Read Congo for a reading challenge to read two similar bills with similar plot (Amazonia was the second book). Michael Crichton books are a staple in my library.  This is a book I’ve had for decades, I know the story so well- in and out. Clearly these exploration stories are fascinating to me - the thrill of the trail, the mysteries and challenges within, the raw power of nature, the new species (the creativity of the authors in creating them!). Unfortunately, almost always, the humans come out of the entire episode empty-handed, having destroyed (or nearly destroyed) whatever they set out to find - it was the same in Amazonia, in the movies like Anaconda etc. Pity! 
Oh, and of course, Amy, the teen gorilla who communicates in sign language, was the best character ever.