Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Kamba African Rainforest Experiences (formerly Congo Conservation Co.) invites you to become one of those privileged few. We offer the only opportunity to immerse yourself in one of Africa’s most spellbinding ecosystems. Ngaga Lodge, Lango Lodge, and Mboko Lodge are gaining fast traction with travelers who visit to experience the unique ecosystems of the Congo Basin through a 7, 10 or 11-night itinerary between the lodge's 3 unique ecosystems. Ngaga Lodge is in the heart of the rainforest and home to thousands of western lowland gorillas, as well as 15 other species of primates. The wetland (or baï) that characterizes Lango Lodge is renowned for attracting flocks of African grey parrots and is a playground for forest elephants, buffalo, bongo and hippos. Mboko Lodge overlooks a beautiful savanna and is the gateway to immersive river activities, including kayaking and sunset boat cruises. With a vast diversity of fauna and flora that includes more than 450 bird species and 120 mammals, the forests, savannas and wetlands of Odzala are a favorite playground to reconnect with nature.
Kamba have three lodges all very different and beautiful and unique and we move to each after a few days. Joshua Duffus is head guide and we get the VIP guiding treat. Day one and two are at Mboko lodge and our days are spent exploring extraordinary forests along forest elephant trails or along waterways by boat or wading streams and marshes knee to chest deep. We saw so many birds and animals including 5 types of monkeys and an African Grey parrot breeding site deep in a forest. Forest elephant and buffalo appear like ghosts out the forest and marshes and giant forest hogs burst squealing away in the undergrowth. It's quite a thing walking in their space the sights and sounds ....exotic and beautiful. After Mboko lodge we kayak to the next camp Lango Lodge an amazing lodge built on a bai. We are met with drinks on the water sitting with our feet in the bai. "Unique to the Congo Basin, bais are sandy and muddy open patches of forest that are pockmarked with puddles, streams, and watering holes full of mineral-rich water“ At night herds of elephant come to mine the water a few metres from our rooms trumpeting and prehistoric sounds go on through the night. We wade in marshes under the forest. The paths twist and turn under huge trees in thick forest around the bais. Sometimes we wade waist deep along elephant paths through the swamps On one we come across a large guy and quietly wade around him. Later in the jungle we literally bump into forest buffalo and another elephant a couple of metres from us our hearts race & we glance around at trees for escape but Josh and our other guide Danike silently sign what's ahead and then motion us forward as the animals crash away into the forest. Surreal and unlike anywhere we've been before. After 3 nights we leave our camp on the Bai and headed through more beautiful forest to the third camp Ngaga Lodge where the lowland gorillas are. Ngaga is deep in the forest the incredible rooms high up on stilts looking out into a forest of giant trees. Waking early we head off with Joshua Duffus and a tracker into the dark forest for kms until we find the gorillas. They are still sleeping when we arrive but are soon in the trees feeding and swinging among the trees A huge silverback keeps in the undergrowth and we see little flashes of a large grey shape. What an incredible experience watching them for an hour before heading back through the thick jungle the trees around us full of birdsong and flight including lots of blue turaco. The rooms are luxurious and beautiful with breathtaking views of forest, bai or riverine forest. The food is amazing and staff cater to every whim. An extraordinary place and a once in a lifetime experience.
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Date of stay: April 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Each and every day that you are in The Congo you stop and say out loud " I am in The Congo!" That's how it feels to be there. What is amazing are the camps that are run by this company. They are certainly some of the best camps that my wife and I have ever been in. They are not the new East Africa camps with AC and European furniture but the top of the line African Camps. But this is not the reason to go there. Of course the Low Land Gorillas are the big draw. But when you are there you realize it is the staff at all three of the camps that makes your experience one you will never forget. From the porter who carries your bags to the staff that runs the camps to the fantastic chiefs who cook some of the best food we have ever had in our many African trips. But the stars of the show are the guides. We were lucky to be paired up with our guide Leon Weinfurtner from day one. Leon was always there with a helping hand and a vast knowledge of the areas around the three camps. We were very impressed with his ability to spot the smallest money in a tree, the smallest frog on the ground and all of the birds in flight and in the trees naming each and every one of them and sharing a photo on his phone to better show us their color. Of course he was there to enhance the experience of seeing the Low Land Gorillas that the trackers found each day. When we visited the last camp guide Andrew Hay joined our group. It is mandatory that when guests walk in the rivers or cross the rivers that a second guide be with you. Andrew was not a "second guide" Andrew was as knowledgeable as Leon and was always there to offer a helping hand especially to me. Unfortunately I had Covid in 2020 and was one day away from dying. Unfortunately my legs were weakened by the virus and without the help of Leon and Andrew I could never have walked two kilometers in the river as I did. Please come to The Congo and if you are lucky enough to have Leon as your guide and Andrew added to your visit you will surely have a "Trip of a life time"!
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Date of stay: August 2023
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Pack very light as they have washers and dryers and they return your dirty cloths daily.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our stay at the Kamba lodges was incredible. The activities allowed us to really get to know the ecosystem, while remaining respectful and protective of the flora and fauna there, through literal immersion as well as the knowledgeable guides who endured our endless questions. All the while we were well taken care of with great international and local cooking and surprising comfort in the middle of the forest. The welcome at Kamba is the warmest and most joyful you will ever experience. I can't recommend this enough.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you want to experience the last green lung on this planet far away from the dust and noise of this world, there truly is no better place than Odzala. It is unique, remote, magical, intense and breathtakingly stunning.
Being able to experience this jungle in such comfort has been nothing short of a dream come true and has exceeded expectations on so many levels. What sets this place apart from any other place I have seen is that you don't feel like an unwanted intruder in this ecosystem, but like a welcome visitor in the rainforest community. This is due to the fact that the lodges don't exist for luxury purposes primarily but the owners put a huge effort into working with the local community, training them and thereby making them proud to be hosts and show their part of the world - this is something you feel whilst guest at CCC.
The nature is raw, diverse and stunning. It is impossible not to fall in love with this forest and its beauty.
With regards to the camps I could not pick a favourite. They are all different and each of them is unique. One has a river in which you can swim, the other has a beautiful deck where you can simply watch the animals go by with stunning views as the sun sets and rises and the third one offers pure, intense rainforest with Eastern Lowland Gorillas.
The food was delicious and as long as you bring insect repellant, you are fine.
ENJOY. Its a once in a lifetime experience.
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Date of stay: February 2023
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â Bring insect repellant
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Lango camp is located in a beautiful area and has a wonderful staff. Everyone is very attentive and friendly, and the meals were were always prepared well. Our (group tour) issue was there was no hot water. The water options were scalding hot or ice cold and so they used a generator that was supposed to moderate the temp.. It did not as we did not get hot water when the generator was turned on, it just went cold. . I can deal with cold water, but what I cannot accept is a generator that has been placed behind the guests quarters. The noise was so loud that it made it impossible to sleep for huts 1, 2, and 3. The power went out one night around 1:30 AM and so someone had the brilliant idea to turn on the generator-It ran till 5 AM. We did not get any sleep, as a result, I did not go out on the morning walk. This has been an issue for 6 months! The excuse, the new generator is on the way. Really! I cannot comprehend why Odzala would think it was a good idea to place the generator near the guests area, this is a big camp with many other options. Ngaga and Mboko were wonderful, but the situation at Lango is unacceptable.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â Stay away from 1,2, and 3.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Emily Johnson, General Manager at Kamba African Rainforest Experiences Lodges
Responded Oct 12, 2023
Dear valued guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We truly appreciate your kind words about our beautiful location, wonderful staff, and delicious meals. However, we are deeply sorry to hear about the inconvenience you experienced during your stay regarding the hot water and generator noise. We understand how important it is to have a comfortable and peaceful environment for our guests, and we apologize for falling short in this regard. We are currently in the process of installing a brand-new solar system, which will significantly reduce our reliance on generators. Very soon we will have limited generator use, ensuring a quieter atmosphere for everyone. Regarding the issue with the hot water, we sincerely apologize for the inconsistency you encountered. We have addressed this problem to ensure that future guests do not encounter a similar inconvenience. Our team is diligently working to ensure that our system's temperature moderation is functioning properly, allowing for a comfortable and enjoyable hot water experience. We understand your frustration with the placement of the generator near the guest quarters, which caused a disturbance during your stay. Please be assured that we have taken your feedback seriously and have implemented a solution to ensure that our guests can enjoy a peaceful night's sleep without any disruptions. Once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused you and appreciate your understanding. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our services and facilities. We hope that you will give us another chance in the future, as we are committed to providing a memorable and enjoyable experience for you and all of our guests. Warm regards, Emily Johnson Market Development Manager Kamba African Rainforest Experiences
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fantastic experience, wonderful luxury accommodations, excellent, really delicious interesting meals, great accommodations with large comfortable beds, lovely private bathrooms, friendly staff, expert guides and trekkers. We had the best vegetarian ravioli ever and I lived for a long time in Italy. The minestrone was by far the best I have ever had, even in Italy. My French wife lived in the RDC from 13 to 21 since her father was a pilot for Air Congo. Given the troubles in RDC, we selected Odzala. I have nothing but praise for this organization. We saw gorillas up close, lots of elephants including family groups, water buffalos, bongos, and lots of interesting birds. Looking into the eyes of a Silverback stirs deep feelings of recognition that we are all just living creatures trying have our best life possible. The forest is filled with a multitude of different kinds of trees with the assorted fascinating ants, mushrooms, lichen, etc. The daily schedule was well planned and travel between the camps was enjoyable and interesting. My wife and I have traveled extensively including recently to Madagascar. While those trips were great, we have never experienced anything better than Odzala. What didn't I like ... nothing. OK WIFI was a little slow out there. The camps are helping preserve the environment, supporting the local village people and doing a great job of allowing people like us to have an authentic African forest experience. No paved roads, no trees with little labels with their names, no trash in the forest, no fences, just beautiful wild Africa. Every day I played Cesaria Evora's wondeful song "Africa, Africa" over and over in my mind. If you don't know it, play it and then go to Odzala.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There simply are no words that can adequately describe how wonderful this place is. If you are interested in wildlife this is the place to visit.
The rainforest is pristine and full of surprises. If you are interested in birds, there are a plenty. If you are interested in elephants, then witness the beautiful forest elephant mining for minerals at Lango or Mboko lodges. If you add Sangha Lodge to your trip you will see dozens and dozens of forest elephant at the famous Dzanga Bai. If like me you have always wanted to see wild western lowland gorillas, there is nothing better than having to make the effort to walk through dense marantaceae in the forest in order to see these magnificent animals in their own habitat. You will be stunned by the variety of wonderful and unusual animals you will see.
No holiday can be brilliant unless you feel save and cared about. You will! Staff at each of the camps are welcoming, friendly, thoughtful and extremely knowledgable and professional. The accommodation is superb. The food is fantastic.The trackers are local and know the forest like the back of their hands. The guides are simply the best, they are knowledgable, good communicators, funny, considerate and go out of their way to help you have the best holiday you can have. and you will.
If you want to experience remote beautiful places this is the holiday for you.
Thank you Odzala. Three times is not enough. Im thinking about a fourth.
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Date of stay: January 2022
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Room Tip:Â All the rooms are brilliant
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Had a wonderful time. The guides and the team at the lodges were excellent. The guide worked hard in arranging great experiences and adventures and managed to see some special animals such as bongo and elephants in a bai. The logistics went smoothly with everything being taken care of from the time when I arrived at immigration all the way till I went through customs and immigration at departure.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had one of the most extraordinary experiences of our lives--gorilla tracking in the Congo forest in a large reserve which for all practical purposes is part of Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Two different troops of lowland gorillas have been habituated to human presence by an onsite research team. (There is a third troop which is reserved for the researchers.) The trackers (without the aid of GPS) can find each troop unerringly.
Which is not to say that each trek was a walk in the park. The gorillas sometime plant themselves in difficult terrain. They sometimes hide in the vegetation. While the reserve is criss-crossed with forest paths, the gorillas are perfectly capably of going "cross country," which means that to follow them, the guide and tracker need to use their machetes and garden clippers to create a passage.
We traveled to Ngaga in a group of six couples. Our group ranged in age from late fifties to late seventies. Each of us went on two treks. By complete chance, the Jupiter troop was in relatively easy range (for three of our walks). The visits to the Neptuno troop were not as accessible. One trek was over 7 miles in length, involved walking part of the way in a stream, climbing the equivalent of 50 flights of stairs, and cutting through dense sections of forest. A great adventure--which gets better in the telling--but somewhat more difficult than expected.
Tracking the gorillas is as much a part of the experience as seeing them. You can hear them before you can see them. The silverback has a recognizable musky smell--so you know when you are getting close.
Getting great photographs can be a challenge. The younger members of the troop like to climb trees and swing down--enormously fun to see but sometimes hard to focus the camera on. The floor of the forest is dark and filled with vegetation. So you need to learn how to focus on the gorilla in the background and not the leaf in the foreground.
However, even with the challenges, all of our traveling companions got great pictures--including those with iPhones and point-and-shoot cameras. The videos of the juveniles frolicking were amazing.
The Ngaga Camp is extremely well run. Raphael is the site manager and he runs an excellent ship. The accommodations are jungle basic--individual huts, cooled with fans. The turndown service involves arranging the mosquito netting around the bed. Indoor plumbing, electricity and hot water (usually). Completely comfortable but don't expect a Singita level of luxury.
The lounge/dining are (which is also the area with WiFi access) was quire comfortable and open to the breezes. (This part of the Congo is never really hot--which was quite a surprise.)
Under Rafael's direction, the kitchen staff was incredibly accommodating. One of our party had dietary restrictions--the kitchen staff made sure he was very well fed. (Best: let the camp know in advance about your preferences.) One of our party drinks Diet Cokes in lieu of coffee--the camp staff, alerted in advance of the need to stock up, made sure that there were plenty of cans on hand.
Negatives: each troop, per protocol, can only be visited once per day. Contact time is limited to an hour. Which meant that only two of the three couples traveling with us could go gorilla-trekking on any given morning. (Gorilla tracking starts at 6 AM and usually concludes between 11 AM and 2 PM, depending on how far away the gorillas are from the starting point--either the camp itself, or a drop-off point from a safari vehicle.) The activities other than gorilla tracking are a little weak. The forest walk is interesting and worth doing. So our suggestion: if possible, visit Ngaga when they have only booked four of the six rooms, enabling you to go gorilla trekking every day. Or bring a book you are dying to read.
We arrived at Odzala via a charter plane from Brazzaville. The plane had two engines, two pilots and had capacity for carrying 15 people plus luggage. Our tour leader/head guide asked us to leave as much luggage as possible in Brazzaville (locked in a hotel storeroom), to cut down on our weight. Which turned out not to be a problem at all--as we wore a "uniform" of safari shirts and pants every day. The laundry services was very efficient.
Biggest surprise: essentially no bugs. We have had worse experiences at the Jersey shore. We had cocktails outside at sunset sitting in.by a river/creek without anyone being attacked. Exception: if you get sweaty in the middle of the day (when the temperature heats up a bit), you could be attacked by sweat bees. They don't bite--but they are very annoying. You guide carries netted head masks which s/he can provide to you if necessary.
Transportation to/from the air strip was accomplished via open-air safari-style land cruisers. The roads are dirt and some stretches are pitted. The transfers were part of the immersive experience--seeing the transition between savannah and forest, looking at the birds and finding the occasional buffalo or two on the road.
Our tour guide/leader (Karl Diakite) was extraordinary. His current position is Director of Guest Relations/Special Projects for the Congo Conservation Company. Karl has risen through the ranks--he helped design/build the camps, and he served as the head guide. Karl has the patience of a saint, cared deeply about making sure we all had an excellent gorilla-trekking experience and was solicitous about our comfort and safety.
A word about the weather. We were in the Congo at the beginning of September. For a place within spitting distance of the equator, Odzala is positively cool. During the dry months, clouds bring dampness from the Atlantic Ocean--with the effect of keeping the temperature down (low to mid-eighties). We slept well at night, with just a fan, covered by a sheet.
All in all, we highly recommend Ngaga Camp to traveller who appreciate adventure travel. Hacking through the jungle to see the lowland gorillas is an amazing experience.
Getting to the Congo is easier than you might imagine. The Congo continues to have strong relationships with France. (French is the national language.) Air France flies wide-bodies to/from Paris to Brazzaville essentially every day. The Brazzaville airport (Maya Maya) is modern and relatively efficient. You may need to spend a night in Brazzaville before proceeding to Odzala--we stayed at the Radisson Blu, which was terrific.
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Date of stay: September 2018
Location
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â There are only six rooms. Lodge #1 is "new style," with a separate bathroom hut.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This holiday is not for those who are uncomfortable with remoteness or the adrenalin rush of walking safari in elephant country! If you are comfortable with those things and into nature Odzala is an incredible trip. It's an amazing nature experience which is totally different both to East African savannah safari and Uganda/Rwanda mountain gorilla trekking.
The camps are of a really high standard with comfortable rooms (although quite open) and fantastic food. The staff and service are outstanding. The guides are highly professional and very knowledgable with many years of collective experience. The local ba'aka gorilla trackers are unbelievable in how they read the trail.
As for the nature - we were rewarded with good sightings of western lowland gorilla, forest elephant and buffalo, sitatunga and bushbuck, as well as numerous monkey and nocturnal primate species. We were also fortunate in having 2 chimpanzee sightings, although that is not common. We did not see bongo or leopard but tracks from both - so they're out there! There are innumerable bird species, including many species limited to tropical west Africa. The rainy season also appears to be good for butterflies, caterpillars and fungi.
Given the limited information we found on the trip in advance of going we hope what's below will be useful!
In Brazzaville do the city tour and also do the village stop at Mbomo on the inter-camp transfer. They both give some insight into life in RoC and are interesting, especially if you speak any French.
The transfer to Odzala is on a charter plane (Let410) which has about 15 seats and is twin engined. The pilots are from South Africa and at least at the moment the plane remains at Mboko grass airstrip during the week.
Based on our experience we would recommend kit as follows: (i) 3 or 4 sets of fast drying green/beige/tan long sleeved tops and trousers and lots of socks. We were very surprised by how cool and non-humid Odzala is, even though we were there in the rainy season. It's nothing like Borneo or the Amazon so long sleeves/trousers are perfect. A pac a mac is also critical; (ii) 2 or 3 pairs of old trainers/runners - closed and fast drying. Hiking boots are not a good idea as they will get soaked and not dry for ages; (iii) deet50 anti-bug spray but also a citrus based spray as deet doesn't deter tsetse flies or small biting gnats. That said they are only really an issue on the lekoli river and not so much at the camps; (iv) a good head torch and spare batteries - useful for getting to rooms and the night walks; and, (v) lots of plastic bags/food bags that can be used to protect cameras/phones as well as pack up the inevitable wet clothes.
There is wifi at all 3 camps - sufficient for whatsapp, but not streaming etc.
Our guide reorganised the base itinerary to do ngaga x3 nights, lango x2 and mboko x2 which worked really well and allowed for a longer walk out of mboko on which we successfully tracked chimpanzee (before we got drenched in a storm :-)).
At lango do the parrot stake-out on your first morning, the parrots don't come down to the saline every morning, so you minimise the risk of disappointment that way.
The trip is not physically demanding, although a reasonable level of fitness is required to get the best out of the walking safari and kayaks - you could be out for 5-6 hours at a time!
If in doubt, go for it!
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Date of stay: October 2017
Value
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ODCManagement, Front Office Manager at Kamba African Rainforest Experiences Lodges
Responded Jan 12, 2018
Good Day Shelda, Thank you so much for your helpful and insightful feedback. I am so happy to hear that you had a lovely and memorable time with us at Odzala Discovery Camps. I have noted all your feedback regarding packing lists to advise future guests joining us so thank you for providing this. We hope to welcome you again some time in the future and have a lovely day further. Kindest Regards, ODC Management
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Good Day Justin,
Thank you for your enquiry.
For health and safety reasons our children policy at Odzala Discovery Camps is as follows:
Over the age of 15 years and older are permitted at all camps and will be charged full adult rates
Under the age of 15 years are only permitted at Mboko Camp with one child to adult ratio at all times. They will not be allowed to take part in any activities.
Hoping this will assist you, but we do hope to hear that you will join us in the future.
Kindest Regards,
Kelby Jade Metior
Reservations Manager
There are more places to choose from in the Odzala National Park area.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Odzala Discovery Camps
LOCATION
Republic of the CongoCuvette-Ouest DepartmentOdzala National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
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