The Republic of Congo with Cookson Adventures

• Be the first to visit a gorilla family, with incredibly rare access to a newly habituated group of Western lowland gorillas.
• Stay in the first bespoke luxury mobile camp in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park.
• Be involved in world-first wildlife conservation experiences & species discovery.

This is a safari like no other. Hiding half of the world’s lowland gorillas, the little-visited Republic of the Congo is home to one of Africa’s oldest national parks, with a protected paradise of old-growth rainforest, meandering rivers and vast savannah grasslands, which reveal some 100 plus mammals.

In this first of its kind wildlife experience for the region, Cookson Adventures, has an exclusive opportunity to be one of the first to visit a newly habituated group of gorillas in the Congo Basin. Guests can join scientists in the search for new species in the remote western escarpment, get involved in reintroducing wild dogs and lions to the country and stay in the first luxury mobile camp to be set up in the National Park.

Guests will quickly discover that the Republic of Congo is little like its namesake neighbour. With just 5% of the population, this is something often best felt in its people. That might mean meeting the local tribes, who have lived in its remote jungles for centuries of the Congolese dandies, whose colourful fashion lights up the country’s capital.

London, August 2024

Special access to Nouabalé’s gorillas

The wildlife wonderland has more than 25 times the number of gorillas than Rwanda, yet it attracts a mere 500 tourists in an entire year. With Cookson’s contacts and logistical expertise, guests will discover what is one of the most exclusive, and remote, gorilla trekking destinations on Earth.

Here, guests will be the very first outside of a small circle of rangers and scientists to encounter the newly habituated gorillas of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park.

Guests will be joined by a world-leading lowland gorilla expert as a personal guide who has spent decades studying them, providing commentary in real time as guests observe their natural behaviour from a distance, connecting with the group in a respectful, authentic, and highly personal manner.

World-first conservation initiatives

As one of the least explored and developed wilderness areas left in Africa, Cookson Adventures has developed opportunities to put conservation at the heart of each trip. From setting up camera traps and collars to track large mammals – this data will be vital to help protect the biodiversity of the regions that’s made up of nearly 4,500 plant species and 100-plus mammals, with masses of forest elephants, buffalo and chimpanzee troops.

Re-introduce a locally extinct species

Be among the very first in the country’s history to re-introduce a locally extinct species, joining a team of top conservationists to help aid in the efforts to bring back the likes of lions and elusive wild dogs to the Congo basin. It’s a rare chance to witness up close and resource vital work that will leave a lasting impact on the country for years to come.

Heli to the western escarpment with scientists
A true world first, for the extra-adventurous, clients can join some of the world leading scientists and fly by heli to the Basin’s western escarpment – possibly the last true wilderness left in Africa. On a previous expedition here, a team of researchers found 15 new species in just one afternoon as they explored the forest floor on foot.

Aerial exploration on anti-poaching flights
Cookson Adventures can negotiate special access to an experience usually closed off to the public. Head out with a top anti-poaching pilot to fly over the forest, helping to spot poaching activities and to record the number of species seen along the route.

Adventures in the Congo Basin

As well as gaining a deeper understanding of the Congolese culture, intrepid explorers will be among the only visitors to an area that’s over twice the size of Florida’s Everglades National Park. From rainforest paragliding and epic setups by heli to meeting tribal elders, it’s all alongside truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences in a destination that’s simply never been done before to this level.

Meet the Bayaka tribe
Cross over the boarder by boat to the C.A.R for the night where you’ll meet a nomadic pygmy tribe who’ve been quietly protecting and shaping the rainforest environment for generations. This park has never been logged, has no roads, and contains wildlife that has had little or no human contact.

Electric Motorcycle safari
For a safari with a difference, hop on electric motorcycles to ride through the savannah, tracking spotted hyenas, charismatic monkeys and the elusive bongo antelope along the way.

Les Sapeurs
Meet the famous Congolese dandies of Brazzaville’s colourful Bacongo district. Today an integral part of the republic’s cultural heritage, these expressive street fashion icons originally started as an act of resistance, claiming ownership of what were once colonial styles of dress.

Aerial exploration
Combine epic forest dining setups with a safari experience of unparalleled intimacy, taking to the skies by paramotor or helicopter to see the rainforest from a more unique perspective.

Community conservation
Cookson Adventures can get guests involved in the local community with developed initiatives, exploring key projects spearheading better education efforts, early childhood development and empowering local people in the forest to act more sustainably and independently.

Guided baï walk
The Congo Basin is one of the few places in Africa where guests can have the rare experience of exploring the streams and marshes of the forest on foot. Here, guests can wind their way through pristine waterways of the Congo Basin, spotting the likes of monkeys, forest elephants and water buffalo from an entirely new angle.

Best time to visit: Dry season runs from December to March and from June to September.

How to get there: Fly into Brazzaville and take a private flight onto Mboko airstrip.

Cookson Adventures can organise a seven-night exclusive buyout adventure to the Congo basin from £19k pp based on a group of 12. This includes private internal flights, all meals and drinks, two gorilla treks, private guides, vehicles and Cookson Adventures hosts.

About Cookson Adventures

Founded in 2009, Cookson Adventures has pioneered the concept of world firsts in luxury adventure travel. From organising the first manned submersible dive in Antarctica to carrying out crucial conservation work in the Galápagos Islands, the company is putting luxury at the heart of extraordinary journeys.

Cookson Adventures meticulously crafts travel experiences that mix adventure and luxury for its global client base. Through its worldwide network of dedicated experts including scientist, marine biologists, conservations, and award-winning photographers, adventures are designed for people with a curiosity and thirst for exploring without sacrificing the highest levels of comfort and safety.

Cookson Adventures has committed to carbon neutrality across its expeditions. The team sources audited and measurable carbon offset and reduction projects that are geographically relevant to each trip.

Henry Cookson, the company’s founder, is a dedicated adventurer and a Guinness World Record holder for the first expedition to the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility (the exact centre of the Antarctic continent).