETTE CAMA
Fishing activities and ecotourism excursions are available, all guided by professionals. Day or night big game fishing can be organized with a chance to catch red carps, barracudas, threadfins and the famous tarpons.
On ecotourism side, excursions by pirogue or walks in the forest to catch the sight of elephants, buffaloes, river hogs, sitatungas, hippos, varanus, leatherback turtles, a variety of monkeys and birds. Sette Cama ecosystem is rich and diversified and made of dense forest, laguna, mangroves, savannah, ocean and beach.
You can also spend the day on relaxing on the beach…
Overnight Sette Cama safaris Lodge
DAY 21 Friday LIBREVILLE
Return flight to Libreville. The airlines changes its schedule all the time with very little notice. So the flight could be earlier in the morning or later in the evening. If the flight departs in the afternoon, you will go on excursion in the morning and will leave the camp just after lunch. Upon your arrival transfer to Sunset beach
DAY 22 Saturday
Departure date (time to be determined)
