CAMEROON
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CONGO BRAZZAVILLE

DAY 1: departure from Italy with a layover flight to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon

DAY 2: arrival in Yaoundé, customs formalities, meeting with the local team and check-in at the hotel. The first day in Cameroon will be dedicated to visiting the capital, «The city of seven hills». Dinner and overnight stay in Yaoundé

DAY 3: breakfast at the hotel and departure for Bertoua, capital of the eastern region of Cameroon and a transition zone between the southern forest and the northern savannah. Lunch and continuation to Lomié, crossing the lush greenery with stops in some Bantu and Baka villages for the first interactions with local ethnicities. Arrival in Lomié late in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Lomié

Morning and afternoon: early wake-up, breakfast, and departure for the Dja Biosphere Reserve, among the largest and best-protected rainforests in Africa, with 90% of its area completely unexplored.

At the entrance of the reserve, we will be greeted by a group of rangers who will lead us 7 km into the heart of the forest to the Baka camp.

Welcome by the head of the Baka community settlement and lunch.

In the afternoon, we will live in contact with the pygmies, attending a briefing on their typical activities such as fishing, hunting, and traditional Baka pharmacopoeia (which will be carried out the following day), before returning to our camp.

Evening: cultural dinner around the fire and night in a tent

Morning: breakfast before the first experience together with the Baka pygmies. A hunting trip in the thick forest where the skilled Baka hunters will try to catch some prey with their bows and arrows. Return to camp for lunch.

Afternoon: fishing with pirogues and nets along the river with the pygmies, and then assisting the Baka women in gathering food in the forest—especially wild fruit and mushrooms, but also small animals like termites and caterpillars. Carried in baskets and panniers, the products reach the camp, where they are shared among families according to principles of reciprocity and mutual assistance. Return to our camp for sunset.

Evening: dinner and typical “Djengui” pygmy dance, coming into contact with the spirit of the forest. Night in a tent.

Morning and afternoon: waking up in the heart of the forest, breakfast, return on foot to our vehicles and departure towards Lomié. Visit to Lomié with its interesting historic buildings dating back to the German and French periods, and lunch. Continuation of the journey towards Libongo, with the possibility of visiting small but folkloric villages living in the forests or along the road

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel / in a tent

N.B: depending on adverse weather conditions such as rain or poor road conditions, we might stay overnight at a campsite before reaching Libongo

Morning and afternoon: wake up at dawn, breakfast and departure for Bayanga, a small village in the Central African Republic on the border with the famous Dzanga Sangha Reserve. Border formalities at the Cameroon – Central African Republic border (from Libongo to Lidjombo). Meeting with the local correspondent and continuation of our African adventure towards the small village of Bayanga, a settlement of just 4,000 inhabitants located on the banks of the Sangha River.

Depending on the arrival time, a visit to the village or a boat excursion on the Sangha River

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a lodge

Morning and afternoon: entry formalities for the Dzanga Sangha Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2012, and continuation to Dzanga Bai, known as the “village of elephants.” This area is the most famous in the park and, thanks to its soil rich in minerals and nutrients, attracts wild animals such as elephants, bongos, sitatungas, warthogs, and buffaloes. We continue our day in search of the forest elephant, which is morphologically distinct from the common African elephant: its size is smaller, the jaw is long and narrow, the ears are more rounded, and the tusks are straighter. Dzanga Bai is a unique case in Africa; at any time of day, it is possible to observe a large number of elephants, reaching up to 100 or 150 specimens simultaneously.

Evening: dinner and night in a lodge

Morning and afternoon: today is primates day! Wake up, breakfast, and departure for Bai Hokou. About 35 km from Bayanga, it is the starting point for observing chimpanzees, gorillas, and white-collared mangabeys. The Dzanga Sangha reserve, in addition to forest elephants, is home to several groups of western lowland gorillas accustomed to human presence. We will come into close contact with a family of gorillas at a very short distance, observing them as they feed on leaves and roots and rest in the forest grass. The gorilla “habituation” program involves several years of daily work in the forest and has been carried out by the Baka pygmies. Return to the Lodge late in the evening.

Evening: dinner and night in a lodge

DAY 10: breakfast and departure for the Dzanga-Sangha National Park headquarters, where a speedboat will take us towards Congo Brazzaville. Navigation on the Sangha River passing through the islands of Lidjombo and Bomossa. Lunch on board. After a long day by boat, arrival at Ouesso, a border post between the Central African Republic and Congo Brazzaville. Meeting with the local correspondent and subsequent transfer to the small town of Ouesso. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel.

DAY 11: wake up at dawn, breakfast and departure for Brazzaville, the capital and most populous city of Congo Brazzaville. The entire day will be dedicated to the transfer to reach the capital. Along the way, weather permitting, a possible visit to local villages inhabited by the Téké and Mbochi. Arrival in Brazzaville late in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel.

Morning and afternoon: day dedicated to visiting vibrant Brazzaville, a city founded in 1880 by the Italian explorer Pietro Savorgnan di Brazzà. Visit to the city and its main attractions: St. Anne’s Catholic Basilica, the Brazzà Memorial, and the Artisans’ Market with its hundreds of stalls selling local crafts. Lunch in a local restaurant facing the majestic rapids of the Congo River.

Continuation to the historic Bacongo district to meet the famous “sapeurs,” a movement of people who wear luxury clothes and accessories in an ostentatious and extravagant way, constantly seeking new forms of style and “attitude.” They live in modest houses, often in working-class neighborhoods, and hold ordinary, humble jobs, but every evening they dress like absolute stars and parade through the streets of the neighborhood as if they were models.

Evening: dinner in Mamiwata, one of the city’s chicest districts, on the banks of the Congo River. Night at the hotel

Morning and afternoon: wake up, breakfast and departure for the Lesio Louna Reserve. The reserve, which extends across the central region of the Batéké plateau, consists of non-forested or lightly forested grasslands and was established as a sanctuary for lowland gorillas in 1999. Upon reaching the reserve, a team of rangers will guide us in search of a family of primates that can number up to 20 individuals and its pack leader, the silverback—a male gorilla with characteristic silver fur on its back that can reach a height of up to 180 cm and an average weight of 170 kg. Continuation to Ngabé, a small village on the banks of the Congo River, and relaxation at the lodge

Evening: dinner and overnight stay at the lodge

Morning and afternoon: breakfast and meeting with the mysterious Queen Ngalifourou. Ngabè was one of the ancient capitals of the Téké kingdom and the current Queen Ngalifourou, a very influential figure and guardian of the “Nkwembali” (the spiritual god of the Téké), is the person authorized to transmit power to the new king, the Makoko. After this interesting meeting, a visit to the small village. Lunch and a performance of the mystical Kebè-Kebè dance, an absolute must-see in this untouched part of Africa. During the performance, accompanied by drums, the Téké dancers wear traditional clothes and Téké masks (made of wood, they have a flat, round shape with abstract and geometric patterns and narrow slits for eyes to allow the wearer to see without being seen).

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel

DAY 15: after breakfast, we will leave the “Kingdom of Téké” to return to Brazzaville. Visit to Brazzaville, depending on flight schedules. Transfer to the airport and departure for Italy

DAY 16: arrival in Italy… And until the next adventure