Odzala National Park is located in the rainforests of Congo, near the Gabon border in the northwest of the country, and is home to 22,000 western lowland gorillas, over 100 mammal species, about 450 bird species, and various other primates. Odzala National Park is one of Africa’s oldest national parks; It was established in 1935 during French colonial rule in the Congo.
The park covers an area of about 13,500 kilometers squared of panoramic landscape of the wolrds second largest rainforest found in Mbomo Cuvette-ouestregion, it’s estimated that 80% of the worlds left chimpanzees stay in Congo, the Congo basin is said to be containing quarter of the wolrds rainforests. Odzala national park has got the highest number of primates and chimpanzees in central Africa it’s also renowned for large herds of forest elephants.
Odzala national park is gifted with diverse biodiversity; apart from rainforests there are swamps, steep escarpments, grasslands, minerals, sedges, savannahs, rivers, and salts, and many more
Activities at Odzala national park
Gorilla trekking
The main tourist activity at the Odzala national park is gorilla trekking, this adventure is very rewarding; from the moment you start your trekking, you will come across these unique creatures who share about 97% DNA with humans. There’s a bonus to gorilla trekking in Odzala national park other primates can also be seen, such as crowned monkeys, mustached monkeys, chimpanzees, Allen’s swamp monkeys, guereza colobus putty-nosed monkeys, agile mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, and de Brazza monkey and western lowland gorillas can also be seen in some areas, the minimum age for gorilla tracking is 15 years of age.
Wildlife viewing
Odzala national park is said to be habituating thousands of elusive forest elephants that can be seen at mineral licks, the parks Vegetationfavors many other animals apart from gorillas tourists can go for a game drive and expect to see red River hog, duikers, hippos at the Lekoli river, water chevrotain, forest buffalos, bushbucks, Sitatunga, bongo, the best place to do wildlife viewing is at the raised tops, riverbanks, and mineral and salt licks, as the vegetation can be thick. Spotted hyenas and golden cats are rarely seen in the morning or at night.
Birdwatching
Odzala national park is one of the places for bird enthusiasts; the park has got over 400 species of birds, some of which are residential while others are endemic some of the examples of birds here are African grey parrots, black guinea fowl and forest swallows, to mention a few.
Nature-guided walks
Nature forest guided walks can be taken to the Lango Bai; night nature walks can also be offered at Ngaga camp. The camps really offer a thrilling experience of nature.
Cultural experience
Tourists can visit the nearby village of Ombo and visit the people and interact with them about different unique cultural values of Africa
Boat cruises
Boat cruises can be done at the Lekoli River with great rewards of seeing a number of primates and aquatic birds and the entire striking flora and fauna.
Best time to visit
The best time for visiting Odzala national park is during the dry season; it makes it easy to see the animals, as the vegetation is not thick however, the park experiences two dry seasons in two different parts; in the south dry season is from April to October while in the northern part, it’s dry from December to February.
Where to stay
There are a variety of places to stay even outside the park; some of the park’s lodges where you can spend your wilderness adventure in comfort are Mboko camp, Lango and Ngaga camp.
How to get there
Odzala national park can be accessed by air or by road but the most convenient is by air from Maya airport in Brazzaville to Mboko airstrip at the park. This flight takes about 2 and a half hours. Ngaga camp is a three-hour drive from the airstrip and Lango is about a 5-hour drive from the airstrip.
