Watching Bonobos Deep in Equateur Province of the Congo

At Off the Radar, we usually write about trips you can book immediately – but traveling deep into Equateur Province of the Congo to visit the Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve to see Bonobos in their natural habitat is not something you can do…yet. In April 2009 primatologist Jef Dupain of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), in partnership with Jengai Tours out of Cameroon, led a group of 12 adventure tourists to test out a trip that AWF hopes to begin running four times a year.

The Lomako reserve is the only place in the world tourists can visit to view Bonobos in their natural habitat. The endangered Bonobos are our closest living relative. They only live in the dense lowlands of the Congo Basin, and are rarely found in zoos, likely because of their sexual repertoire: they use sex for most types of communication, including greetings and conflict resolution.

The group flew into Basankusu, where they climbed in pirogues – traditional dugout canoes carved from one tree, for a four day journey up-river. They floated up increasingly narrower tributaries of the Congo River, squeezing though the dense jungle that looms over the water. As the pirogue glided upriver, the group encountered small communities, living on the riverbanks and subsisting entirely on fishing.  Camp was set up in the pitch black of night and goat dinners were cooked over coal braziers.

The days at the reserve were spent on extended forest walks through the wet vines, creeping moss and verdant thistle, led by local guides who have grown up in the jungle.  Guests could taste fruits, sniff and touch trees, vines and flowers, or swim in the spring in the middle of the forest and or the fast moving currents of the Lomako river.

AWF built the Conservation Center with three goals: study the bonobos, protect the forest, and develop eco-tourism as an income generator and incentive for conservation for the local people.  AWF spent nearly two years in talks with locals. As Jef said, “This was the first time the (planning process) brought local communities together and allowed them to meet with DRC wildlife authorities and government ministers. This sent a clear message that the AWF approach to conservation was really built on a regard for the traditional rights of local people.”

Keep this one in mind for your trips next year (as AWF plans on running trips four times a year starting soon) – the experience is truly unique and contributes meaningfully to conservation and local communities: 60 Eco-guards have been trained and have graduated from the Congolese Institute for Conservation, most of the food is bought from nearby communities, and the building materials and labor was all locally sourced. The custom trips will depart from Bansankusu. You’ll spend a few days at the Reserve learning about bonobos (as well as forest elephants, congo peacocks, and other fauna), interacting with the local community, and participating in the Center’s activities. Click here to see the visual blog from trip participants Sigrid Johnson and Donald McMaster. For the latest news on the trips, be sure to sign up for AWF’s newsletter here.

(Thanks to Sigrid Johnson, Donald McMaster and Kate Gersh for their accounts of this trip!)

Please note that several countries recommend no non-essential travel to the DRC as it remains a difficult and dangerous place to travel.  Please be sure to check advisories before planning a trip to the region.

Off the Radar is the online magazine for adventure travelers featuring responsible adventure operators, news from adventure destinations, images and personal accounts from the field.  Sign up for our newsletter here

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