Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, renowned for its intimate luxury lodges and adventurous rainforest expeditions in the Republic of the Congo, is proud to announce its inclusion in the prestigious TIME’s World’s Greatest Places List for 2024. This honour highlights Kamba Africa’s commitment to offering transformative journeys and immersive guest experience in one of Africa’s most incredible ecosystems.
Kamba's 3 eco-luxury lodges are set in the pristine Odzala-Kokoua National Park, one of the most untouched corners of the African continent. Inviting guests for the unique opportunity to witness the endangered Western Lowland gorillas, forest elephants, buffalo and a kaleidoscope of butterflies and birds within their natural habitats, making for an incredibly personal and unique safari experience. As the only private operator granted concessions to operate in the Republic of the Congo’s National Parks, Kamba African Rainforest Experiences follows a sustainable tourism model to protect the Congo Basin, the wildlife and flora that inhabit it, and the surrounding communities. Inviting guests to become ‘Guardians of the Forest’, Kamba creates authentic and deeply personal journeys.
Home to three luxurious lodges, Ngaga Lodge, Lango Lodge, and Mboko Lodge; offering spacious accommodations under one roof, fostering a communal atmosphere ideal for up to 12 guest at a time.
Ngaga Lodge, hidden in the dense forest, offers guests life-changing encounters with the Western Lowland gorillas, in a habitat barely touched by humanity whilst Lango Lodge places guests in the secluded heart of the Congo Basin rainforest on the edge of Lango Baï in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Mboko Lodge is set at the intersection of savanna, forest, and river where hyena prowl across open grasslands and monkeys tussle in the trees, ensuring every day at Mboko brings a new adventure. Guests at Kamba Africa can unwind in hand-built, thatched double bungalows after exhilarating treks through the forest, or canoeing adventures along the river. With private treks led by experienced guides, visitors can embark on unforgettable, bucket-list adventures with loved ones, family or friends, all while enjoying the comfort and luxury of Kamba Africa’s accommodations.
With only 2,920 tourists visiting the Republic of the Congo annually, compared to 30,000 or more in other gorilla trekking destinations like Rwanda and Uganda, Kamba offers a more exclusive and intimate experience. What further distinguishes Kamba is the authentic trekking experience, where guides and guests track gorillas together, ensuring an adventure that is both genuine and exhilarating. Additionally, Kamba maintains small group sizes of around four guests per guide, compared to the larger groups seen in other destinations, allowing for a more bespoke and intimate experience.
Taking into consideration the virulent spread of COVID-19 and the recent cases of transmission from humans to gorillas in the San Diego zoo, the park managing authorities – African Parks, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) – have jointly agreed that the national parks in the Congo Basin remain closed until further notice.
Congo Conservation Company together with conservation non-profit African Parks are pleased to announce the first visual recording of a mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) by camera trap in the south-western section of Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which African Parks manages in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Congo. Please view the camera trap footage here.
Deep within the forest, there are families who have made this jungle home.
They have endured many trials and continue to face threats on their doorstep, however with the support of the communities that live alongside them, the researchers committed to their survival and the backing of authorities throughout the Republic of Congo, the critically endangered western lowland gorillas of the Congo Basin are protected.
Kamba African Rainforest Experiences is excited to announce our Gorilla Permit Offer celebrating the thriving Western Lowland Gorillas population around Ngaga Lodge.
Sabine Plattner African Charities (SPAC) focuses on the protection of nature, with an emphasis on the rainforest in the Congo-basin, through education and community-driven empowerment.
In addition to her charitable work, Sabine made it her goal to protect the rainforests in the Congo Basin, specifically the Odzala Kokoua Park in the Republic of Congo. More recently she extended her work to the Dzanga Sangha Reserve in the Central African Republic. She realized that sustainable development work in these remote and scarcely beautiful places in the world is only possible if you engage the local communities by providing them financial security and a purpose by giving them work. Thus, even though she had – and still has – no ambition in tourism, she founded the Congo Conservation Company with the sole aim to support socio-economic development in these regions and to focus the world’s attention on the value of these ecosystems through eco-tourism.
Through this private company, she is bringing local and international tourist traffic to Odzala in the Congo Basin and Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic. These private efforts combined with the Hasso Plattner Foundation’s multimillion-euro commitment to Odzala-Kokoua for community health and education initiatives and a gorilla habituation program ensure a balanced coexistence between man and nature, specifically through education and by contributing to saving rainforests in Africa.
Through an interdisciplinary research network, the SPAC research team, under the leadership of Dr Magdalena Bermejo, has established the SPAC Field Station Network (SFSN) involving various universities cooperating and contributing to conservation research in Africa. Through the work of SPAC and the Field Station Network research team, the region has become one of Africa’s most important gorilla research destinations where scientists are able to test new, tourism-focused research products for conservation.
