CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – THE TRIP

VISAS: Need passport copies for visa / LOI processing. VOA is possible for both countries for all passports. US passport is visa free. Fees for visa processing are paid at airport in exact change or pay with CFA)
VOA for CAR USD60 + €50 processing fee (paid at airport)
COST. CAR €750 (5) €600 (7)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPBUBLIC Nov 10-13, 2022
The Central African Republic at the geographic centre of Africa, has incredible wildlife but is undergoing a civil war and is too dangerous for travel. Costs in Central African Republic are exorbitant for foreigners as much must be flown or shipped in. Many of the supermarkets in Bangui and other cities are owned by Lebanese, so there is abundant Middle Eastern food imported.
The country is made up of vast swathes of tropical rainforest that make it popular for exploring. Should the CAR ever emerge from the grip of conflict & dysfunctional government, the country could be an appealing ecotourism destination (similar to Gabon). Dzanga-Sangha NP is the highlight of the country. Controlled by WWF, the ecosystem is intact with many wildlife opportunities. It is not uncommon to see 70 forest elephants at once, the largest number of lowland gorillas in Africa and much other game. Access is complicated and very difficult. Stay at expensive eco-lodges.
Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St.Floris National Park are promising wildlife reserves that are in insecure regions and without facilities.
As with most of Africa, local markets can be a feast for the eyes, offering a wide arrangement of crafts. Just be vigilant, as markets in the CAR are rife with petty and violent theft.

Capital: Bangui. Possibly the safest city in the country.
Currency: Central African CFA franc (XAF) (July 2022) 1US$=650, 1 CAD=500. Pay for everything in cash. Be prepared for extremely high prices.
Population: 5,454,533 (119th)
Language. The main language is French but only a few people in the country know more than a few words of it. Dialect called Central African French. Many indigenous languages with Sängö the most common. English is spoken by almost no one, even in the capital.
Country code: +236
Climate. Tropical. The northern areas are subject to hot, dry harmattan winds, desertification, and the northeast is a Sahel desert. The remainder of the country is prone to flooding from nearby rivers..
People. 80 ethnic groups, each having their own language.
GDP (PPP): $4.262 billion (162nd)Per capita: $823 (184th)
GDP (nominal): $2.321 billion (163th); per capita: $448 (181st)

9/11/22 Flight TMS-LBV @7:00-9:00 KP61
This flight was redirected to Lagos after being delayed by 3 hours in Sao Tome. I arrived in Lome LFW at 13:00, after my flight had left. But Asky had a flight from Lome to Douala and Bangui that was delayed (that was actually my original flight that had not left but it took a while to figure that out). It eventually left at 18:20 for a long day of waiting in airports. I ended up talking to Donald a man from Douala also flying from Sao Tome. 
So I was back in Douala with another transit to CAR the next day and stayed in the VIP lounge again for 20,000 CFA.

Observations Central African Republic
1. Why come here? For me the only reason to come here was to get another country and passport stamp. Our “tour” only saw Bangui, Boali Falls (quite spectacular) and one pygmy village – hardly worth the price. In retrospect, it might be worthwhile to simply go to Dzanga-Sangha NP and skip the rest – arrange a charter flight through one of the lodges (time it with a group for cost savings) and stay for 3-4 days to see an untouched park with a great selection of wildlife. I talked to a Spanish women – they paid 120€/night in their lodge.
2. Poverty. CAR is 192/193 in GDP and probably 193/193 in GDP (ppp) second only to Burundi. The poverty is grinding with virtually all the economy informal. As it is landlocked, most everything arrives by plane or truck from Cameroon – and so is also surprisingly expensive. Our 2 star hotel was 70€ per night.
3. Safety: Walk around town during day time and early nighttime and feel safe (no cell phones or computers, take off watches and jewelry).
Easy to grab a cheap moto (<500 XAF within Centre Ville). Observe your surroundings for possible thieves and robbers. Warned of corrupt overzealous police but was not bothered by them, was told to carry and show passport and visa copies rather than the original to not be extorted. Was also advised to be firm and stand my ground with any bad cops, once again did luckily not face the issue.
I was sitting in our passenger van with the window open. I had been taking a video out the window; A guy reached in and got my phone sitting on my lap. I ran after him and with help bought the phone back for 10,000 ($17). Several guys grabbed at my pockets as I walked back to the van. The port/market is known for its pickpockets.Safety (see below). Petty thievery and pickpockets are very common. If go out leave everything but a few CFA in your pocket.
4. Roads are surprisingly good, at least the ones in Bangui and to the waterfall. Going to the pygmy villages though required a 4WD.
5. Military presence. UN: armed UN vehicle are common. A large convoy of big trucks was loaded with armoured vehicles, dump trucks. At the airport, there were several UN prop planes and a helicopter. I talked to a woman who had worked for the UN in CAR for 7 years. The UN here is completely dysfunctional as any managers were black and hire only friends and relatives. She had little job satisfaction and wanted to leave.
Local military are also common in trucks with machine guns.
Wagner Group were also common in trucks with very heavy machine guns – recognizable by their balaclavas covering their lower face.
6. Photography. Photography is viewed with suspicion and disliked not just with the police or army around the usual sensitive locations (government buildings, infrastructure, checkpoints), but by regular people just about everywhere. Taking photos conspicuously will draw negative attention and you should ask for permission to take anyone’s photo—even in public places.

Day 1 Thur Nov 10.
Flight DLA Cameroon to Bangui @ 11:40-13:00. Rwand Air. 
At immigration, we filled out a form about Covid symptoms but did not have to show our expensive PCR tests (mine cost 110€ in Sao Tome). Walk outside and enter the immigration office. Fill out another basic form. Present the LOI and get a stamp (no full page visa). Then go to a window on the left to pay 30,000 CFA visa fee. None of us had CFA or the correct change and Jude paid for all of us to get our passports. 
I bought a coke at one of the “bars” outside the gate – cost 2000 CFA. Everything is expensive here. In the poorest country in the world, they must have two prices.  

BANGUI (pop 735,000 2012, 2 million in 2022)
The capital and largest city, it was established as a French outpost in 1889 at the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. Most live in the western parts of the country.
Bangui manufactures textiles, food products, beer, shoes, and soap.
Bangui has been the scene of intense rebel activity and destruction during decades of political upheaval, including the recent rebellion. In 1996 it was the most dangerous in the world.
Famed in colonial times as one of the most agreeable cities in equatorial Africa, Bangui blends wooded hills and grassy meadows with heavily populated shantytowns, a handsome if now somewhat run-down city centre, and modern residential districts. Though strikes and curfews often bring the city to a standstill, Bangui enjoys a vibrant nightlife and a diverse musical culture.
Wifi – It has been impossible to get a wifi connection. Even if places have a positive signal, none connect – our hotel, coffee shops. Our guide had a SIM card and I was able to finally connect and book my flight to Paris.

Artisanal Market. The local crafts were very good. Hard woods carved into all sorts of animals, boxes, coaster sets, fruit plates and lovely wood pieces in “sun” pictures. A large selection of masks, some painted. Butterfly art – plants in frames with whole butterflies, mosaics in place mats, pictures (I can’t imagine the number of butterflies it would take to make one place mat). Paintings (nothing great). Leather goods especially alligator bags, wallets. Cloth and clothing in typical African designs. 
Bangui Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a large and elegant church built totally of red brick and is common type in French tropical colonies. Three nave with 7 columns a side. On a Thursday afternoon at 4, it was relatively full.

Dinner. La Tourangelle. On the river, fair food with excellent French fries and mayonnaise. Steak a little tough (overdone) but tasty. 
ON Oubangui Hotel – €70/night. It’s 3-star (2-star by European standards).
Rooms are basic but have a balcony with a full river view. There’s also a hotel bar next to the river to enjoy a local beer. Included breakfasts were fairly good.
The hotel sits on the edge of the very wide Ohbangui River with a small rocky peninsula jutting out into the river. There is an island close to the DRC side and rapids between the peninsula, the island and the DRC side. A parade of narrow dug out canoes is constantly crossing the river. Each has one or two passengers and small amounts of produce.

Musée Ethnograhique Barthélémy Boganda in Bangui is the country’s national museum and has a decent collection of local instruments, weapons, tools, and displays about local traditions, religion, and architecture.
National Stadium – (dilapidated) football stadium should be on any walking tour, you can walk inside the grounds and have a look around.
Port / Market — really dodgy and not recommended because of pickpockets. A tourist was kind of “robbed” by a guy walking past who snatched a 500 ml water bottle. That’s pretty desperate stuff.

There are two Tentative World Heritage Sites in Bangui:
The Hill and the Plain, the Oubangui River and the built Colonial Heritage of the City of Bangui (11/04/2006).
The paleo-metallurgical sites of Bangui (04/11/2006). Archaeological studies in and around Bangui have yielded at least 26 ancient Iron Age sites that contain many metallurgical tools and objects, illuminating the pre-European history of the city and surrounding area.
The site closest to Bangui is Pendere-Sengue, 800 metres (2,600 ft) from Independence Avenue. Several thousand shards of ceramics, iron tools, pottery, and an iron spatula weighing 9 kilograms (20 lb) have been unearthed. It’s dating, compared with similar sites in Nigeria and Sudan, could be close to the 9th century BC.

Day 2 Fri Nov 11. Bangui – Baoli Falls (85 km) – Bangui Oubangui River boat ride.
Boali Falls. 43 miles and a day trip from the capital, this picturesque series of waterfalls is more impressive in the rainy season. On the M’Bari River, they fall from a nearly vertical cliff of schist 50 m high and 250 m wide. There are various viewing platforms and also the opportunity for a short slippery hike down to the base of the falls.
There are built hydroelectric power plants upstream and downstream from the falls that supply Bangui with electric power. Due to this the stream is scarce on weekdays but on Sundays, the dam is opened and the falls become more impressive.
Go down along the falls, taking the steps hollowed into the rock. A steep path then takes you to the rapids below. Resist the temptation to bathe: the lake is swarming with crocodiles.
It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to the falls. it rained hard all the way and when we are at the falls. They are very impressive and wide, separated into 3 falls by rock islands. Everyone took a hundred selfies from the steps and small lookouts down the side of the fall. 
We have a “picnic” in a large pavilion and then drove back to Bangui. The sellers we passed are grim – little stands under umbrellas, gasoline in small bottles, bags of charcoal,  simple home goods, and piles of rocks someone is trying to sell. The houses are one-room cinder block with thatch roofs and women and children sitting about in the dirt. The further from Bangui, the only vehicles are convoys of big trucks from Cameroon, motorcycles (carrying big drums and gigantic sacks) and small trucks loaded with goods and people riding on top. There are few cars and no share vans and many people walking on the road. Guys use push carts with narrow wheels as the main local freight hauling method. The usual places make iron railings, adobe bricks, cut wood and home furniture (beds). 
The men and women all have short hair. The women’s hair is all in tight braids; there are no attachments. The poverty is grinding with everyone making a living in the casual economy. Most men are just sitting around. CAR is the second poorest country in the world (behind Burundi). 
As we near the city, there are many more cars and a few share vans.

Boat cruise on the Oubangui River. We boarded a large double layer boat and crossed the double set of rapids upstream. We passed close to the CAR side, passing a few villages with many dugout boats on the shore, some laden with fruit. All the kids screamed and were excited to see a bunch of white folks. A few guys were loading boats with sand dredged up from the bottom in buckets. There were many fishing nets in the river.
There are two tiny ports with 2 cranes each, one with many Maersk containers. But neither appear to be used much. It appears that little arrives by river and most everything is trucked in from Cameroon.

In town, we went on a fruitless search for an ATM and an internet cafe, sitting for a long time in a lovely coffee/bakery shop. Everyone has a wifi signal but no one has a connection. R bought a SIM card that doesn’t work. I hot spot Jude and after several attempts finally am able to book a flight out of this hell hole. 

Day 3 Sat Nov 12. Bangui – Zinga (125km) – Mbaiki (village relies on coffee and timber production) 85km for overnight
Pygmy communities
Mbaikiin in the rainforests surrounding the town, about 30km dirt road south. Visits and stays are probably the biggest draw for the country’s few tourists. Get a motor driver to Mbaiki -3 hours each way jam-packed with cool stuff. Possible activities include: hunting with traditional weapons/devices, gathering medicinal plants with the women of the village, and participating in a night of music & dance. The pygmy communities here have a lifestyle is not as traditional as of those living near Dzanga-Sangha.
Other separate villages. Yombo, Kikongo, and Ibengue. Kikongo is 55km from Bangui. The pygmies are friendly, French-speaking, and perform a traditional dance. Some tourists have had a village football match after donating balls & clothes.
The forest and the AKA pygmy reference residential camps in the Central African Republic (04/11/2006)
ON Oubangui Hotel 70€ payable in Euros.

Day 4 Sun Nov 13. Mbaiki pygmy village – M’beko forest – Bangui (arrive at 1 pm), depart international flight.
13/11 Flight Royal Air Maroc: AT284 BGF-ORL at 08:30 with a stopover in Douala (thankfully I don’t have to deplane and deal with the mess in DLA airport) to Casablanca at 16:15. Then I have a 21 hour layover before my next flight AT770 14/11 @14:05-16:55 to Orley Paris. After a train ride to Charles de Gaulle to get my lost luggage, I plan on staying Paris for a few days before flying home?

Our guide “no first name” Jude X X was very mediocre. One meal in Bangui was at a restaurant (had to pay for our own pop) that was good. All the rest were buffet picnics and of poor quality. He didn’t do anything not included on the itinerary – get SIM cards, hot spot his SIM card and help others with problems (although we had some completely unreasonable people in the group). He didn’t deliver on the pygmy villages – arrived at one but couldn’t see the other because we didn’t have a 4WD. But basically this is such a poor country to come to, most things are hard.
But he is little different than the guides arranged by Ernestine Chan on this seven-country tour through West Africa. Out of the seven, 6 of her operators were basically crooks, little different than her. Only our Algerian guide was an honest guy.

I met two astonishing travellers – astonishing because of their profound ignorance.
R, a 30 something from Los Angeles on our trip (who is surprisingly well traveled for an American), described herself as a conservative Christian. Belonging to an evangelical church, her only source of info must have been her church newsletter whose editor was Moran S. America. “Anyone who does not take the Bible literally is NOT a Christian. The earth started 6000 years. Archaeology was all fake. It took many different carbon datings to figure out dates.” “January 6th, 2020 was completely peaceful. They moved the barricades aside and simply let people in. The media coverage and Congressional hearings were all rigged.” About abortion after Roe vs Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court, some states were introducing their own abortion laws with Proposition ? on the California ballot “Proposition? allows they to kill any baby at any time including up to term.” She arrived in Central Africa with only American $ which are difficult to exchange and get a poor rate. She thought our hotel was terrible (It was perfectly adequate for an African country) and was on a continuous search for another as she had to stay at least one day later to get a visa for The Republic of the Congo. She expected our guide to get the visa in Cameroon when visas are difficult at best and was very critical of his failure. 
A group of 5 Chinese from Hong Kong were in our hotel and I got into a discussion with an older man. Xi Jiping was a great leader. The press is free. The covid policy (which is completely non-sustainable) was wonderful. “How many people died in the rest of the world”. He guaranteed that he could access the Economist when it has been banned since it published an article on Xi in 2016. Elections are free in Hong Kong. Taiwan is part of China “If we had a vote, we would win” (1.4 billion voting against the small Taiwan population). 
Oh well. 

Accommodation
1. Ledger Plaza is the only 5-star hotel in Bangui, but at $350 a night, it is out of budget for most. cash only (also for food), Ledger Plaza is beautiful. You have to stick up for yourself about getting a room with working air.
http://ledgerplazabangui.info/
room division manager email: santili.manuella@zrcentrafrique.com
2. Oubangui Hotel at $85 a night. It’s 3-star (2-star by European standards).
The rooms are basic but have a balcony with a full river view. There’s also a hotel bar next to the river to enjoy a local beer.
Ledger and Oubangui websites don’t work, phone calls don’t get through and emails go unanswered. Just show up and should be no problem.
3. Hotel Du Centre. CFA 50,000 a night, very poor wifi but a comfortable bed in a very spacious room with a balcony overlooking the pool that hasn’t seen a renovation since 1962. But safe, central, and clean and with a free shuttle to the airport and helpful enough staff.
4. Karakandji Boutique Hotel has a working website, responsive.
5. Hotel: Restaurant Chinois ~20K XAF nightly, cockroaches in bed optional feature, not for the faint of heart or the champion of hygiene but cheap, great people, good food and safe.
Food
1. Carré Gourmand good – nice outdoor seating and atmosphere.
2. Ledger – expensive and average quality
3. Relais Des Chasses is a great restaurant choice. Extensive menu with local dishes, great vibe, and inexpensive.
4. La Tourangelle. On the river, fair food with excellent French fries and mayonnaise. Steak a little tough (overdone) but tasty.

Guide Recommendations
1. Norbert Begbayote (used by many EPS members). Fast to respond WhatsApp +236 72158053. Competitive prices. Need to wire funds in advance for both the Message Porté and hotel booking.
2. Felix Mechnig-Giordanois has experience in all of CAR.
3. Organize a taxi through your hotel. Email La_couronne_hotel@hotmail.com and see if they can organize something for you.
Driver Josias Godar Yambele – yambele.josias@gmail.com Tel 75817909 o 72238366
Information
Expats Central African Republic.

OTHER DESTINAIONS
Crocodile Lake – This was an optional extra upon returning to Bangui from Kikongo. It’s NOT something I would recommend. Rundown facilities with a walkway down to the lake, where we saw 1 small crocodile. (Completely different to Bazoule in Burkina)
Bokassa’s ‘Castle’. In the NM “The Dark Side” series, it is located in a palm-tree grove 50 miles from the country’s decrepit capital, the crumbling palace of Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the cannibalistic self-styled emperor of the Central African Republic, has seen better days.
Summer rains flood the secret underground quarters of the “imperial court”. Madame Bokassa’s Italian bathroom tiles are chipped and the kitchen where chefs allegedly cooked the emperor’s political rivals, often serving them to visiting foreign dignitaries, is alive with rats.
The bedroom in which Bokassa slept, supposedly surrounded by piles of gold and diamonds, still bears the bullet holes of the French, who stormed the palace when they ousted him in 1979. A huge building resembling a ship, which was home to the president’s spies, stands empty.
But all this may change. The 62 children of Emperor Bokassa I, who were once the elite of this impoverished country but who now live in rags in the palace grounds, want to turn the building into a tourist attraction. “We are very poor. The palace is all we’ve got left,” said Jean Mboma, a grandson of Bokassa.
The Central African Republic attracts few tourists – only 4,000 last year. Even the hardiest of backpackers are deterred by the prevalence of banditry and the lack of anything interesting to see or do .
But relatives of Bokassa, who died in 1996, and some government officials believe it is not only foreign visitors who can benefit from visiting Bokassa “attractions”. Central Africans need to know their history too, they say. “He is an important character in the development of our country. We need to preserve that history, whether it’s good or bad,” said Albertine Dounia, head of the national museum in Bangui.
Expatriates recall Bokassa’s ruinous 13-year reign with fondness. “Things worked under Bokassa. The roads were good and the country was safe. The Central African Republic at that time was Africa’s best-kept secret,” said one diplomat. Indeed, the former French president Giscard d’Estaing enjoyed hunting trips with Bokassa.
Central Africans often cite the university, sports stadium, and sparse network of roads as achievements of the Bokassa era. But not everybody remembers with nostalgia the ruler who clubbed to death several children and who spent the equivalent of his country’s annual GNP on an extravagant coronation.
Residents of Kolongo, the location of one of Bokassa’s villas, said that living next to the dictator was terrifying. “My brother, who was a teacher, was walking home one night past the palace grounds. He was taken inside. We never saw him again. It was a frightening time,” said Sima Fugaston, who makes a living selling the tall grasses which grow in the derelict den of the lions the president once kept.
“He used to scoop up beggars in his plane and drop them into the river,” recalled a university professor.
Exhibitions on Bokassa are outlawed in the country and his belongings, such as his gold-plated bed, are in the national museum’s basement.

DZANGA-SANGHA NATIONAL PARK.
2 days drive from Yaounde, Cameroon to CAR or 2 days from Bangui. Or charter a 6-person plane for Euros 2000-2400. It is a high price to see elephants, easily seen in many other places. We talked to a Czech woman in the coffee shop in Bangui who is a gorilla researcher (infections diseases) in the park. It is controlled well by WWF and as a result is intact. Prior to 2020, there were 2 scheduled flights per week but none since. She flies in on a WWF charter and stays for a month at a time.
The second-largest rainforest on earth and the country’s one national park that still attracts adventurous tourists. It is virtually intact. Trek in search of gorillas, elusive forest elephants, chimpanzees, & more. A visit to the reserve is often combined with a stay in a Pygmy village. Part of Sangha Trinational. World Heritage Site – a larger, tri-national protected area including Lobéké National Park in Cameroon & Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo-Brazzaville.
The average annual rainfall is about 1500 mm – most falls in the long rainy season from October to November and in the short rainy season between May and June. The average temperature is between 24 and 29 °C.
Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve is ecologically rich and contains a variety of megafauna such as western lowland gorillas (highest population densities of gorillas in the world with an estimated 2000. Gorilla tourism – habituated gorilla groups at Bai Hokou. A mandatory antigen-rapid test was done before visiting the gorillas. African forest elephants, bongo antelopes, African forest buffalos, white-nosed and mustache monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, bushpigs, duikers, and many different bird species. There are thousands of insect species. Rodent species include cane rat, giant rat, and porcupine. The reserve is also noted for its dark-crowned forest eagles which have an average wingspan of 1.55 metres and the blue-breasted kingfisher.
The tropical forests contain African tulip tree, rubber tree, strangler fig, and cecropia.
People: 4,500 total – 2,000-3,000 Baka people live in mud huts or wooden shacks in villages across the reserve. Most agricultural activity, such as subsistence farming, occurs along the main north-south axis road that connects the villages north of Bayanga with Lindjombo to the far south. The unemployment rate was in excess of 90% in this region of the Central African Republic. Security appears to be somewhat calmed down near the park.
Doli Lodge in Dzanga- Sangha National Park. The Lodge Manager handles the police registration in Bayanga (the small village and entry point of Dzanga- Sangha Reserve). Some accommodation, eateries and small shops are available. Home to many Baka people (forest pygmies).
Dzanga Bai (Village of Elephants). Dzanga Bai platform overnight, may see up to 140 elephants at once.
Get in. The park is app. 350 miles away by road from Bangui—CAR’s capital and, most likely, your point of entry into the country. Unfortunately, making the road trip may not be too wise, given the security situation and the normal state of the roads. There are two local companies operating small planes that fly between Bangui and Bayanga. The cost can change rather drastically, depending on your flight arrangements. I suggest that you contact the park directly (they are here on FB).
Get around. Car within Dzanga- Sangha NP costs 150€ full day (75€ half-day) plus costs for activities

Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park. World Heritage Site
The Mbaéré-Bondingué Integral Reserve (04/11/2006). Located in the Sangha-Mbaéré prefecture, at the confluence of the Mbaéré and Bodingué. It is a complex of four areas of 824,000 ha: a buffer zone, an area large mammals – elephants, bongo, primates including the western lowland gorilla, chimpanze and a new unique monkey.
The Mbi Falls (04/11/2006). ?
The Remains of the Zinga Train (04/11/2006). The Zinga–Mongo railway is the only railway line ever to be built on the territory of the present-day Central African Republic. Narrow gauge, it ran for 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from Zinga, Lobaye to Mongo and was in operation from 1930 until about 1960, when it was destroyed in the turmoil of the struggle for independence.
Bambari. Prehistoric rock paintings can be found in several locations, but some of the best can be found here.

GENERAL
GET IN
Visa. Most African countries and the USA are visa free. Apply at CAR embassies in Yaounde, N’Djamena, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, & Khartoum.
VOA possible with a Message Porté (LOI) that is pre-registered with the authorities ahead of arrival and needs to be shown to the airline upon boarding. The cost of the Message Porté was $100. Need hotel confirmation for the visa.
Borders with Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (at least east of Bangui) are very insecure and any attempt to travel across them by land is not recommended. There are no land routes between the CAR and Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo).
By plane. The country’s only international airport (and only airport with scheduled flights) is Bangui M’Poko International Airport (BGF). There is no Central African airline to provide regional connections or transfers to domestic flights. CAR is not the easiest country to reach. Flight routes are infrequent and expensive.
Air France provides the only service to Europe, flying to Paris. Ethiopian Airlines flies to Addis Ababa. Kenya Airways serves Bangui on its three-city route Nairobi–Bangui–Douala. Royal Air Maroc flies the three-city route Casablanca-Douala-Bangui. Toumai Air Chad (to Brazzaville, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Lomé, & N’Djamena).
Ethiopian Airlines. Addis Ababa. Douala, Cameroon (DLA) – very cheap and direct. 
Airport CFA 10,000 (each) for your airport departure tax….Airport exit process is a little challenging. Repetitive passport checks, inefficiency all around and a crazy cramped check-in. No issues. Just time and patience are required.

GET AROUND
By 4×4. The Central African Republic is one of the least developed countries in Africa and its road network is in poor condition and services are almost non-existent away from the larges cities/towns. The police/military are extremely corrupt and checkpoints (set up for bribes more than any other reason) are frequent. There are no roads through the dense jungle between the CAR & Congo-Brazzaville.
By boat. Traditional trade is carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts. Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less. 282 km of waterways are navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m

HISTORY
In 1889 the French established a post on the Ubangi River at Bangui, the future capitalof  CAR. In 1894, the “French Congo’s” borders with (Belgian) Congo Free State, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and (German) Cameroon were fixed by diplomatic agreements. The French named their colony Ubang Shari.
In August 1960 the Central African Republic gained its independence. Since then a series of coups, including a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, and periodic violence from rebel groups, have dealt a very bad lot to the citizens of the Central African Republic. Today, this remains one of the most lawless, dangerous and unstable nations on earth, and is the world’s poorest country as of 2019. The northeast of the country is the heart of the rebel movement and the CAR’s most dangerous region.

Central African Republic – Southwest (Bangui, Nola, Berberati, Sibut)
World Heritage Sites: Sangha Trinational
Tentative WHS
La colline et la plaine, la rivière Oubangui et le patrimoine colonial bâti de la ville de Bangui (11/04/2006)
La forêt et les campements résidentiels de référence pygmée AKA de la République Centrafricaine (11/04/2006)
La Réserve intégrale de la Mbaéré-Bondingué (11/04/2006)
Les chutes de la Mbi (11/04/2006)
Les sites paléo-métallurgiques de Bangui (11/04/2006)
Les vestiges du train de Zinga (11/04/2006)
Borders
Cameroon-Central African Republic
Central African Republic (river)
Central African Republic-Congo Democratic Republic
Central African Republic-Congo Republic
XL: Sangha-Mbaere Province (Southwest)
African Cities
BERBERATI
CARNOT
BANGUI/BIMBO World Capitals World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports: Bangui (BGF)
Religious Temples: Bangui Notre Dame Cathedral
World of Nature
Dzangha-Sangha NP
Mbaéré-Bodingué NP
Ngoto Forest
Waterfalls: Boali Falls
Rivers
Sangha River
Ubangi River
The Dark Side: Bokassa’s ‘Castle’

=============================================================
Central African Republic – Northwest (Bouar, Bozoum, Kaga Bandoro)

Tentative WHS: Les mégalithes de Bouar (11/04/2006)
Borders
Cameroon-Central African Republic
Central African Republic-Chad
African Cities
BOUAR
Vestiges of the Past: Bouar Megaliths
Religious Temples: Bossangoa: Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua
World of Nature: Nana-Barya Fauna Reserve

==============================================================
Central African Republic – East (Bangassou, Ndélé, Birao, Bambari)

World Heritage Sites: Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park
Tentative WHS
Le Tata (palais fortifié) du Sultan Sénoussi, les grottes de Kaga-Kpoungouvou, la ville de Ndélé (11/04/2006)
Les gravures rupestres de Lengo (11/04/2006)
Borders
Central African Republic-Chad
Central African Republic-Congo Democratic Republic
Central African Republic-South Sudan
Central African Republic-Sudan
XL
Haut-Mbomou province (Far East)
St. Floris National Park Area
African Cities
BAMBARI
World of Nature
Andre Felix NP
Bamingui-Bangoran NP
Chinko Nature Reserve
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris NP
Ouandjia Vakaga Faunal Reserve
St. Floris NP
Zemongo Faunal Reserve
Rivers
Chari River
Mbomou River
Ubangi River

==============================================================

CAMAROON 
VISAS: Need passport copies for visa / LOI processing. VOA is possible for both countries for all passports. US passport is visa free. Fees for visa processing are paid at airport in exact change or pay with CFA)
VOA for Cameroon USD100 + €50 processing fee (paid at airport)
VOA for CAR USD60 + €50 processing fee (paid at airport)
COST. Single room 3* hotels, full board, guide, transfer, vehicle, fuel, entrance.
Vehicle. Cameroon – roads are good. CAR 4×4 necessary. Max 7 in van with 3 seats
Cameroon €1525 (5) €1330 (7). Van with 3 seats and max of 7.
CAR €750 (5) €600 (7). 4×4.
Covid tests, if necessary can be arranged by the guide without have to do swab.

CAMEROON Nov 4-10, 2022
Day 1 Fri Nov 4. Arrive Douala, transfer hotel, city tour.
DOUALA (pop 5,768,400) Is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. Home to Central Africa’s largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon and the entire CEMAC region comprising Gabon, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and Cameroon. Consequently, it handles most of the country’s major exports, such as oil, cocoa and coffee, timber, metals and fruits. The city sits on the estuary of Wouri River and its climate is tropical.
Doual’Art (museum)
Cathédrale Saint Pierre et Saint Paul
La Nouvelle Liberté. 12m sculpture made with recycled material located at a main roundabout in Douala. The wingspan is 5 meters.
Le Monument aux Morts
Marche Central
Maritime Museum

Day 2 Sat Nov 5.
Ekom Nkam waterfalls (170 km). 80 meters (262 feet) high.
WEST CAMEROON
Bafoussam (347,517 2008) capital and largest city of the West Region.  Farm coffee, Potatoes, maize and beans. Akwa features several bars, stores, and a live music venue, vendors of Soya (barbecue beef meat brochettes), Poisson braisé (barbecue fish) and other foods.
Batoufam & Bandjoun royal palaces (110 km) Batoufam is a town and commune with a population of 27,000. Batoufam is also a language (Bantu).
The founder of Batoufam was named Nankap. He was a hunter and a member of Bleble, a Tikar people that moved from the Adamawa Plateau to Bali. During the migration to Bali, Nankam deserted the Bleble, and served the Bangwa Chief. He was very similar to the Bangwa Chief gave the title of “Fodoum” (translation: “Chancellor”). Batoufam (translation: “village of Tou-fam”). The first eleven chiefs of the dynasty fought for Batoufam’s autonomy and independence against Bandjoun, Bayangam, and Bangwa. Pseudo bamboo or Raffia palm, energized the economy and used for home construction, furniture, and granaries plus a drink. Finally farm instruments were introduced, as well as war armament, jewellery, drums and statues.
The twelfth chief, Chief Fotso, was open-minded and eloquent and when he died in 1954, he had 60 wives and 123 children. In 1989, at the age of 22, Chief Nayang Toukam Innocent became the fourteenth Chief. Batoufam had a history violent reactions against the colonial regimes and it was not uncommon for whole families to commit suicide by hanging in Batoufan as a sacrifice for the cause of their peoples.
Batoufam is located on the N4 highway, 291 km from Douala, 288 km from Yaoundé and 25 km south of Bafoussam. The commune, with an area of 172 km², contains villages such as Bayangam, Bandrefam, Bandjoun, Bangoua, Bangang-Fokam, Bangwa and Bangang-Fondji. The altitude ranges 1400-1700m. The economy is agriculture and livestock. The large, square house of the Bamileke chief is located in the village and it has a courtyard. It is the largest building in the village.
Bafoussam (35 km) overnight

Day 4 Mon Nov 7. Yaoundé – Pygmy village near Abong Mbang (250km). Baka Pygmies live in villages in a privileged environment – a unique with all kinds of trees, shrubs, flowers in a thousand different shades of green. There are few roads and are completely wild. Mayos, famous for their know-how in traditional medicines, housing pattern and family structure, eating habits, folklore, and dances. In the evenigng, see the tortoise dance. Trekking in the forest to see hunting techniques, traditional medicines, plants, insects, birds, and animals. 600 inhabitants have made their living for thousands of years, as hunter-gatherers.
Logging has destroyed the large game that could sustain a village for weeks. The Baka now make their living laying snares for small mammals like cane rats and hares, which are still fairly abundant. If a gun is available, they will also shoot monkeys. The Baka can only complain about the disappearance of their forest home. The provincial government in Abong Mbang sets guidelines to protect the rainforest, but has no incentive to hand over forest management to the Baka. The young have little interest in staying true to their forest roots. In cities like Abong Mbang, people taunt and insult the Baka in the street; children call them “monkeys”. But, the Baka say that the jibes mean little so long as they can retain some stake in the lush, tropical jungle where they trace their origins.
Bagofit (11km) overnight

Day 5 Tue Nov 8. Bagofit- Yaounde (215km) – Ebogo ecoutouristic site (65 km)
Ebogo is in a magical green rainforest that offers canoe rides on the river Nyong, “Big 300-year-old Tree” about 12 meters in diameter, butterflies, traditional fishing, tortoises, trekking in the forest to see birds including parrots. See Bantu cultural dances including the “Bikutsi”, palm wine, grilled freshwater fish and other traditional dishes like the “pkwem” prepared from the leaves of cassava and palm oil.
Yaoundé overnight

Day 6 Wed Nov 9. Yaoundé – Pongo Songo chimpanzee sanctuary (230 km) is a small island situated on the Sanaga river, to house animals threatened by deforestation and poaching from the Douala-Edea forest reserve. This project is run by the Papaye association of France, they collect the injured and orphans and then teachs them to be autonomous and to live in a society. It’s a refuge and not a zoo because the animals are free to room freely on this island.
From Marienberg, a small town on the outskirts of Edea, board a boat on the Sanaga river to arrive the Pongo-Songo Island.
Kribi sea site resort (120 km). The region of Kribi in Cameroon is the real Riviera, with large white sand beaches stretching out of sight, lined with beautiful coconut trees. See Lobe falls that flows directly into the ocean by a series of cascades over 30 feet high.
See two fishing villages, and Eboundja Ebodje, where fisheries are almost miraculous.
Overnight

Day 7. Nov 10. Fly to Banjui, CAR. Kribi – Douala (171 km / 3hr) airport. 15:45-17:20 DLA-BGF Bangui (ASKY or Ethiopian) Non-stop 1:5hr USD430 1-way.