Ntokou-Pikounda National Park, National park in Congo Basin, Republic of the Congo.
Ntokou-Pikounda National Park is a protected area of approximately 4,600 square kilometers in the Congo Basin covered by dense forests and swamps. It forms part of the TRIDOM landscape, a cross-border conservation area that links protected zones across three African nations.
The park was established in 2012 by the Congolese government to protect one of the largest remaining populations of lowland gorillas in the region. This conservation decision reflected broader efforts to safeguard wilderness across international borders.
Local Balouma and Bonguili communities practice traditional fishing in the rivers that wind through the territory, maintaining customs shaped over generations. This way of life remains central to their connection with the land.
The park can only be accessed via river routes, which requires careful planning and limits visitor numbers. Infrastructure and services remain minimal in surrounding villages, so visitors should prepare for basic conditions.
A population of Bouvier's red colobus monkeys was rediscovered in the park in 2015 after vanishing from sight in the 1970s. This rediscovery revealed that the protected area harbors species long thought lost elsewhere.
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