Park Info

At the heart of the Congo rainforest, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is a stunning window on an undisturbed ecosystem, harboring a wonderful biodiversity, from endangered large mammals to endemic butterflies. The Park is open to tourists ready to take the plunge and discover one of the last truly wild areas on the planet.

The nerve center of the Park is the village of Bomassa, a vibrant village of a few hundred inhabitants. Adjacent to the village is the picturesque Park HQ, above which hornbills and small monkeys come to enjoy the fruiting trees.
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Wali Baï, a charming little forest clearing, and the perfect place to watch elephants who love gathering there, is accessible on foot in less than an hour from Bomassa. From a small, elevated viewing platform surrounded by lush vegetation, you can observe them rubbing shoulders with buffaloes, spraying water, feeding, or measuring their strength between males.
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Much more imposing, the clearing of Mbeli Baï is a peaceful crossroads for many species that come to feed, drink, or rest. Elephants submerge themselves in the water to feed on the minerals they find at the bottom of the water, while groups of gorillas interact quietly, the younger ones playing, the older ones gobbling up Hydrocharis, delicious floating plants.
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Mondika is, by far, one of the best possible places to have the chance to see habituated western lowland gorillas. Whether it is Buka, Mététélé, or the famous Kingo, these groups welcome human interest with curiosity and kindness, in the midst of dense vegetation where other fantastic species of animals, birds and insects are bound to be seen.
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The Park's HQ is in Bomassa, in the Sangha region.

Bomassa cannot be reached by air, but it is possible to use private aircraft charter to the nearby cities of Ouesso or Kabo.

Kabo is 1 hour away by car or 30 minutes by boat along the Sangha River.

Ouesso is 3 hours away by car or 2 hours by boat along the Sangha River.

It takes 12 hours to drive between Ouesso and Brazzaville.

For most nationalities a visa is required to enter the Republic of the Congo. Visas on arrival are not possible and must be organized in advance.

For more information, please contact your tourism operator or the embassy closest to you.

Find here the links to the website of some Congolese embassies in Pretoria (South Africa), Washington (United-States of America), Paris (France), London (UK).

If you are visiting one of the other protected areas in the Tri-National Sangha (TNS) landscape, and have a Central African Republic or in Cameroon, then it is possible to visit Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park without a Congolese visa, please contact us for more details.

For all entries, a COVID-19 and yellow fever vaccinations are prerequisites for entry.

Other requirements may vary, please check your country's travel advice and pay particular attention to vaccination and customs.

In northern Congo, the dry season lasts from January to March, during which butterflies cover every inch of sunlight. The level of the Sangha River drops to the point that the children of Bomassa can almost cross the Sangha River to Cameroon by walking on the river bottom.

The rest of the year, from April to December, a regular rainfall drenches the forest and restores the vegetation to its lush glory. The sudden and torrential rains are almost unpredictable, but they take a respite around July before diminishing in December.

August offers great views, especially at the Mbeli clearing, where many fruiting trees attract gorillas. September and December are good times to visit the Park when the rains slow down a bit.

The temperature, relatively constant, oscillates between 23 and 28 °C.

Humidity is almost always the high nineties.

The official language of the Republic of Congo is French. The two other national languages are Kituba and Lingala. Many other vernacular languages are used throughout the country, such as Teke, Aka, Kongo, and Lari.

Independent since 1960, Congo is a semi-presidential republic with an estimated population of 5.5 million spread over 342,000 square kilometers.

Christianity is the majority religion, but traditional beliefs and Islam are also common.The currency is the CFA franc (XAF). The CFA franc is pegged at a fixed exchange rate to the euro: €1 = CFA franc 655.957.

The entire country is in the GMT+1 time zone with no daylight savings time change.

The calling code is +242.

You will find an indicative packing list in this section RESOURCES > DOCUMENTS. Please note that this may vary depending on your tourism operator.

Malaria is present throughout Congo territory, including the Park. It is advised that visitors take recommended prophylaxis medication prescribed by a doctor. It is also recommended to use plenty of insect repellent.

Wearing long sleeves and pants helps limit mosquito bites, as well as scratches in the dense vegetation. Wearing neutral colors also helps your chances of seeing wildlife.

The Park rules help to protect the forest ecosystem, the local communities, and the work of the Park's employees.

One of the most important themes in our rules are our efforts to protect the primates of these forests from catching respiratory infections from people, strict health and safety regulations apply when visiting habituated gorillas in Mondika.

All rules will be explained to you by a member of our staff before you enter the Park.

You can our rules for visits here: RESOURCES > DOCUMENTS.

To support the Park's surrounding communities and the work of its management unit, certain fees apply to all visitors.

You can find the details of these fees in the Park Visitor Tariff document, available in the RESOURCES > DOCUMENTS section.