Perched several metres above a shallow, 1.2-hectare forest clearing lake almost on the border between the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, the Wali Baï platform is one of Nouabalé-Ndoki’s great wildlife-watching secrets. A stream feeding into the Sangha River keeps the baï’s waters clear, drawing forest elephants and forest buffalo on most visits, and – for the patient and fortunate – the elusive bongo.

From the elevated, secure viewing deck, guests watch animals come to feed on minerals, socialise, cool off and rest, while fishing eagles, finfoot and Hartlaub’s duck work the margins of the clearing. The platform sits roughly an hour’s walk from Bomassa, through forest informally protected by the Bomassa community, who avoid hunting near the baï to keep it undisturbed.

Wali Baï can be visited for a few hours by day, or as an overnight sleepout on the platform itself – waking to mist rising off the water at dawn, or watching the clearing settle into evening quiet, are among the most memorable ways to experience it.