Visiting Lola ya Bonobo is a once-in-a-lifetime experience many people dream about. After all, it’s the world’s only sanctuary and rehabilitation center for endangered bonobos! But what’s it really like to visit?
How do you get there? How many nights should you stay? And how will you spend your time? You can find the answers to all these questions and more in our sanctuary visitor’s guide, but to get you started, here is a typical day at Lola ya Bonobo.
Imagine being nestled safely in your very own ecolodge suite at Lola ya Bonobo and waking up to the sounds of birdsong and happy bonobos. You’ve already completed the long international journey and have been welcomed at the airport by our staff. You survived the bumpy drive through dense traffic from central Kinshasa to the sanctuary, and you’re all unpacked and settled in your new temporary digs.
As the sunlight streams in, you stretch and remember where you are – and all the exciting things in store for you today. Throw on some comfy clothes and a sturdy pair of shoes and you’re out the door for breakfast, served by our sanctuary chef on the porch of your ecolodge.
After breakfast, head on down to meet the staff! Everyone is waiting for you, and so excited that you made the long journey! With smiling faces, they’ll call out a friendly “Mbote!” (hello in Lingala, the local language). After you get acquainted, head out with one of our team members for a tour of the sanctuary grounds. Check out the enclosures, the nutrition facilities, the veterinary clinic, and encounter bonobos for the first time!
If you get back in time, you might be able to catch one of Blaise Mbuaki’s inspirational presentations to local visitors or participate in one our school visits before lunch! Lola ya Bonobo welcomes local schoolchildren to visit the sanctuary to learn about the importance of bonobos and to give the next generation the understanding they need to conserve their abundant natural resources.
Check out the sanctuary gift shop on your way back for lunch and browse through local treasures and unique Lola ya Bonobo apparel.
Then, back at the ecolodge, relax and put your feet up as your personal chef prepares you another delicious meal, customized to your dietary preferences. You might be able to chat with a visiting researcher over your meal and hear all about how fascinating bonobos are to primatologists, psychologists, and evolutionary anthropologists alike.
After lunch, swing by the nursery and meet our wonderful team of substitute mothers and their playful charges! Although you can’t touch the bonobo babies, you can get very close. Be prepared to laugh as you watch them bounce around on the trampoline or get goofy with each other on the playground. And don’t forget your camera if you want to capture that iconic bonobo smile on film!
Next, hop on the boat with one of our longtime bonobo keepers, Stany, to give the adult bonobos in enclosure 1 their afternoon snack. The bonobos will be overjoyed to see you – especially since you’re bringing them food! Can you throw a pineapple all the way to shore? The bonobos certainly hope so!
Before dinner, you may want to enjoy a little peace and quiet or get a bit of exercise on our 3 mile hiking trail that loops around the entire sanctuary. The jungle scenery will take your breath away.
After your walk, head back and have a shower before another delicious meal of Congolese cuisine. You might even be joined by our devoted founder, Claudine André, or her daughter Fanny Minesi, general director of Friends of Bonobos of the Congo. Hear all about the origins of the sanctuary and get to know your hosts as the sun sets over the Congo rainforest and the bonobos begin to turn in for the evening.
If you’re up for one more activity after dinner, link up with the nursery moms one more time to watch them get the babies ready for bedtime, or join our head veterinarian, Dr. Jonas Mukamba, for a sunset walk around the enclosures.
Or perhaps settle on your porch with a good book, Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo” (a true story set at Lola ) or that book you’ve been wanting to start for so long. Keep your ears open to the sounds of your bonobo neighbors as the staff head home for the evening, and think about all the wonderful things tomorrow has in store. Morning bottle and bath time with the nursery babies? Possibly a bonobo ethology lesson with Suzy Kwetuenda? Helping make bonobo tea or protein balls? One thing is for certain – there’s always something interesting happening at Lola!
We can’t wait to say “Boyei bolamu!” (welcome in Lingala) and introduce you to the bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo!
For more information please see: https://www.bonobos.org/visit-lola-ya-bonobo
Kendra is a creative problem-solver who excels in leading end-to-end project delivery with a focus on clear goals and timely execution. She provides support to FOB’s development and communications teams and serves as assistant to the Executive Director. Originally from Panamá, Kendra is an avid traveler. She is proud to support bonobo conservation not only for the well-being of bonobos but also because it helps protect our planet.
Njango has worked in climate action and environment conservation for four years. She supports FOB through donor communications, data analysis, research, and outreach. Njango has been a fan of wildlife conservation since her visit to Ol Pejeta Conservancy as a young girl, where she saw the beauty of elephants, and how their home was threatened because of human interference. She strongly believes that the only way to achieve true utopia is to live in harmony with animals.
Amanda makes connections with FOB’s major donors. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for her entire career and found her passion for animal rights and conservation as a volunteer fundraiser for a local dog rescue. She finds that FOB coalesces multiple causes – environmental, animal rights, and community engagement. While protecting bonobos first drew her to FOB, she’s learned how we, as humans, are connected to the environment and to the bonobos that we strive to protect.
Kathleen Cook brings more than eight years of experience working across Africa, with a focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she has traveled over twenty times to support projects spanning conservation, clean energy, and community development. Her career has centered around using storytelling, strategic marketing, and relationship-building to create meaningful impact.
