Things to Do in Congo in August

August is the standout month to walk in behind trackers and sit with a habituated family of western lowland gorillas in the Ndzehi forest of Odzala-Kokoua. Dry-season undergrowth thins out, the leeches that plague the wet months retreat, and the apes move toward the marantaceae clearings where you can watch a silverback knuckle past at close range. You'll smell the wet earth and crushed vegetation, hear the deep chest-beat carry through the canopy, and feel the humidity even at a cool 84°F (29°C) high. It's physically demanding, often several hours of slow, muddy bushwhacking. But nothing else in Central Africa rivals it. Worth every step.

Far up in the northern Sangha basin, the bais of Nouabalé-Ndoki are open marshy clearings where forest elephants, bongo, sitatunga and gorillas emerge from an otherwise impenetrable wall of trees. August's drier ground makes the platform hides reachable and the animals predictable, since they come to mineral-rich mud through the dry months. You sit still for hours, listening to the hum of insects and the suck of elephant feet in the mud, watching a slice of Congo most people never believe still exists. This is slow, patient, profoundly rewarding nature watching. Bring patience.

August's calmer, drier weather is the right time to get out onto the Congo River, the second-longest in Africa, where Brazzaville stares across the widest navigable stretch at Kinshasa on the far bank, the only place on earth two national capitals face each other across a river. Late-afternoon trips slide past fishing pirogues, the Stanley Pool wetlands, and sandbars exposed by the low dry-season water. The breeze off the water is the coolest air you'll feel all day, and the birdlife along the margins is constant. Bring a camera.

Congo's Atlantic city, Pointe-Noire, is the easygoing counterweight to Brazzaville, and August's dry, mild weather makes the beaches usable without the wet-season storms. Search for the Cote Sauvage shoreline and run a half-day out to the Diosso Gorge, a set of rust-red and ochre eroded cliffs sometimes called Congo's miniature canyon, where the layered earth glows under the soft grey light. Sea breezes keep the coast a touch cooler than inland, and seafood grilled at the fishing landings is the move at midday. Eat fresh.

Skip the deep north. Lésio-Louna reserve, south of Brazzaville on the Léfini plateau, rescues western lowland gorillas onto river islands. August's firm dry roads make the long day trip possible. Rolling savanna and gallery forest replace dense rainforest. You see the conservation fight up close.

August brings national holiday energy to Brazzaville. Walk the Poto-Poto quarter, birthplace of a famous painting school. Pass Basilica Sainte-Anne with its green-tiled roof. Bars pour out Congolese rumba after dark. Grilled fish and saka-saka scent the air. Sapeurs strut in tailored suits. The music shaped a continent.