Gorilla Trekking in the Congo Rainforest Meet the Gorillas & Explore Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

From Congo’s capital, Brazzaville, you’ll take a two-hour scheduled charter flight into the jungle, touching down at Mboko Airstrip. The transfer to Ngaga Lodge is a two- to three-hour game drive through Odzala-Kokoua National Park’s savannahs and rainforest. Keep your eyes peeled for cheeky monkeys swinging through the trees or African grey parrots above the canopy. Once you’ve arrived at Ngaga Lodge, have a rest and refresh in your thatched-roof bedroom, surrounded by thick rainforest. In the evening, you’ll have a fireside briefing about the park and tomorrow’s gorilla encounter.

Today’s the big day. Your quest to find the western lowland gorillas starts bright and early – but you get to hike from the lodge without having to go to the permit office first. No time to waste! Your tracker will lead you through the forest to find the troop you’ve been allocated. You then have an hour with these special animals.

Back at the lodge, after lunch, you might do a guided rainforest walk or grab your binos for a spot of birding. After dark, there’s an optional nature walk to find creatures that come out at night (other than our anxiety).

An hour can pass very quickly – so there’s an option for a second gorilla trek this morning. Otherwise, you could take a forest walk with researchers to find other primates and birds and to hear some fun facts about the jungle’s web of plants and trees. You could stick around camp to learn about the gorilla research programme, or head out to visit a nearby village.

Today’s lodge transfer is likely to be the most exciting you’ve ever experienced. But first: fuelling. After breakfast and a final activity at Ngaga Lodge, you’ll be driven to riverside Mboko Lodge, where you’ll have lunch. The team will take your luggage to Lango Lodge – but you’re taking the longer way round. Clamber into a kayak and paddle down the Lekoli River – you might find a forest elephant having a quiet drink on the bank or a flock of green pigeons passing overhead. Pull up on the bank and continue on foot – it’s going to be wet, so proper attire is essential. After a short walk, you’ll reach Lango Baï – a flooded forest clearing. On the other side is Lango Lodge. Oh, and you’re just in time for sundowners.

You’ve got a full day to get up close and personal with Lango Baï and its surroundings. Admire the baï from Lango Lodge’s elevated deck, or wade through with a guide as part of a forest walk. There might be herds of forest buffalo around, elephants, or even – if you’re super lucky – a bongo antelope. Keep one ear cocked for chimpanzees in the distance.

After a morning forest walk and breakfast at Lango Lodge, it’s time to check out and travel to your third and last lodge in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Take a short walk along raised boardwalks over the wetlands, hopping into a vehicle for a game drive through the forest and savannah, ending at Mboko Lodge.

In the afternoon, you could take a forest walk – or just chill. Later, you can do a river cruise with sundowners right from the lodge.

Mboko Lodge is at an intersection of forest, savannah and river habitats, so there’s a diverse range of activities: walking along the riverbanks keeping an eye out for elephants, kayaking along the waterways, birding strolls, or trekking into the forest to find wildlife tracks from the likes of buffalo, monkeys or antelopes. Or feel free to take a breather – kick back with a cold drink and watch the river or open grassland from the lodge.

After breakfast, you’ll take a game drive transfer to Mboko Airstrip, where a charter flight will whisk you back to Brazzaville. If you’ve got time before your outward flight, spend a while in this cool capital. Have lunch by the Congo River rapids. In the evening, we can schedule a little get-together with the famous dandies, the sapeurs.