Odzala-Kokoua National Park

About Odzala-Kokoua National Park

The Odzala-Kokoua experience is about western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, bongos, dwarf crocodiles and flocks of grey parrots and green pigeons. It’s also about finding golden potto, Demidoff’s dwarf galago, Lord Derby’s flying squirrel and a host of other mysterious creatures. 

Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the remote northwest of Congo-Brazzaville is covered in forests, rivers, marshes, and swamps that extend over 13,500 km2 (1.35 million hectares). It is an integral part of both the Congo Basin and the TRIDOM Transfrontier Park that overlaps Gabon, Congo and Cameroon.

The most distinctive characteristic of the Congo rainforest is the forest baïs - island clearings in the sea of trees. Here, marshy areas rich in minerals and salts attract a plethora of wildlife.

Odzala-Kokoua is one of Africa’s oldest national parks and the ideal destination for the following two ways to find western lowland gorillas:

• watching unhabituated lowland gorillas from elevated treehouses and

• trekking for habituated lowland gorillas.

Congo-Brazzaville is a safe, friendly country for tourists, and the tarred road from the capital city, Brazzaville, to Odzala-Kokoua NP is in excellent condition.

READ THIS Ozala-Kokoua travel diary by our CEO

African Parks has managed Odzala-Kokoua National Park since 2010 - in partnership with the Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Forest Economy, Sustainable Development and Environment. The management agreement includes Lossi Gorilla Sanctuary, a 35 km2 area to the southwest of Odzala-Kokoua - an important wildlife corridor.

Odzala has become a conservation stronghold for its abundant and diverse wildlife, as well as for the people who play an integral role in its protection.