Travel Guide Réserve De Lésio-Louna Léfini

Lésio-Louna corresponds to the south-eastern part of the largest Léfini reserve, founded in 1951. Covering 173,000 hectares, this reserve, created in 1993, has seen its diversified fauna disappear as a result of the growing population living in the surrounding area, the proximity of Brazzaville, with its strong demand for meat, and the war period. A few elephants and buffalo remain. Hard to see, entrenched in the gallery forests that dot the reserve near the rivers, golden jackals and a few varieties of antelope still inhabit it, as do bushpigs.In the early 1990s, the John Aspinall Foundation, seeking a site to continue its gorilla reintroduction experiments known as the Gorilla Protection Project (PPG), decided in partnership with the Ministry of Forest Economy to establish its sanctuary on these 440 km² along the Lésio and Louna rivers. Today, the Lésia-Louna project, which covers 1,730 km2, is home to gorillas who undergo a pre-release period before being fully released and monitored.An excursion is well worth organizing: on the one hand, its proximity to Brazzaville makes it easy to get to on the main road; on the other, the beauty of the site and the quality of the light can stop you dead in your tracks. Chartering a pirogue to cruise the Léfini River also promises memorable moments.