Ultimate Mammal Tour in Central Africa

Central Africa is a great wildlife destination and has many iconic animals for mammal enthusiasts and photographers who want to check off animals from their checklist. Some of the best parks are of course the Dzanga Sangha National Park, famous for the Dzanga Bai where you can see over 100 forest elephants, chilling together with bongo, red river hogs and forest buffalos; but also Lopé National Park, famous for its mandrills, chimpanzees and more. There are of course many other great parks such as Odzala National Park, Virunga National Park, Ivindo National Park with the Langoué Bai, Moukalaba-Doudou National Park and Loango

National Park and then we’re not even counting Salonga National Park, Conkouati etc. One would need several months! We have created a great multi-country safari package for wildlife photographers and mammal lovers, covering the best of Gabon, Congo and Central African Republic and also an exclusive bonobo safari tour in Congo-Kinshasa with guaranteed bonobo tracking and a trip on the mighty Congo River! Have a look at our itinerary. 

If you’re looking for a DMC for your wildlife trip or photography trip in Gabon, Congo and Central African Republic, please, contact us. Our agency ideally works in groups of maximum eight people and can customize your travel itinerary to your liking. 

The Ultimate Mammal Tour in Central Africa: 

Day 1: Arrival  in Libreville 

Arrival in Libreville and transfer to your hotel. 

Day 2: Libreville to Boué by train 

Train to Boué, which is at the edge of Ivindo National Park. Note, that the itinerary will have to be adjusted to the train programme. We will stay at a very basic hotel tonight, so please adjust your expectations. 

Day 3: Booué - Ivindo (Langoué Bai) safari

Morning transfer to the viewing platform of Langoué Bai and installation at the tented camp. Afternoon observation from the platform to look for animals such as lowland gorilla, sitatunga, forest elephant, forest buffalo, red river hog as well as other animals around the camp such as African golden cat, African civet, Peter’s duiker, Congo clawless otter, blue duiker, guereza colobus, moustached monkey, putty-nosed monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey and more. 

Day 4:  Ivindo  (Langoué Bai) safari

Full day at the platform of Langoué Bai at Ivindo National Park. 

Day 5: Ivindo - Booué 

The way back from Booué. 

Day 6: Booué - Mikongo 

Train from Booué to Lopé and then transfer to Mikongo Forest where you’ll be staying in portable tents with sleeping bags. No toilet facilities, real camping experience. 

Day 7 - 8: Mikongo Forest safari 

Two days of camping in the forest while looking for animals. Look for mammals such as sun-tailed guenon, chimpanzee, gorilla, black colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey red-legged sun squirrel, forest giant squirrel, western palm squirrel, rope squirrel, green bush squirrel, Walter Verheyen’s woodmouse, dwarf anomalure, long-eared flying mouse, brush-tailed porcupine, African palm civet, Milne-Edward’s potto, greater spot-nosed monkey, crowned monkey, bay duiker, blue duiker, Ogilby’s duiker, 

Day 8: Lopé: mandrill tracking safari 

Tracking of radio-tracked mandrills today. Overnight at the local hotel. 

Day 9 - 10: Lopé safari  

Besides chimpanzees, mandrills, elephants and gorillas, we’ll be looking for other mammals such as Beecroft’s anamolure, Lorrain dormouse, red-legged sun squirrel, western palm squirrel, cameroon scaly tail, greater cane rat, pangolin, African palm civet, rusty-spotted genet, leopard, marsh mongoose, hammer-headed fruit bat, makandé squirrel galago, black colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, greater spot-nosed monkey, crowned monkey, sun-tailed monkey, northern talapoin, water chevrotain, buffalo, western bushbuck, bay duiker, blue duiker, Ogilby’s duiker and more. Overnight in mobile tent camp, shower in stream. 

Day 11: Lopé - Libreville 

Drive to Libreville and transfer to your hotel. 

Day 12: Flight from Libreville to Brazzaville 

Flight to Brazzaville and transfer to your hotel. 

Day 13: Brazzaville to Lesio Louna with gorilla tracking

Morning departure to Lesio Louna where we’ll visit the gorilla island, a great stop on the way to Dzanga Sangha and the ideal place for your perfect picture of the lowland gorilla. Our stay is rather brief and will also include a visit to the Blue Lake, but we might see some other animals. Some of the mammals which reside in Lesio Louna are: side-striped jackal, common duiker, vervet monkey, aardvark, guenon, Debrazza monkey, moustached monkey, spot-necked otter, African palm civet, African civet, marsh mongoose, giant otter shrew, cane rat, tree pangolin, giant pangolin, brush-tailed porcupine, potto, Thoma’s bushbaby, Demidoff dwarf galago, common duiker, blue duiker, black-backed duiker, black-fronted duiker, bushpig, hippo, bushbuck, sitatunga and more. 

Day 14: Lesio Louna to Ouesso 

The long, but beautiful road from Lesio Louna to Ouesso today. Tonight we’ll stay in a local hotel in Ouesso. 

Day 15: Ouesso to Bayanga boat transfer - Dzanga-Sangha National Park 

Morning departure from Ouesso all the way to Bayanga, after which we’ll go to our lodge in the Dzanga Sangha park. The boat ride is fantastic with many overflying birds such as hornbills, egrets, kingfishers, African grey parrot, turaco and more. Full checklist for mammals is found below. 

Day 16: Dzanga Bai viewing platform at Dzanga-Sangha National Park 

Today we’ll go mammal watching from the viewing platform at Dzanga Bai where you can easily see over 100 forest elephants, as well as forest buffaloes, bongo, red river hog and many bird species as well. 

Day 17: Gorilla tracking at Dzanga-Sangha National Park 

Gorilla tracking at Dzanga-Sangha with chances of seeing other animals. 

Day 18: Mangabey tracking at Dzanga-Sangha National Park 

Today we’ll go on an exciting mangabey tracking trip at Dzangha-Sangha. 

Day 19: Transfer from Bayanga to Ouesso 

Boat transfer back to Ouesso and overnight stay at a local hotel in Ouesso. 

Day 20: Transfer from Ouesso to Brazzaville 

The long road back to Brazzaville. 

Day 21: Boat transfer from Brazzaville to Kinshasa 

Morning transfer from the port of Brazzaville to Kinshasa. After registration with immigration we’ll take you to a beautiful camp on the Congo River up north. This camp is also a fishing camp, so if you are interested in fishing, please let us know. 

Day 22: Boat ride on the Congo River to our bonobo camp 

Boat ride on the mighty Congo River, upon arrival transfer to the bonobo camp either by 4x4 or on the back of a motor bike. It’s possible we can already see a group of bonobos on the way. 

Day 23 - 24: Bonobo tracking

Two days of morning bonobo tracking and bonobo photography. Afternoon activities in the village and nearby surroundings to get to know more about the daily life of the forest inhabitants. 

Day 25: Back to Kinshasa 

Boat ride back to Kinshasa and overnight. 

Day 26: Departure 

Transfer to Kinshasa airport and departure. 

Dzanga-Sangha Mammal Checklist 

Order Primates

1. Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes

2. Gorilla Gorilla gorilla

3. Black-and-white Colobus Monkey Colobus guereza

4. Central African Red Colobus Piliocolobus oustaleti

5. Olive Baboon Papio anubis

6. Agile Mangabey Cercocebus agilis

7. Grey-cheeked Mangabey Lophocebus albigena

8. De Brazza’s Monkey Cercopithecus neglectus

9. Crowned Guenon Cercopithecus pogonias

10. Putty-nosed Monkey Cercopithecus nictitans

11. Moustached Monkey Cercopithecus cephus

12. Swamp monkey Allenopithecus nigroviridis

13. Milne-Edwards’ potto Perodicticus edwardsi

14. Golden Angwantibo Arctocebus aureus

15. Southern needle-clawed galago Euoticus elegantulus

16. Gabon squirrel galago Sciurocheirus gabonensis

17. Thomas's Galago Galagoides thomasi

18. Demidov’s dwarf Galago Galagoides demidoff

Order Chiroptera

1. Franquet's Epauletted Bat Epomops franqueti

2. Hammer Bat Hypsignathus monstrosus

3. Woermans Fruit Bat Megaloglossus woermanni

4. Bergmans' Fruit Bat Scotonycteris bergmansi

5. Golden Fruit Bat Casynicterus argennis

6. Little Collared Fruit Bat Myonycteris torquata

7. Black Hawk Bat Saccolaimus peli

8. Robbin's Yellow Bat Scotophillus nucella

9. Hairy Slit-Faced Bat Nycteris hispida

10. Bate's slit-faced bat Nycteris arge

11. Dwarf Slit-faced Bat Nycteris nana

12. Intermediate slit-faced bat Nycteris intermedia

13. Large Slit-faced Bat Nycteris grandis

14. Noack's Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros ruber

15. Benito Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros beatus

16. Cyclops roundleaf bat Hipposideros cyclops

17. Sooty roundleaf bat Hipposideros fuliginosus

18. Giant Leaf-nosed Bat Macronycteris gigas

19. Halcyon Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus alcyone

20. Beatrix's Butterfly bat Glauconycteris beatrix

21. Woolly Bats Kerivoula Sp

22. Moloney's Flat-headed Bat Mimetillus moloneyi

23. Rendall's Serotine Neoromicia rendalli

24. Rufous Mouse-eared Bat Myotis bocagii

25. Banana Bat Neoromicia nana

Order Insectivores

1. Lesser Congo shrew Congosorex verheyeni

2. Remy’s pygmy shrew Suncus remyi

3. Dent’s shrew Crocidura denti

4. Ludia shrew Crocidura ludia

5. Kongana shrew Sylvisorex konganensis

6. Johnston’s forest shrew Sylvisorex johnstoni

Order Rodentia

1. African Pigmy Squirrel Myosciurus pumilio

2. Fire-footed Rope Squirrel Funisciurus pyrrhopus

3. Red Cheeked Rope Squirrel Funisciurus leucogenys

4. Thomas's Rope Squirrel Funisciurus anerythrus

5. Lady Burtons Rope Squirrel Funisciurus isabella

6. Ribboned Rope Squirrel Funisciurus lemniscatus

7. Green Squirrel Paraxerus poensis

8. Red-legged Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus rufobrachium

9. Giant forest Squirrel Protoxerus stangeri

10. Ebians Palm Squirrel Epixerus ebii

11. Flightless Anomalure Zenkerella insignis

12. Dwarf Anomalure Anomalurus pusillus

13. Beecroft's Anomalure Anomalurus beecrofti

14. Lord Derby's Anomalure Anomalurus derbianus

15. Pigmy Anomalure SP

16. Brush-tailed Porcupine Atherurus africanus

17. Link Rat Deomys ferugeneus

18. Tiny Mouse Mus minutoides

19. Target Rat Stochomys longicaudatus

20. Rusty Nosed Rat Oenomys hypoxanthus

21. Typical Striped Grass Mouse Lemniscomys striatus

22. African Wood Mouse spp. Hylomyscus sp.

a) Beaded wood mouse Hylomyscus aeta

b) Allen’s wood mouse Hylomyscus alleni

c) Walter Verheyen's wood mouse Hylomyscus walterverheyeni

1. Giant Rat Cricetomys emini

2. Greater cane rat Tryonomys swinderianus

3. Smoky dormouse Graphiurus nagtglasii

4. Lorraine dormouse Graphiurus lorraineus

Order Carnivora

1. Congo Clawless Otter Aonyx congica

2. Spotted-necked Otter Lutra maculicollis

3. Servaline Genet Genetta servalina

4. Central African Oyan Poiana richardsonii

5. African Civet Civettictis civetta (Viverra civetta)

6. Long Nosed Mongoose Herpestes naso

7. Black-legged Mongoose Bdeogale nigripes

8. Flat Headed Cusimanse Crossarchus platycephalus

9. Marsh mongoose Atilax paludinosus

10. African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata

11. Golden Cat Felis aurata

12. Leopard Panthera pardus

Order Pholidota

1. Black-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tetradactyla

2. White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis

3. Giant Pangolin Smutsia gigantea

Order Tubulidentata

1. Aardvark Orycteropus afer

Order Chrysochloridae

1. Congo Golden Mole Huetia leucorhina

Order Hyracoidea

1. Western Tree Hyrax Dendrohyrax dorsalis

Order Proboscidea

1. Forest Elephant Loxodonta cyclotis

Order Artiodactyla

1. Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius

2. Red River Hog Potamochoerus porcus

3. Western Giant Hog Hylochoerus meinertzhageni

4. Water Chevrotain Hyemoschus aquaticus

5. Forest Buffalo Syncerus [caffer]nanus

6. Bongo Tragelaphus euryceros Boocercus euryceros

7. Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekei

8. Blue Duiker Cephalophus monticola

9. Peters Duiker Cephalophus callipygus

10. Bay Duiker Cephalophus dorsalis

11. Yellow-backed Duiker Cephalophus silvicultor

12. White‐bellied duiker Cephalophus leucogaster

13. Black‐fronted duiker Cephalophus nigrifrons

14. Bates's pygmy antelope Neotragus batesi

15. Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus

Important! Central Africa’s infrastructure is not as developed as in other countries and we still suffer from blackouts and sometimes water can get cut. Please, have realistic experiences, especially when going into the wild. Please, bring the necessary means to bring camping and traveling as comfortable as possible (torches, power banks, DEET, an extra towel and sheet, baby wipes, water, snacks, etc)

• Always be aware that trains and flights can get cancelled and delayed, it's good to have buffer days which you integrate in the itinerary above. 

• Leatherback turtles can be seen during a nocturnal visit from November until late February at the Nyanga Camp in Moukalaba-Doudou and can also be seen at Pongara National Park if you would like to add this to your booking. 

• Humpback whale watching is possible from June until September. 

• Consult your doctor for malaria meds and other diseases. Make sure to protect yourself against mosquitoes (long pants, closed shoes with socks, DEET, etc). 

• Make sure to have your yellow fever vaccination card on you on arrival, as well as your visa, invitation letters, hotel bookings and flight tickets.

• The Gabon e-visa system has not been working. We offer assistance for this at 120 euro per person to get the e-visa for longer tours. For tours of only two nights or shorter, we charge 230 euro per person. We can provide invitation letters for Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville for you to go to the embassy with. It is possible to apply for a visa for the Central African Republic beforehand, but this can also be arranged at the border. 

• Credit card: it is possible to use your credit card in Libreville, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, but at the parks, everything is handled by cash. 

• Tips: tips are not expected but always welcome. We recommend 15 euro per person per day and 15 euro for all general staff per person per day. 

• Reservation: your booking is confirmed with a 30 percent deposit. 

• The outstanding balance must be paid 90 days before the trip. All payments are to be done by bank transfer to our US Bank Account. We do not accept credit cards or WUM. 

• Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory and must be taken out at the time of booking confirmation. Coverage should include trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical and related expenses, lost baggage, liability and travel delays. If you plan to participate in a dangerous or high-risk activity, please inform your insurer as additional coverage may be required. Our company cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred due to cancellation, regardless of the circumstance.

•  Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the return date of your trip and contain at least three blank pages for visas, excluding validation pages.

• Children under the age of 12 years are, regretfully, not allowed.