Central African Republic (CAR): In 2012/2013, this medium-sized country in the middle of the continent erupted into an all-out civil war. Ever since then, the CAR has been facing an enormous challenge trying to maintain a minimum of security within its borders. Rather surrealistically, it is here that you will find one of the most iconic national parks in the whole of central Africa: the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (DNNP).
Maximum Insecurity
A few numbers, picked somewhat randomly, that clearly illustrate the state of insecurity within CAR’s borders:
- According to Nathalia Dukhan, a political analyst and researcher at the US-based NGO Enough! Project, in 2018 there were 18 rebel armed groups or military alliances active in the CAR. (In February of 2019, 14 of these rebel groups signed a peace agreement with the country’s central government.)
- It is impossible to know with any degree of certainty the number of Central-Africans who have died in the last six years as a result of the country’s internal conflicts. However, and according to a report from the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in October of 2018, one out of four Central Africans was either internally displaced or a refugee in a neighboring country
- The CAR is home today to UN’s fourth biggest peacekeeping mission. Established in 2014, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (better known by its French acronym, MINUSCA) has a total deployed staff of over 15,000 people (including approximately 11,200 Contingent Troops and 2,000 Police).
The Dzanga-Ndoki National Park
Established in 1990, the DNNP is located in the southwest corner of the CAR, on the country’s border with Cameroon and Congo. In reality, the Park is made up of two non-contiguous areas: the Dzanga Sector, with approximately 190 square miles, and the Ndoki Sector, with approximately 280 square miles. In 2012, the DNNP—together with the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo—was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The DNNP is particularly famous for three reasons: 1.- gorillas; 2.- Dzanga Bai; and 3.- the BaAka.
The Western Lowland Gorillas
The DNNP is a privileged area to observe western lowland gorillas in their natural habitat. Extensive surveys carried out in the Park since the late-90s have identified the area as having one of the highest densities of this subspecies of gorillas anywhere in the world. Note that, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the western lowland gorilla is classified as Critically Endangered.
The Dzanga Bai Mineral Lick
Imagine a clearing in the middle of the dense and vividly green tropical forest. A clearing without a single tree, where the only vegetation that endures is a low-growth herbage, a kind of poverty grass, sprouting here and there, between the many puddles of muddy water.
There are a few of these clearings in the DNNP. Known technically as mineral licks (salines in French), they occur in areas where the soil and the subsoil are extremely rich in salts and other minerals. This richness inhibits the growth of all types of vegetation, except for the above-mentioned low-growth grass. Making up for the “lack of excitement” on its vegetation, these clearings are anything but dull on what pertains to fauna: Forest animals come here to complement their diets with the salts and other mineral that their organisms need.
Dzanga Bai, with approximately 500 yards by 250 yards, is the largest of these mineral licks. It is considered by many to be one of the Natural Wonders of our planet, and rightly so: Vast in area, short on vegetation, and loaded with specimens, Dzanga Bai is unquestionably one of the best places on Earth to observe African forest elephants—a subspecies of elephants otherwise difficult to observe in its natural habitat (i.e., tropical forest).
The elephants are the “stars” in Dzanga Bai—which, by the way, means Village of Elephants in the local language. But the large pachyderms are far from having the “show” all for themselves. Many other species of animals can be observed there, such as African forest buffalos, bongos (the biggest forest antelope and, curiously, the world’s only species of tragelaphid in which both sexes have horns), sitatungas, giant forest hogs (the largest member of the suidae family in the wild), a large variety of birds, et cetera.
The BaAka
The BaAka are an ethnic group of hunter-gatherers of the Congo Basin—one of the few peoples formerly called pygmies who still depend almost entirely on the forest to survive. The DNNP is in an area historically inhabited by the BaAka. This proximity allows Park visitors to observe—and sometimes even to participate—in their day-to-day activities. Particularly interesting are their traditional methods of hunting (based on the use of artisanal nets, spears and poisoned arrows), and their music and dance sessions.
Hospitality and Logistics
As far as eating and sleeping, the DNNP is assisted by two lodges, both in Bayanga—the tiny little town nearest to the Park. One of them, the Doli Lodge, is owned and operated by the DNNP itself. Quoting from its webpage, this lodge is “functional and aesthetic without being overly luxurious.” The highlight of the lodge is its terrace / restaurant / bar: slightly elevated over one of the banks of the Sangha River, it has a superb view over it. Late-afternoons spent on this terrace watching the pirogue traffic on the river are magic!
The other lodge, the Sangha Lodge, is privately owned and operated, and aspires to be a bit more luxurious.
In addition to these two lodges, there are a few other alternatives in Bayanga, both to eat and to sleep, but all of them tend to be considerably more rustic.
Lastly, concerning getting there, the DNNP is approximately 350 miles away by road from Bangui—CAR’s capital city and, most likely, your point of entry into the country. Unfortunately, making the road-trip may not be a wise decision, given the security situation and the normal state of the roads. Fortunately, there are two local companies operating small planes that fly between Bangui and Bayanga.
Note: the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (DNNP) is often referred to as the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve; as its shorter version Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve; or as the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas. From my understanding, these are all different things, but…
