Located in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, in the south, and one of the three Kamba camps, Lango Camp is a beautiful and beautifully located eco-luxury camp.
Overview
Situated in a mixed habitat of forest swamp and savannah, and built in the same style as sister camp Ngaga, Lango Camp is a wood-and-thatch build consisting of a main area and six sleeping rooms. Raised and overlooking a beautiful bai or floodplain, the main area includes a lounge, bar, dining room, decking and fire pit, the amenities are split across two traditional structures, one housing the dining room, the other the bar and lounge, each joined together by the same decking. Characterised by comfortable seating, reclaimed wood furnishings, local artefacts, a gorgeous dining table and canvas chairs, the look and feel is very safari. There is no guest Wi-Fi.
Food & service
Sourced from a local vegetable garden or mainly Brazzaville and France, the food at Lango Camp is great and the dining is communal, though private dining is available. Breakfast consists of a range of European breakfasts, eggs and fruit. The buffet lunch includes a range of salads, pasta, fish and meats. Dinner’s a three-course affair, unfailingly delicious, and very much a guest favourite.
Rooms
Accessed via a raised walkway, sat high on a wooden platform, and including double or twin beds, a private veranda, shower and ample storage, the build and interiors of the sleeping rooms at Lango Camp are identical in every way to those at Ngaga Camp. Dome-shaped, the roof and walls are made from palm panelling, and the inside is characterised by wood, elements of brass, and a restrained decor, each room is rather lovely.
Activities
Activities at Lango Camp include wildlife drives, guided walk-and-wades, bird watching, kayaking the bai and nearby waterways, and boating the Lekoli River. Please note that the camp does not accommodate children below the age of 15.
Impact
Conservation
‘It’s Kamba’s founder, Sabine Plattner, life’s vision to ensure a balanced coexistence between man and nature, and she is enabling this specifically not only through low-impact eco-tourism but also through education and by contributing to preserve rainforests in Africa, particularly in the Congo basin. Kamba’s charitable sister organisation SPAC works all over the Republic of the Congo promoting and enabling all stages of education, focussing on child welfare, early childhood development, curriculum development as well as primatology and related research. Furthermore, this vital research on the region’s native lowland gorilla has thankfully protected them from extinction. Magda Bermejo is also actively engaging and bringing Congolese biologist postgraduate students on site to learn about the rainforest ecosystem and its primate inhabitants.
Commerce
‘The salary of a single local staff member can feed up to 20 family members; this is essential for a region where hardly 10% of the population have a regular income from paid labour. Apprenticeships and additional jobs such as eco-guards and administrative work also provide a meaningful alternative to poaching and deforestation.
Community
In 2011, Sabine Plattner’s vision of an Early Childhood Development programme was launched with the opening of the first flagship centre, Sanza Mobimba, in the village of Mbomo on the periphery of Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo. The programme offers children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old the opportunity to learn fundamentals in a fun way and in clean and safe surroundings. The programme saw a rapid expansion with the establishment of five satellite centers in villages bordering Odzala-Kokoua National Park – i.e. Ebana, Mbanza, Miele-Kouka, Mokouagonda and Lango as well as a centre in Bomassa bordering Ndabali-Ndoki national park.’