Ewo

Cuvette-Ouest is a forested department in the northwestern Republic of the Congo, bordering Gabon and covering about 26,600 km² of Congo Basin rainforest. It is the country's least populated department, with Ewo serving as its administrative capital and main town.

Ewo sits on the Kouyou River and functions as the regional hub for administration, trade and transport. Smaller settlements such as Mbomo, Etoumbi, Kéllé and Mbama are linked by rough laterite roads, while the RN10 highway runs through the department toward the Gabonese border.

The department's best-known destination is Odzala-Kokoua National Park, one of Central Africa's oldest protected areas. Its forests, rivers and mineral-rich clearings known as bais support western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, chimpanzees and many bird species, with most visitors staying at camps around Mbomo.

Travel in Cuvette-Ouest remains remote and seasonal. Infrastructure is limited, and access often depends on four-wheel-drive vehicles, river crossings and small aircraft; Ewo Airport serves the capital, while charter flights connect Brazzaville's Maya-Maya Airport with airstrips near Odzala-Kokoua.

For travelers, researchers and conservation-focused visitors, the department offers a rare window into intact Central African rainforest and wildlife far from mainstream tourism routes. Business activity is small in scale and centred mainly on Ewo, forestry and conservation work.