More about Congo and CAR
The Congo Basin Tri –National park was formed to create an enormous wilderness area which includes the Dzanga Ndoki National Park in Central Africa Republic, the Nouabale Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo and the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon.
The “Tridom Park” covers 7.5% of the entire Congo Basin rainforest and is one of the world’s richest eco systems. Continually threatened by logging, the area is managed by the conservation group WWF and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Itineraries are set departure and include Dzangha-Sangha National Park, Mbeli Bai and Bai Hokou Research centre. All expeditions are accompanied by a full back up team of locals and specialist guides. Most trips start from Brazzaville, Libreville or Douala.
Central African Republic, part of the Congo Basin, is approximately 1.5 times the size of France, with a population of around 3.3 million people. The population is made up of 11 different ethnic groups.
A large part of CAR is covered by savannah & wooded savannah. In the south however there remains several million hectares of rainforest, much of which is exploited by forest concessions. The main revenues for CAR are derived from wood & diamonds – approximately 70% of the state revenue.
In the south of CAR two extensive fluvial systems flow south towards the Congo River namely the Oubangui River & the Sangha River. To the north the Chari – Lagone system flows into Lake Chad. CAR is thus found on the dividing line between the waters of Lake Chad & the Congo Basin. After the Amazon, the Congo Basin is the second largest expanse of tropical rainforest and harbours an incomparable flora & fauna.
The Congo Basin constitutes a vital resource for millions of people across 7 countries.
The Republic of the Congo not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is bounded by Cameroon, Central Africa Republic (CAR) and the DRC with Angola in the southwest, Gabon and the Gulf of Guinea.
The capital Brazzaville, is well sited on the Congo River and is immediately opposite Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country’s main wealth is derived from petroleum products, diamonds and natural gas. Most of the sparse population inhabits the south west leaving the tropical jungles largely uninhabited in the north.
Cameroon is one of the most diverse countries in Africa & is often referred to as “Africa in Miniature”. Douala is not the capital of Cameroon but is the most significant due to the size of the population & its economic role.
Douala’s port handles 95% of the countries maritime traffic & is second only to Kinshasa as Central Africa’s largest city. Despite this, it is crudely dubbed the ‘armpit of Africa” as it is a noisy, sweaty place, lacking in major sights.
The center of the city, called Akwa, is a lively place with some quite good African restaurants
