10 Days Okapi & Pygmy Safari DRC
10 Days Okapi & Pygmy Safari DRC
DRC has continuously become a destination of the expedition as it’s hard to reach but an adventurous destination our top Africa specialists have designed a spectacular itinerary to see the real pygmies and the critically endangered Okapi which are the sub species of the Giraffidae family.
Highlights
- Pygmies
- Okapi
- Congo River
- Yangambi
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Goma
Goma International Airport picks up before noontime, after greetings and briefing, drive to downtown, have an evening Goma city tour, overnight at Lake Kivu lodge(3 stars based a single room with a single bed, breakfast, self-contained one with hot shower and internet included).
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Day 2: Flight from Goma – Epulu
After early morning breakfast, drive back to Goma International Airport and start with airport formalities then take the shared domestic flight to Bunia, arrive before noontime, drive to Ituri Forest precisely at Epulu via Komanda and Mambasa, arrive in the evening time, overnight at Okapi Reserve Lodge
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Day 3: Traditional pygmies in the Forest
One of the highlights here is our visit to the Pygmy communities who live in the surrounding forests. Expert hunter-gatherers, their knowledge of the environment in which they live is without parallel and each group tends to specialize in its own unique methods of hunting. Living in small family units they forage among the rainforest during the dry season, setting up nets and traps to hunt game and constructing temporary houses of saplings, vine, and shingled tree leaves. When they establish a settlement they are careful to leave the canopy-forming trees intact, offering them better protection from the fierce African sun and ensuring that the forest can return to its natural state once they leave. Traditional day to day life sees the women and children foraging while the men concentrate on hunting and collecting honey, one of the forest’s most highly-prized resources. Climbing high into the forest canopy they will use smoke to stun the bees, enabling them to break into the hives and collect the honey within trees.
Notice: Trekking distances and timings are very hard to estimate since the Pygmies are nomadic in nature; the walk can involve crossing rivers on trees etc. Come prepared for an adventure!
After breakfast, we will prepare all our stuff to enter within the forest with escort park rangers and porters, have the evening traditional hunting with pygmies, evening time, sit around the fire while listening to endless stories, listening to traditional songs and dances done by these pygmies overnight at the pygmy encampment in the forest. Meal included.
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Day 4: Ituri Forest (Traditional hunting) – Epulu
After breakfast, spend the whole day with pygmies while doing the traditional hunting, on a lucky day, watch the honey collection activity, later in the afternoon time, walk back to Epulu city, overnight at Okapi Reserve Lodge. Meal included.
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Day 5: Epulu – Kisangani
After early morning breakfast, drive to Kisangani via Nia Nia and Bafwasende, our driver will take us a full day passing through the jungle with different villages along the road, arrive in Kisangani in the evening time, overnight at Ruwenzori Guesthouse (3 stars based on a single room with a single bed breakfast, self-contained one with hot shower and internet included)
Note: Kisangani is the town founded by Henry Morton Stanley and it is the starting point of the Congo River navigation.
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Day 6: Kisangani
After early morning breakfast, enjoy the Kisangani city tour for the whole day and spend the drive to the Congo River while doing the following activities: visit the Wagenia fishery (very interesting), enjoy the rest of the day doing Kisangani city tour, Kisangani zoo, have the boat ride on Congo River, overnight at Ruwenzori Guesthouse.
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Day 7: Kisangani – Yangambi
After breakfast, take motorbikes and travel to Yangambi where we are supposed to reach lunchtime, visit Yangambi museum, overnight at the Catholic Mission (a single room with a single bed, not self-contained one and no internet nut clean and safe0. Meal included.
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Day 8: Yangambi
After breakfast, spend while day visiting Yangambi. Yangambi is Forest Research Centre. This site is very important for its biodiversity because it hosts about 32 000 tree species, we will visit colonial buildings, the authentic tree, and different projects are done here, overnight at the Catholic mission. Meal included. Overnight at Reserve Guesthouse.
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Day 9: Yangambi – Kisangani
After breakfast, take our motorbikes back to Kisangani, have an evening walk in Kisangani, overnight at Ruwenzori Guesthouse.
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Day 10: Departure
After breakfast, drive to the airport and take Ethiopian Airlines back home, end of the trip.
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End of tour
Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
What’s included in the Safari
The cost for 1pax will be $4800 including transportations (a vehicle, driver, fuel, road government taxes, the shared domestic flight from Goma to Bunia, a private boat in Kisangani on Congo River, motorbikes from Kisangani to Yangambi and back), accommodations as described in the program, permits entry fees in different visit areas, a meal in Ituri Forest and Yangambi, drinking water and an English speaking guide.
What’s excluded in the safari
Not included your international flights, visa, medical service, individual insurance, tips, a meal outside Ituri Forest and Yangambi, other drinks, and everything not listed in the program.
When to book the safari package?
3 months in advance.
Best Time to Travel
June to August
