10 Days Pygmy and Congo River Tour
10 Days Pygmy and Congo River Tour details
Our 10 Days Pygmy and Congo River Tour will take you to communities of hunter-gatherers that have maintained a harmonious existence within the forest. Collectively known as ‘pygmies’, these remote tribes have captured the imagination of anthropologists, few of whom have gone to extreme lengths to study them since their discovery in the 18th century.
Explore Kinshasa like a local and cruise on the deepest River on earth River Congo into the absolute heart of Africa. Visit villages, traditional tribes, and forests and view animals and hundreds of unique and some undiscovered species of river fish and birds. Enjoy some of the best music, culture, and scenery of Africa has to offer on our legendary DR Congo Pygmy and Congo river tour
Congo tour summary
- Welcome to Kinshasa D.R. Congo
- Flight to Mbandaka
- Explore Buya Pygmy Village
- Canoe to Nkake Forest
- To Bikoro using Lake Ntumba
- Explore Pygmy Villages
- Transfer to Mbandaka
- Flight To Kinshasa
- Kinshasa city tour
- Flight back home
Departure dates: 1st to 10th July 2023
Day 1. Welcome to Kinshasa - Dr Congo
Welcome to D.R Congo! A Laba Africa Expeditions guide will be waiting for you at the airport and will be ready to drive you to your hotel. After you check-in , it is possible to tour around the city or go to enjoy the great nightlife of Kinshasa. please Note. These activities are optional and will be at ones cost.
Day 2. Local flight to Mbandaka city
There are only two flights to Mbandaka city a week here and delays are not uncommon here. Mbandaka is a town with a very peaceful atmosphere, surrounded by swamps and dense forests. Daughter of the river, this one gives it all its magic and a little freshness, in this tropical furnace interspersed with numerous torrential showers. And still makes it an important river stage between Kinshasa and Kisangani.
On arrival here, we will drive to llema village to introduce our selves to the local chef who will welcome us to the pygmy territory enjoy some traditional dances before overnight in the forest camping with the Pygmies’
Day 3. Explore Pygmy Villages
Have early breakfast and go to Buya, where we visit villages of pygmies. You will have a chance to immerse your self more in the traditions of batwa people, learn about their traditional medicines, hunting skills, making back cloths from trees
Overnight : Camping.
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4. Congo River by Boat to Nkake
Take a boat trip to Nkake the boat trip is about for about 6 hours passing through dark vegetation and an opportunity to spot some wildlife in company of your experienced guides.
Day 5 -6 Explore Congo river tributaries and pygmy Villages
Lake Tumba (or Ntomba) is a shallow lake in northwestern part of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, in the Bikoro Territory of Equateur Province.The lake covers about 765 square kilometres (295 sq mi) depending on the season, connected via the Irebu channel with the Congo River. Water may flow into or out of the lake through this channel depending on the floods. Lake Tumba has 114 species of fish and supports important fisheries. Overnight: Mongo tribe village in tents. Lake Ntumba. We visit forest pygmies here of another tribe and family and we shall be learning some serious survival skills on the congo river and in the jungle
Day 7: Drive to Mbandaka
Today we shall say goodbye to the locals and head to the chaotic city of mbandaka in our 4×4 land cruisers . The journey is long but very scenic with lots of things to see like small villages and busy roadside markets
Day 8: Flight to Kinshasa
Depending on the time of the flight, we might have some time to explore Mbandaka city .
Mbandaka, formerly (until 1966) Coquilhatville , city, northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo.
It lies on the equator about 435 miles (700 km) northeast of Kinshasa, the national capital. It was a colonial administrative centre from 1886. It is now a busy river port situated at the junction of the Congo and Ruki rivers midway on the Kinshasa-Kisangani shipping route.
Day 9: Visit the Lola Ya Banobo sanctuary
Founded by Claudine André in 1994, Lola ya Bonobo is the world’s only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos. Since 2002, the sanctuary has been located just south of the suburb of Kimwenza at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lola ya Bonobo means ‘paradise for bonobos’ in Lingala, the main language of Kinshasa. Lola ya Bonobo is home to about 60 bonobos who live in 30 hectares of primary forest if time allows, you will go to a kinshasa city tour and mask market
Day 10: Flight back home
This is the last day of the 10 Days Pygmy and Congo River Tour. Breakfast. Last visits and transfer to the airport for the international flight back home.
End of the 10 Days Pygmy and Congo River Tour