Lesio Louna Gorilla reserve Republic of Congo

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Lesio Louna Gorilla reserve Republic of Congo

The Lésio-Louna Reserve, also known as Réserve Naturelle des Gorilles de Lésio Louna, was developed by a partnership between the Republic of Congo and UK registered charity The Aspinall Foundation. The area was established as a gorilla sanctuary by a decree in 1999, which was repealed and replaced in 2009 by a new decree creating the Réserve Naturelle des Gorilles de Lésio Louna in its current form. It is managed by a collaboration between The Aspinall Foundation and the Ministry of Forest Economy.

Situated within the central Batéké Plateau region about 150 km north of Brazzaville. It includes the once adjacent southern portion of the Léfini Faunal Reserve and covers an area of approximately 173,000 hectares. Lésio-Louna benefits from a variety of habitats. Just over two-thirds of the area is a mixture of non-wooded or lightly wooded grasslands. The dramatic escarpments and cliffs bordering the east of the reserve support dry mixed forest, whilst the rivers and waterways that cross the land are surrounded by gallery and swamp forest. This incredible variety of habitats provides the perfect environment for both savannah and forest animals. With the reintroduction of Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas and subsequent protection of the area, other species have increased such as hippopotamus, red river hog, forest buffalo, and several types of duiker, as well as a significant number of birds, some rarely seen like the black-headed bee-eater, and others regular visitors, like Abdim’s storks as they pass through during their annual migration.

Tours to Lesio Louna reserve

Expeditions to this nature reserve have to be organized way in advance due to the nature of conservation in this area allowing very few visitors for any further information please Contact our Africa Travel specialist.

When to Go

The gorilla conservation area can be visited all year round but traveling from June to October is highly recommended due to the pattern of Rainfall in the Republic of Congo.