We came back yesterday from our 20 day expedition to the Central African Republic (CAR), the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo; what an adventure! Some of the highlights:
1. On our first day in CAR getting stuck in the mud in the late afternoon 150 kilometers from the lodge. We cut out the seat belts to use as a tow rope ... they broke. In the end we slept in the vehicle after feasting on our emergency rations of cold Chicken Biryani from Kitchens of India. In the early morning a team of good natured Pygmy hunters appeared and dug us out of the mud! They invited us back to their village. What a start!
2. Having the real privilege of trekking Lowland Gorillas in the dart rainforest in CAR. We managed three treks. On the first, elephants came between us and the Gorillas and we could not get round them. On the second we were under really heavy tropical rain. Imagine being in a shower on full blast and trying to take photos and you get the idea. On the third, we walked for perhaps three hours before having the joy of seeing them up close and personal. Less hairy than the Mountain Gorillas found in Rwanda and Uganda but equally impressive. The Silverback was stunning.
3. After the Gorilla trekking we travelled by pirogue down the Sangha river and then caught one of the most extraordinary flights to Brazaville. Extraordinary because the flight was three hours late, passengers did not use the terminal and stood out under a large tree but as it started to rain (again) we all rushed through the barricade and stood under the wing of the plane until we were allowed to board amidst a scrum that would have defeated the British Lions on any day.
4. Finally a week with the Bonobos at the Lola sanctuary just outside Kinshasa. As you can see from the pictures below you can get really close to these amazing creatures almost all of which have been saved from cruelty and inhumane conditions. A great charity doing some serious work which we support in our own small way.
Adam trying to get a shot!
Julie being caught by surprise!
And set out below is a slideshow of some of our shots of the Bonobos.
Within a few weeks we will put more photos up on the site, a slideshow from the first half of the trip and a trip report with more details. Thanks to David, Robin, Marian and Lisa for being such great traveling companions. As we hope you can tell, we had a terrific time and as first time visitors to CAR and the Republic of Congo would recommend them to anyone with a sense of adventure and acceptance that not everything will go according to plan. We are planing to return to all three countries, possibly over Christmas and New Year of 2010/11.
Julie and Adam
2. Having the real privilege of trekking Lowland Gorillas in the dart rainforest in CAR. We managed three treks. On the first, elephants came between us and the Gorillas and we could not get round them. On the second we were under really heavy tropical rain. Imagine being in a shower on full blast and trying to take photos and you get the idea. On the third, we walked for perhaps three hours before having the joy of seeing them up close and personal. Less hairy than the Mountain Gorillas found in Rwanda and Uganda but equally impressive. The Silverback was stunning.
3. After the Gorilla trekking we travelled by pirogue down the Sangha river and then caught one of the most extraordinary flights to Brazaville. Extraordinary because the flight was three hours late, passengers did not use the terminal and stood out under a large tree but as it started to rain (again) we all rushed through the barricade and stood under the wing of the plane until we were allowed to board amidst a scrum that would have defeated the British Lions on any day.
4. Finally a week with the Bonobos at the Lola sanctuary just outside Kinshasa. As you can see from the pictures below you can get really close to these amazing creatures almost all of which have been saved from cruelty and inhumane conditions. A great charity doing some serious work which we support in our own small way.
Adam trying to get a shot!
Julie being caught by surprise!
And set out below is a slideshow of some of our shots of the Bonobos.
Within a few weeks we will put more photos up on the site, a slideshow from the first half of the trip and a trip report with more details. Thanks to David, Robin, Marian and Lisa for being such great traveling companions. As we hope you can tell, we had a terrific time and as first time visitors to CAR and the Republic of Congo would recommend them to anyone with a sense of adventure and acceptance that not everything will go according to plan. We are planing to return to all three countries, possibly over Christmas and New Year of 2010/11.
Julie and Adam
