The river capital
Most trips begin in Brazzaville, on the north bank of the Congo River facing Kinshasa. It has the main airport, the best hotels, the Poto-Poto painters and the rumba bars. Three hours north by road, Lesio-Louna is the easiest wildlife trip from the capital, with orphaned gorillas living on river islands in the Batéké Plateaux.
The Atlantic coast
Pointe-Noire is the oil and port city on the ocean, with the Côte Sauvage beach, the Diosso gorges and the old Loango slave port nearby. Further north along the coast, Conkouati-Douli National Park mixes lagoon, mangrove, beach and forest.
The great northern forests
The reason many travellers come is the rainforest. Odzala-Kokoua National Park is the best organised place in Africa to track western lowland gorillas, with comfortable camps and forest clearings full of elephants. Far to the north on the Sangha River, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is one of the wildest forests left on Earth.
How to combine them
A first trip often runs Brazzaville and Lesio-Louna, then a fly-in safari to Odzala, with Pointe-Noire added by domestic flight if you have time. Distances are long and roads slow, so fly where you can. Check current travel advice for each area before you go, and use the free trip planner to shape a route that fits your dates.