Warning: Flights to Impfondo from Brazzaville are currently (Aug 2022) on Mondays. These flights are often delayed or sometimes canceled. In this case we’ll have to use public transport. We recommend that you allow at least 8 buffer days for this journey. February to April is the best period.
Lake Tele Expedition
Welcome to the Republic of Congo, the setting for your next adventure and one of the greenest countries in Africa with deep forests, impenetrable swamps, big rivers and an abundance of wildlife such as gorillas, chimps, elephants and more. Together with its neighbors the DRC, the Central African Republic and Gabon, it is one of the wildest and most difficult places to travel on the continent.
This part of Africa is not as tame as going on a safari in Kenya. It’s raw, wild, and at times exhausting and frustrating. It is also extremely rewarding for the few people who decide to come to this wonderful green paradise. Lake Tele is one of the least visited and populated areas in the Republic of the Congo and home to many unidentified species. There are thousands of undocumented gorillas and chimpanzees living in this sparsely populated region. According to the locals the lake is home to the mythical creature Mokele-Mbembe, a dinosaur-like creature that locals say roams the area and feeds on large mammals.
Our tour lasts two weeks and starts in Brazzaville where you can stock up on supplies and explore the city before we go to Impfondo where the adventure really begins. During the journey we will stay in simple accommodation and during the trek we will camp and eat simple meals. You will travel together with our most experienced hike, a true expert of the region, accompanied by a team of local porters and scouts.
Make sure you are in good shape and let us know if you have a medical condition so that we can take this into account. It is of extreme importance that you respect the authority of our guide to ensure maximum safety. This is our hardest trip, but also extremely beautiful and rewarding.
Make sure you have at least eight days after the tour in case of delays. If we arrive in Brazzaville on time, we can always set up an optional tour with camping to see the Loufoulakari waterfalls or we can also explore the coast together.
We are not responsible for your visa or PCR testing. Make sure you have proof of yellow fever vaccination or you are not allowed to enter the country. Canceled internal flights are possible, as well as other delays such as boat delays or heavy rain showers that can delay the program, and such things are beyond our control, so we emphasize the importance of adding enough buffer days.
This is a very expensive expedition that requires a lot of logistics, permits as well as donations to the local village chiefs. We are the only agency that has carried out several expeditions to Lac Télé. We see that our program is copied by other agencies who are located outside of Congo. Be very careful with these copycats as tourists are often sent back because they don’t get permission from the local village chiefs.
Below is a rough outline of your itinerary. Please note this may differ.
Day 1: Brazzaville
You will be shown different neighborhoods of Brazzaville and the rapids of Congo. We will stop at several points of interest and in the evening we’ll give you some good recommendations to eat.
Meals at your own expense.
Day 2: Departure to Impfondo
Flight to Impfondo, a city that is beautifully situated on the Congo River. Depending on the arrival time, we may also be able to drive directly to Epena, if not we’ll stay here for the night. We will try to do the paperwork today or the next day. Everything will depend on the speed and will of the authorities.
Meals at your own expense.
Day 3: Epena/Mbua
Today we will most likely be in Epena/Mbua, arranging our paperwork. Enjoy your time exploring the area and local life and villagers.
Basic accommodation in Epena. Meals at your own expense.
Day 4 Mbua
Long boat trip along the river to Mbua, a great opportunity to enjoy the green scenery from the comfort of your boat. We will meet the village chief and the village elders and will spend the night in the village.
Day 5, 6, 7 En route to Lake Tele
We will be hiking for the next three days and will most likely arrive on the third day. We will be assisted by local porters, serving as additional security. We enjoy the pristine rainforest with untouched nature. We sleep in tents and eat simple local foods such as rice, fufu, smoked fish, canned fish, etc. It is wise to stock up on energy bars and high-calorie foods such as snickers, mars, beef jerky, etc.
Day 8 Lac Télé
We explore the area around the lake and camp next to the lake tonight.
Day 9, 10, 11 Back to Mbua
We return to Mbua through the forest and enjoy these days in true harmony with nature with just the sounds of the forest and the animals. Very few westerners or even Congolese have been here before you.
Day 12 Back to Impfondo
Via Epena we return to Impfondo and check in at our hotel.
Meals at your own expense.
Day 13: Flight back to Brazzaville
Today we return to Brazzaville, where you’ll be brought to your hotel. End of the tour. In case we still have time left, you can discuss with our guide to do an optional tour.
Meals at your own expense.
Price: from USD 5,999 per person. (based on a group of 4 people)
Including:
– Permits and donations to the local village chiefs
– All transportation as described in the itinerary: airline tickets, boat, 4×4
– All accommodation during the 13 days of the itinerary
– All meals while camping, but not in the towns and villages
– Professional guide assisted by a local team
Exclusive:
– PCR testing
– Visa
– International flights
– Extra nights in hotel outside the 13 days
– Meals outside the jungle expedition
*If the flight is delayed or the schedule is delayed by forces majors, it is up to the customer to pay additional costs such as accommodation, possibly new airline tickets, etc.
What to bring:
– Plenty of ziplocks and other waterproof bags for your stuff
– Flashlight and enough batteries (maybe a portable flashlight and a headlamp)
– Preloaded power banks
– Baby wipes, bacti gel
– Toiletries
– Quick-drying towels
– Rain boots
– Hiking boots that dry easily
– Enough good socks
– It is best to use breathable pants and long shirts that dry easily and are made for jungle trekking
– Sports shirts that dry easily
– A hat with a net against sweat bees (they don’t bite, but they are annoying)
– DEET (take one with at least 40%)
– Cream against mosquito bites
– Basic medication such as painkillers, antibiotics, antihistamines, painkillers, bandages, disinfectant, loperamide, etc. (if you can also ask your doctor for coartem, who can treat malaria in 4 days)
– Vaccination booklet with proof of vaccination against yellow fever and covid
– Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat
– Good waterproof tent, mat, a sheet
– Waterproof backpack
– Eating utensils: knife, fork, spoon, cup
– Extra snacks such as energy bars, snickers, beef jerky etc.
Vaccinations:
– COVID-19
– Yellow fever
– Ask your doctor about: DTP, typhoid (highly recommended), rabies, hepatitis and others.
Malaria:
– Talk to your doctor about the safest and best medication for malaria. Make sure to cover yourself and only wear closed shoes and long pants. Apply DEET and avoid mosquitoes as much as possible. Probably best to have a portable mosquito net with you for the villages
It is important that you realize that traveling in Congo is not your usual experience and sometimes it requires some patience. You may have decades of experience with safaris and cultural tours in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda or Ethiopia, Congo is truly something else. Heavy rain showers, sinkholes, electricity blackouts, overbooked hotels, canceled flights, monster traffic jams, .. there are plenty of factors which can alter our programme. It is vital to be prepared for this, to be flexible for changes and not to worry. Be sure to bring a power bank, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, a cap, extra towels, medicines, wet wipes and a flashlight with enough batteries to avoid a lot of frustration. Don’t forget a good dose of humor and patience!
Be sure that you have been vaccinated against yellow fever and have your vaccination proof with you, have also been vaccinated against COVID and if necessary have the necessary PCR test results with you if requested by the airline. We try to follow the program as closely as possible, but keep in mind that this can always change and some flexibility is needed. Flights to Impfondo are often canceled, meaning we have to go overland. You need to add at least one week as a buffer!!
Why choose Congo Voyages for this tour?
We are the only local agency with people who are actually on site, and apart from a “lost Belgian expat”, our team consists entirely of Congolese with years of experience in the field. We work closely with the authorities such as the Ministry of Tourism, ICCN, but also the military who help us to secure sensitive areas. Our tours will only take place if all safety conditions have been met and the necessary permissions have been granted and if we have been given the green light from the local authorities/chiefs if necessary.
Beware of (fake) travel agents who copy our itineraries and offer our tours for a lower price. Most of them are Ugandan, Rwandan and Spanish operators who have never been to Congo and recruit locals without knowledge of the field or a license on the internet to do their travels, often with disastrous results, with people being arrested or defrauded and put in jail. worst case no one even shows up.
