After two weeks spent exploring the mosaic of forests, savannas, and swamps in the Mboko and Lango area of Odzala National Park, I had to move to the last destination of the trip: Ngaga, located about one hour from Mbomo, the entrance of the park. We were now leaving behind the last savannas and the northernmost tip of the Kalahari fossil sands, and entering true forests to the west. Although it is all part of the same ecosystem, the forest visibly changes as the landscape becomes slightly less flat. We found ourselves in a mosaic of impenetrable Maranthaceae forest with sparse large trees, often very old Dacryodes with their rough trunks and coppery-green crowns. Young but tall forest surrounded by ancient clearings and older forests in valleys. These forests had a significant presence of white-barked ebonies, which was quite special.

Spending a few days around Ngaga was particularly rewarding. An impressive network of wide trails allowed for a decent amount of walking in what would otherwise be very difficult dense vegetation. Moreover, there was good visibility of large trees, and we could see things that we would otherwise only hear. Ngaga was home to plenty of monkeys, hornbills, and lovebirds, and I was sure that there were plenty of antelopes around. However, the main reason for our presence was the lowland gorillas. Three groups had been habituated for tourism purposes, and we were going to track them in the upcoming days. I had encountered several of these large apes in Gabon before, but they were never habituated. It was often a male crossing a road in a flash, or just a charging noise in the understory without ever seeing the animal. Once, I observed a few females from a great distance, but sightings were never easy or prolonged. To be fair, I had never actively searched for them either.