900 Kilometers from Ouesso to Brazzaville
On this 14-day river cruise, you will sail through the mighty Congo Basin, one of the world's most mysterious and least visited regions and the true heart of Africa. From capital Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, you will fly in a private plane to Ouessoy, where you will begin this extraordinary boat trip. On the luxury river ship Princessa Ngalessa, you will sail along the Sangha River and the Congo River back to Brazzaville.
Birds, Hippos and Mangabeys
For nearly 900 km you will navigate through landscapes of green hills, swamp forests, rainforests and cathedral forests, which include forest elephants, bongos, pangolins and hippos, as well as more than 350 species of birds and tens of thousands of plant species. With a so-called launch boat, you will daily sail up forgotten tributaries in search of the wonders of nature. The people of the forest, the BaAka and the Sangha sangha, will be your guides, sharing with you their way of life and their unique knowledge handed down for centuries. In the evening, enjoy sunsets and the night sounds of the surrounding forest on the comfortable ship over a glass of wine and excellent meals.
Tips & Tops Cruise on the Sangha and Congo Rivers:
- You will spend 9 nights aboard the newly renovated river ship Princessa Ngalessa, 3 nights in a lodge and 1 night in a 5-star hotel in Brazzaville
- Led by knowledgeable nature guides, venture into the world's richest terrestrial ecosystem
- At Dzangha Bai, up to 150 elephants a day can be spotted; from the observation platform you can see buffalo, bongo, sitatungas and forest divers
- Encounters the ancestral traditions of the BaAka, the last hunter-gatherers, a vibrant culture intertwined with surrounding forest
- While hiking at Hokous Bais with BaAka trackers, there is a chance to see elephants, gorillas, forest hogs, Agile Mangabeys and many bird species
- The highly social, silver-gray Agile Mangabeys move through the canopy with remarkable grace and communicate through a wide range of vocalizations (chirps, squeaks and growls), crucial in maintaining social bonds
- At Ndoki you will visit the local people (hunter-gatherers): in small groups we will share in the forest their daily life and collect fruits and plants, herbs and build a hut and experience a Ndzengi ceremony
- In Pikounda, once a trading post, explore the various neighborhoods, the old colonial buildings and the process of cocoa processing and the highly prized corn wine
- At the edge of the forest the Chief of the Lands, the traditional leader of the Bongili people, who tells us stories about the land
- The Mangui River forms the northern boundary of the Ntokou Pikounda National Park, where small monkeys such as the talapoin and birds can be observed there
- At the Likouala-Aux-Herbes estuary, you can observe the most characteristic birds of the Congo Basin, such as (depending on the season) ospreys, palm vultures, hammerheads, cormorants, kingfishers, weavers, ibises, blue herons, storks, egrets, hornbills, pied crows, Brazza's Martin and turacos
- Further along we observe hippos (in high season hippos can be difficult to observe)
- The Congo River widens considerably (more than 10 km) and a maze of islands forms; in the dry season, fishing villages settle here
- At the confluence of 5 rivers, in a vast swamp area, we visit fishing village Mossaka, known throughout the country for its smoked and salted fish, and remnants of colonial times
- At the mouth of the Lefini, hippos sunbathe, which we observe by sloop
- Ngabe, former capital of the Téké kingdom and entry point to the Makoko estate (Téké king), who can sometimes be met; as patroness of “Nkwembali,” the spiritual deity of the Batéké, she is the person authorized to transfer power to the new king, the Makoko
- You will witness a kébé-kébé ritual, dance and initiation community from Congo, dressed in raffia robes adorned with feathers and dancing with a painted doll bearing the ethnic group's specific scars
- In Brazzaville, visit the Basilica of St. Anna, the market and La Sape, "Society of Atmospheres and Elegants.
- Multiple landings per day in motorboats
- During the trip, several lectures will be given on board about the nature, peoples and history of the Congo
- Various extension options: Pointe Noire to view migrating whales, Dzanga Sangha (depending on travel advisory), Odzala-Kokoua Park, Chimpanzee watching in Tchimbounga sanctuary, Groilla tracking in Nouabele Ndoki or Gorilla and hippo watching at the Lesio-Louna sanctuary
- There is also a 9-day and a 16-day version of this cruise
