Eco-Excursion to Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary

“Am just back from a wonderful 2 centre trip to the Republic of Congo. Started with 3 days in Pointe Noire and Conkouati National Park on the coast. The 2 days spent at the chimp rehabilitation and re wilding centre deep inside the park were magical, especially the boat ride up river into dense jungle. The volunteers, Heather, Clement and Chloe, couldn't have been kinder and my CTT guides Badji ( who coped gallantly with my abominable French! ) and Yves really went out of their way to make my stay a happy one. Much appreciated. The second leg took me to Brazzaville and included a ride up the mighty Congo to a fishing village and 2 days in Louna National Park, accompanied by lovely French Canadian Michael, who was the perfect host/guide... ,everything laid on right down to the bottle of Absolut he whipped out of his cold box along with a smoked chicken at our jungle camp. The camp has all mod cons, don't worry. The baby gorillas were beyond cute. The Congolese conservation staff do a fantastic job of caring for the orphaned ( with the hope of re introducing them into the wild ) and the elderly. The river trip was another stunner. In Congo, don't expect to see animals in the vast numbers you might get in the safari parks of Eastern and Southern Africa but the quality of the experience is what counts not the quantity of creatures. I will never forget the brief moment I looked into the eyes of a shy forest elephant only feet away in Conkouati and close encounters with swimming hippos in Louna Park; the boat had to make a rapid getaway from a big male who objected to us lurking around his ladies. CTT does a very professional job... and that's from someone who works in the tourism industry herself! Highly recommended."

- Charlotte Freeman, Singapore/UK, Age 65 , Coast to River Odyssey