General Description Located in the north-west of the Republic of Congo and about 30 km east of the Gabon border, the Odzala Biosphere Reserve comprises an undulating plateau with the Blue Water Lake Moba and many natural saltpans.

UNESCO: Biosphere Reserve Information

And when the activities on offer include face-to-face encounters with habituated west lowland gorilla families, jungle walks with local Baka (or pygmy) guides and pirogue trips downriver in search of birds and other wildlife, it is hardly a surprise that Odzala has been garnering such attention.

BBC: Gorilla spotting in the Republic of Congo

Odzala is characterized by a rich variety of habitats, including primary rain forest with a closed canopy (e.g. with Entandrophragma utile, E. candollei and E. cylindricum) and open understorey layer, forests dominated by dense formations of Marantaceae, forest clearings and savannas on the hilltops (e.g. with Hymenocardia acida, Annona arenaria or Hyparrhenia diplandra).

UNESCO: Biosphere Reserve Information