🌿 Field Excursions
📌 About Ape Action Africa
Founded in 1996, Ape Action Africa (AAA) is the largest primate rescue and rehabilitation centre in Africa, located in Mefou National Park, approximately 25 km south of Yaoundé. The sanctuary is home to over 300 rescued primates, including Western lowland gorillas, Central African chimpanzees, drills, and mandrills.
Ape Action Africa works to protect great apes and other critically endangered primates across Central Africa through:
⏱️ Provisional Excursion Programme
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 07:30 | Bus departure from congress hotels |
| 08:30 | Arrival at Ape Action Africa / Mefou — Welcome briefing |
| 09:00 – 12:00 | Guided sanctuary tour — great apes, mandrills, other primates |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch on site |
| 13:00 – 15:00 | Conservation presentations by AAA staff; Visit to the community education centre |
| 15:00 | Departure back to Yaoundé |
| ~16:30 | Return to Yaoundé |
👥 Maximum 80 participants — registration on a first-come, first-served basis.
📌 About the Gangah Research and Biosurveillance Station
Gangah is located at the heart of the Mbam and Djerem National Park, a protected area of 4,165 km² in central Cameroon, where the forests of the Congo Basin gradually merge into the Guinean savannas. This unique forest-savanna ecotone harbours exceptional biodiversity, making the park one of the most important conservation landscapes in the region.
The park hosts a remarkable primate community of 13 species, including the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, an endangered species. Gangah is the centre of a long-term research and conservation programme focused on primate ecology, wildlife monitoring, conservation technology, and community conservation.
🚗 Travel
Gangah is approximately 5 to 6 hours by road from Yaoundé to Mbakaou. From Mbakaou, visitors continue by guided canoe on the Djerem River, followed by a pleasant 3 km walk through the forest to reach the research station.
Transport and guide accompaniment can be arranged for APS congress participants. Further information regarding accommodation, field activities, and costs will be communicated as the congress approaches.
The station works closely with its sister structure, the Mbakaou Wildlife Education Centre, located in the northern part of the park. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover ongoing chimpanzee research while observing one of Africa's most diverse primate assemblages.
Beyond primates, the park is also home to elephants, giant pangolins, bongos, hippos, and over 360 bird species. Visitors will be able to explore a wide diversity of habitats, including gallery forests, woodlands, rivers, and wetlands, while discovering the conservation efforts carried out through collaboration between local communities, conservation organisations, the Government of Cameroon, and Texas A&M University.
🚣 Duration: Full-day round trip (5–6h by road + canoe + 3 km walk).
📧 Learn more: www.CameroonBiodiversity.org
Excursion Registration
Excursion registrations are separate from the main congress registration.
Choose your site and register as soon as bookings open!
Limited places — first come, first served.
For any questions regarding excursions, transport, or accessibility.