Central African Republic

The geographical heart of Africa, the anthropological cradle of humanity, the cultural home of unchanged ancestral traditions and the environmental jewel of a luxuriant primeval nature, the Central African Republic, or more poetically Beafrika, in the local language sango, has unfortunately suffered for too many years from an instability that prevents it from being visited in its entirety.

Its unsuspected face ranges from an impressive morphological variety, from the barren savannahs of the north to the high plateaus dotted with caves, spectacular waterfalls and huge, mighty rivers that reach 4 km in width during the rainy season, to the impenetrable humid forests of the south, where virgin nature is populated by an astonishing fauna concentrated in reserves and national parks, some of which are militarily protected and safely accessible from neighbouring Cameroon.

An exceptional geography for this generous land, whose political vicissitudes have not been so great, perpetually in conflict for control of this strategic crossroads and a subsoil rich in diamonds and gold. And yet, by contrast, its history is as rich and generous as its biodiversity, concealing rock and megalithic treasures, preserving intact the ancestral cultures of peoples who have passed on the secrets of animism and traditional rituals from generation to generation. The Pygmies are still the sole custodians of the secrets of a life in total symbiosis with the intricate and impenetrable forest, mastering its potential dangers and treasures, perpetuating a subsistence existence based on gathering, hunting and the therapeutic properties of plants. Not far from their native camps, the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve opens up into a concentration of wild life, some of the most amazing on the continent. Here, gorillas live in families in their natural habitat and environmental projects have partially acclimatised them to human presence, while a natural salt marsh attracts hundreds of forest elephants, which have remained small in order to better disentangle themselves from the dense tropical vegetation. If safety permits, added value is a visit to one of the many diamond mines that still traditionally work on mining underwater in the river courses, finally reaching the capital Bangui, an open-air market among the lush green hills, in a full immersion of colours and crossroads of peoples, where the heart of Central Africa would like to beat again.

Kanaga Africa Tours works at the service of travellers to offer a privileged channel to anyone wishing to immerse themselves in the reality of this magnificent country and appreciate its immense tangible and intangible cultural heritage. At the moment, due to a rather complex socio-political situation, we have decided to limit our trips to the Central African Republic to the Dzanga Sangha Reserve region only. We will certainly be the first to propose other itineraries as soon as the situation clears up and the necessary security conditions are restored.