Central African Republic

Visited: February 2024

Duration of visit: 7 days

Capital city: Bangui

Population: 6.0 million (2024)

Estimated reading time: 23 minutes

• The capital Bangui – a city that doesn’t offer typical sightseeing activities, but at least it is now safe. Accompanied by local friends, I enjoyed great food, interesting conversations and activities along Ubangi river.
• Chute de Boali – impressive waterfalls even during the dry season.
• Legendary drive from Bangui to Bayanga through the jungle in a truck cabin, combined with moto taxi on the bush road.
• Dzanga Sangha National Park: superb gorilla trekking and elephant observation in Dzanga Bai.
• BaAka pygmy’s village experience with singing, house tour and happiness to see a foreign visitor.

With 622,984 square kilometers and less than 6 million people, Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the least densely populated countries in Africa. After gaining independence from France in 1960, this landlocked country has experienced widespread instability with multiple coups and internal conflicts. Fierce clashes between the government and over a dozen of armed groups forced over 600,000 refugees outside the country and displaced a further 600,000 people in the country.

The other visible impact of constant troubles is the poverty.

CAR is the world’s second-poorest country when measured by GDP per capita, based on purchasing power parity (PPP), the world’s most undernourished country with the world’s lowest life expectancy of just 53 years.

There are good things about Central African Republic as well. Some of them are the consequence of remoteness and lack of resources. It holds vast natural resources, including diamonds, gold, oil, timber and immense amounts of arable land and hydropower. The country is exceptionally rich in biodiversity, with many rare and endemic species including gorillas, elephants, hippos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos and crocodiles.

I landed at Bangui airport in anticipation of the unknown, but convinced that the real visa in my passports and a local person waiting for me outside, are solid arguments to receive a fair reception to one of the most unstable countries in the region. Local contact Nixon approached me as soon as I entered the airport building, even before passing the immigration control.

After filling up the arrival and customs form, my passport was stamped, while my luggage was already waiting at the belt to be picked-up and perfunctorily searched by an easy-going customs officer: “Bienvenue en République Centrafricaine!”

I decided to travel around CAR by public transport without local guides, avoiding expensive, but rundown hotels, tourist orientated restaurants and private vehicles with drivers. I had practically zero information about backpacking, but the improvisation turned out to work perfectly from the beginning.

I settled down in a Catholic Missionary Center, where nuns were offering rooms at the lower price than any other accommodation options in Bangui. My room was comfortable, the welcome warm, central and peaceful location next to the main Cathedral – fair.

In order to travel around by myself and avoid any unnecessary interrogation or bribe attempts by local police, my first stop was the Ministry of Tourism. It was a Friday afternoon, electric eclipse, employees bored and desperate to go home. My friend Nixon wrote a formal request to get an official permit for visiting the countryside and remote areas outside of the capital Bangui.

Two hours later, I received an official authorization, including permission for taking photos on the route that I has previously described as my itinerary. The authorization was signed by the minister himself.

I knew that this document would save me of any inconvenience that I could face with local authorities, which are known to be some of the most corrupted in the world, looking for any opportunities to request money.

After completing other formalities, such as buying a SIM card and exchanging Euros to CFA, it was time for an early dinner. Nixon guided me and his friend Jessica to a local restaurant, famous for BBQ fish. Away from the main road, we ended in a basic hut, hidden under zinc roof, with hardly any visible sign. I was invited to the kitchen to choose the fish that I wanted.

From a wide selection of fresh fish, I chose a big chunk with little bones that was slowly grilled. Almost an hour later it was served with cassava and plantains. Later I realized how important BBQ with charcoal or woodfire is for Central African cuisine. However, the food needs time to be prepared, if made fresh from scratch.

There are hardly any landmarks that are worth a visit in the capital. I haven’t heard of any museums, parks or monuments that would mark the history or development of this turmoil country. The most bizarre monument is actually quite recent. Raised in February 2022, Russian Mercenary Statue, is dedicated to the Russian professional soldiers’ group, named Wagner.

For almost a decade, a considerable group of the United Nation forces, under the mission of MINUSCA, established one of the largest international peacekeeping bases, with over 16,000 people. Hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, were invested to bring peace and finish the ongoing civil war among over a dozen of rebellion groups and the government.

The main priorities of MINUSCA, among others, were the protection of civilians, support for the transition process, humanitarian assistance, protection of human rights, disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation processes.

At certain stage, the rebels were so strong that, beside the countryside, they even controlled the suburbs of Bangui.

In 2018, Russia signed a military cooperation agreement with CAR, small Wagner units were invited for training of local troops and the protection of main government officials. Finally, in 2021 the government decided to exchange access to rich natural resources for a professional army, which would fight and not negotiate with the rebels.

The Wagner group consisted of approximately 1,000 soldiers, supported by the national army of CAR. They didn’t need more than a year to bring back the control of over 90% of the territory to the central government. Gold, diamonds and especially uranium supplies are a tempting prize.

People are happy to finally enjoy peace at whatever price that was needed to pay.

Long term impact or consequences are not on the agenda of those that die of violence, hunger or sexual violations on a daily basis.

Knowing how much money is spent for UN employees’ salaries, their privileges and a parallel infrastructure, used for their operations, the people of Central African Republic don’t welcome unconditionally the MINUSCA operation any more.

I used the day to walk around the downtown, central market, visited the biggest supermarkets, run by Lebanese, and observed the street life. Air-conditioned supermarkets are orientated to local elites and a well-paid UN members community, which can afford double prices comparing to Europe.

I can express my positive admiration for people’s behavior towards moundjou – a foreigner in local language Sango, and the way they treat themselves. I didn’t receive any unpleasant comments for taking photos or observing day to day activities.

A stadium and nearby basketball court are in such a bad condition that they seem to be inappropriate to follow sports games. With a lack of multistory buildings and traffic of predominantly taxis, motorbikes and UN cars, Bangui reminds more of a big village than a real city. Electrical cuts and unstable data connection are common.

Ubangi river separates Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.

“30,000 CFA for a trip in my pirogue!”, was a proposal of a young captain to take me around the river bay in his manual pirogue. (1 US$ is 635CFA). I knew the price was exaggerated, but 10 times more than the real price is not a very common tactic.

I was calm and insisted on my 2,000 CFA proposal, which was eventually raised to 2,500 CFA, in order to be accepted for mutual benefits. The captain was a member of a team of sand diggers, who in groups of up to 15 strong men dig sand from the river, transport it offshore in a wooden pirogue and load it in buckets that are carried on their heads uphill to the main road. The “patrons” stop with their trucks to collect the sand and deliver it to the construction sites.

It is a hard job to submerge underwater to fill up a bucket with sand and carry heavy weights on the head, but the consequences of wide shoulders and perfect muscular structure of the upper-part of their bodies is a remarkable side effect. The earnings are apparently good and they seem to be happy with their work.

The guys were eager to show me around the bay, speak some words in English and host a visitor on their pirogue. I rewarded them with palm wine that is locally brewed and sold in plastic water containers at much lower price than any other processed juice or liquor.

Sister Martha invited me to a farewell celebration of some important United Nations representatives in the country. A wide variety of food was ordered in a prestigious restaurant; French and Italian liquors were purchased in an exclusive, tax-free UN store.

I participated in an interesting mingling where different opinions were shared. Since I was a guest and the only backpacker in the group of UN workers, sisters and nuns, I didn’t want to share my opinion about the benefits of UN monster system that spends most of the income for its own operation, rather than the cause itself. As a laic, I can express my concerns about the success of the UN mission in CAR, even though UN bosses believe that without their help, the situation in the country would be even worse.

The best road in the country, that leads from Bangui all the way to Cameroon, is a real exhibition of unlimited human potential to explore the most unique form of travelling.

Since I was travelling in a comfortable seat of a big bus for 60+ people, I could only wonder about the comfort of passengers who were squeezed into remodeled yellow Nissan taxies, transporting up to 28 people.

Half of them inside and in the back trunk for luggage deposit, and the other half on a unique wooden platform that is installed on the roof.

There are some passengers also sitting or standing on the front hood, holding to the wooden platform. I have been to many countries around Africa, but I had never encountered this unique solution before.

Baoli Falls are, beside Dzanga Sangha, the finest natural attraction in Central African Republic. Even at the end of the dry season, the waterfalls were impressive. I walked down the stairs to different levels in order to observe it from various angles.  Huge amount of water falls from various sources on the top of the cliff that extend over 250 meters wide, into the single lagoon bellow, causing strong noise and elevating water bubbles to the air.

A park guide orientated me to the bridge over the top of the river to appreciate the view from above. On the way there I met a honey collector, who was preparing a bait where bees would deposit the sweet ingredient. It is a risky job without proper equipment, but, with the knowledge of natural resources and their impact, the result is enviable.

The ladies of a local tribe, who were peeling cassava in a small water flow, invited me to join them. I was happy to show my skills with a blunt knife. Cassava (yucca) originates from tropical areas of American continent and was introduced to the Congo basin by the Portuguese in the mid-16^th century.

Cassava is mainly a subsistence crop grown for food by small-scale farmers. Processing of cassava for food involves a combination of fermentation (4 to 6 days for detoxication), drying in the sun, and cooking, before being wrapped into plant leaves for further sale on local markets. It can also be fried as chips, mashed or baked. I was offered cassava in various forms at every main meal during my trip around the country.

Approximately 500 kilometers separates the capital Bangui and Dzanga Sangha National Park, which was my next destination. Before arriving to the Central African Republic, I couldn’t find any reliable information about possibilities to travel overland. Everyone was suggesting me to take an airplane, apparently the only safe and efficient option. I was not happy with that idea because I wanted to see more of the countryside, which is limited to explore due to complicated logistics and fragile security.

Nixon advised me to be on the PK9 point, across the river in Bimbo area, on the outskirts of Bangui, on Monday early morning. It is supposedly the only day of the week when some trucks travel to Nola, a town that connects easily to Bayanga – the village of Dzanga Sanga National Park.

A long ride on a motorbike at 5:30am brought me to the parking lot for trucks at PK9 point. I quickly negotiated a cabin seat with a young driver and enjoyed simple breakfast on an improvised street restaurant. I purchased a warm baguette, avocado and a portion of beans to combine them in a delicious, revitalizing sandwich for the later meal.

Approximately 50 passengers in the trunk were comfortably squeezed in the area from the cabin roof to the rear fence, while I enjoyed the privileged view in a company of an older woman and the driver, who was proud to host a moundjou.

The ride through the jungle was long, exhausting and full of action. The paved road finished after less than an hour. From then on, a dirt road was leading through the jungle, that was more or less dense. We were passing poor villages without any infrastructure, struggling through sand dunes and avoiding dangerous trees’ branches, which were kicking the sides of the truck. Groups of kids and elders were watching or saluting to us – one of the most exciting moments in their daily routine.

After two breakdowns and two times being stuck in the sand, we finally arrived to the village of Mambelle at 1:00am.

The driver was exhausted. He was not able to continue driving and called for a break until the dawn. The village of Mambelle was asleep. I was too tired to look for a hotel. I laid down on a bench in front of a closed restaurant and took a nap until the sunrise. Uncomfortable, hard, but rewarding.

We reached Nola at 10:00am, 26 hours after we left Bangui. The town of Nola is different than other urban areas that we were crossing on the way from Bangui. A strong Muslim presence, drier countryside; not attractive at all. My only goal was to find a moto taxi to take me to Bayanga, approximately 100 kilometers south, to my final destination of the day. After an hour of negotiation, I managed to get a decent price with a reliable driver, recommended by an owner of the central grocery store in Nola.

If the truck’s drive from Bangui to Nola was a comfortable, slow and secure experience, a ride from Nola to Bayanga was one of the craziest motorbike rides in my life. However, I was not afraid too much, because it seemed that the driver knew what he was doing.

The gravel road was in much better conditions, without sand tracks. There were no vehicles and hardly any motorbikes in both directions. It is amazing how desperate many African drivers are to arrive to the final destination, considering the fact that they don’t have much to do the rest of the day. We successfully passed the very few wet parts of the road with puddles, arriving to Tanga Hotel in Bayanga at 2:00pm.

I was worn out, with pains in my back, dirty and sleepy.

The road trip from Bangui to Bayanga in Dzanga Sanga National Park was one of those memorable trips that makes a strong statement, what kind of a backpacker one is.

At the end of the day, I was extremely lucky that I traveled during dry season, the ideal time. If proceeding on this route during wet season, it could take me three to five days.

Dzanga-Sangha special forest reserve was established in 1990. Located in the extreme southwest of the Central African Republic, bordering Cameroon to the southwest and Republic of the Congo to the southeast, the park provides one of the last remaining wildlife refuges for species such as the African forest elephant and the western lowland gorilla. Many other animal species are found within the park boundaries: bongo antelopes, African forest buffalos, many kinds of monkeys and a variety of birds. Currently, there are over 2,200 gorillas living in the park. There are three fully habituated gorilla groups, which are accustomed to the presence of humans.

Two main reasons why I came to the Dzanga Sangha NP are: gorilla trekking and elephants’ observation.

After successfully passing a COVID-19 test, I was eligible for entering gorillas’ territory in the national park. I was the only person that day on a gorilla trekking trip. After 30 minutes’ drive to the park base, I was introduced to a guide, a tracker and another national park employee, who guided me on a well-marked path deeper into the jungle.

It was rather an easy walk, sometimes interrupted by river streams, where we walked barefoot with the water up to the knees. Whenever I reach this kind of situations, I never think about possible risks to encounter animals that could hurt me. I just simply trust the guides, following their instructions or movements.

At the meeting point, I was received by another group of guides – gorilla observers. I put a mask on my face and I was ready for the gorillas’ encounter. Since it was for my third encounter with gorillas, I knew what to expect and how to behave.

A family of seven: a silverback, two adult females and 4 babies showed up in front of me in a distance of 5 to 7 meters.

Mukumba (the silverback) was huge, stood up and moved a few steps to a more comfortable zone, where he was able to rest.

The smallest baby gorilla was only a few months old; eager to play, climb, jump and call the attention of his family. He was staring at us from time to time, while others ignored our presence, especially the silverback. He never showed us his face directly, turning around and hiding behind bushes and trees.

The family moved only a dozen of meters during the hour that I was granted to observe them. After the silverback stood up and moved to a new position, a female and a baby were checking the leaves that were below him when he had been resting.

Another highlight of the park is observation of elephants from the viewpoint deck at Dzanga Bai. In Pygmy, Bai means forest clearing with water source. The Dzanga Bai provides an exceptional site, where animals can spend extended periods of time and are habituated to human presence on the viewing platform.

In order to optimize expenses, I combined gorillas in the morning with elephant observation in the afternoon. Perfectly manageable. After a short walk from the area where we parked a vehicle, I climbed the stairs to the top of the wooden observation deck.

Approximately sixty forest elephants scattered along a shallow, winding stream that was left in the middle of the clearing at the end of dry season.

The elephants continually come from the surrounding forest to the open area with mud full of minerals in order to drink, bath, play and search for rich minerals. The clearings are also reach in grass and sedge species – highly quality food, not found in the forests.

A kind of glorious spa, where other animals join: gorillas, buffalos, birds and bongos. The elephants slowly move around, play with the water, they dig holes in the soft earth with their trunks and crawl in the mud. Especially during the dry season, the elephants excavate huge holes to access the mineral layers. The minerals act as a buffer of secondary compounds from low quality food such as leaves.

Elegant females, big males or the lost cubs howl every now and then to draw attention to themselves or to communicate with each other. The only unsolicited animals in this environment that constantly disturb the idyll are the numerous flies that annoyingly hover around our bodies, especially heads.

The observers, who besides me and my guide, are the only visitors, had their heads covered with net to protect from the annoying insects. They record information about the elephants’ movements and habits in their laptops to better understand their habits and way of life over the years.

A big majority of visitors to Dzanga Sanga National Park usually settle down in a luxury Doli Lodge inside the park, participate in organized tours around the park and planned activities. They never get in touch with local community of Bayanga town, walk around the village, mingle with locals or explore their day to day life.

The population of Bayanga has grown to over 4,000 residents who, for the most part, live in wooden houses with roofs topped with palm tree leaves. Due to the privileged location, close to one of the most beautiful parks in Africa, the community should deserve a decent quality of life for its residents.

The reality is completely the opposite.

Predominantly, early inhabitants of fishermen and pygmies live without electricity, water supply or sewage systems, hardly any properly build house or decent infrastructure.

I usually found this kind of poverty in villages, but not in residential areas of a few thousand people. It is so sorrowful to observe almost a primitive lifestyle of Central African people, so close to this monumental area.

There are approximately 400 villagers working in the park, but the salaries they receive are miserable, comparing to foreign expats who participates in various international organizations, which support the project of Dzanga Sanga National Park.

Beside staying in the village for two days, hanging out with people and eating in local restaurants, I decided to help the local school with some material they would need, according to the director. We purchased notebooks, pens and chalks in the local store, before entering one of the classrooms. The kids were eager to answer my questions in broken French. Better education, family planning and more responsible sex behavior could drastically improve the quality of life in these areas.

But who am I to judge!

The tribe of BaAka pygmies still lives as a closed community that is separated and isolated from the other people in the areas of the southeastern rain forests of Cameroon, northern Republic of the Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic.

There are two villages around Bayanga, where we can find them. The driver took me to one of them, where I was warmly received by a community, which usually organizes a planned presentation for tourist groups.

My idea was to walk through the village, observe their lifestyle and pay them some money as a community support. One of the guides from the gorilla trekking was living in the village and he was very helpful to introduce me to his family of four kids.

His house is very simple. No furniture, clothes, toilets or cooking utensils are to be found.

Two basic rooms, with some wooden boards on the ground, useless mosquito nets, buckets to bring water. In front of the house, made of mud, is a place to make fire and cook basic food. No chairs or table are used.  

There was another type of house in the same patio; a traditional forest hut dwelling of rounded shape, called móngulu. Typically, shaped one-family houses are made of wooden branches covered with leaves of Marantaceae plants and predominantly built by women. Sometimes other vegetable material is added to the dome in order to make the structure more compact and waterproof.

I was invited inside a rather low and uncomfortable area of three-square meters. Soon a big group of people gathered around and called me out to sing a song for me. I asked them a few questions about their life, but the answers were very basic with very little enthusiasm. Cassava is the main food.

Bringing water, agriculture and wood gathering for cooking are the main activities. Pigmies are well known for their capability to trek for days in the jungle. Therefore, they are hired by the park authorities for habituation of gorillas, especially in the early stages.

A group photo was fun, the visit was over and I returned back to my guesthouse.

For the last part of the trip, through dense jungle, from Bayanga to Cameroon border along Kadei River, I hired a moto taxi. If previous trips were dangerous because of the speed, this one was scary due to tree branches and bushes that were hanging over the narrow road, leading me through dense tropical forest.

Prior to that moment I had managed to avoid paying any bribes, but the final trip was a nightmare.

At three out of four checkpoints, the police and customs officials didn’t let me through without paying 2,000 CFA (approximately 3.00US$) that went directly to their pockets.

As soon as I reached the river bank of the last village, Lidjombo, I jumped into a wooden pirogue and crossed the river to the village of Libongo on Cameroon side. The clouds were gathering around, the wind was becoming stronger and the waves almost turned around our unstable canoe.

Another situation where I didn’t want to analyze possible risks or exposure. As many times I trusted the locals, believing that they know what they have been doing. A young boy rowed powerfully with an oar, while his friend poured water from the wooden canoe into the river with a bowl.

The trip ended up well. We landed on the coast of Cameroon, just as the first drops of rain began to fall.

There is always a solution in Africa. You just need to be patient.

If Central African Republic was one of the most mysterious countries before my visit, I would now dare to recommend it for a visit only to those who want to enjoy the most pure, tough, wild and rough Africa.

With widely destroyed, outdated or non-existent infrastructure, where a big majority of people don’t have access to the most basic facilities, it is utopic to expect that they would care about a warm welcome to scarce tourists or UN workers that pass by in luxurious cars, take quick photos, eat in upscale restaurants or sleep in luxury hotels.

Fortunately, I consider my behavior in CAR different, therefore, I also received contrasting feedback.

I believe, I managed to connect with locals on various occasions and in consequence, I was always warmly accepted. My basic communication in French opened many doors and hearts of poor people, especially kids. Their highlight of the week might be a passing cargo truck or a motorbike with moundjou on the back seat. I have never had problems with taking photos, receiving back a smile or simple Bonjour.

I enjoyed every moment of my stay in Central African Republic. I appreciated the experience, tasted delicious local food, warm reception and kindness of people.

I wish peace, honest leaders with great vision and all the best to Central African Republic to return where it once was – a stable country with potential to growth, that would also be based on balanced eco-tourism instead of sale of natural resources.

Dzanga Sangha National Park, BaAka pygmies’ culture, Boali Falls and other hidden gems, could attract many more visitors in the future.