Cruising through Nigeria

We've spent the last 2 weeks making our way from Abuja to Calabar, in the southeastern corner of Nigeria. A few days were spent at Yankari National Park, where we saw some animals on game drives and on walking safari. I thought that the previous encounter with an elephant at Mole NP in Ghana was scary until we came upon a hippo on one of the walks. We thought we had accidentally cornered it in a rock formation, which could have been dangerous. We just slowly walked back to the truck and headed on our way. There were also elephants, bushbucks, waterbucks and roan antelope in the park.

After Yankari we headed to the Obudu Cattle Ranch, a 5 star resort high up in the mountains. They let us camp on their lawn and use the showers in the gym (we had a similar setup at the Sheraton in Abuja). There were some really nice hikes around the area, and it was just a nice relaxing (and cold!) stop to recharge a little bit.

From Obudu we headed to the Drill Ranch and Rescue Center. The ranch is run by an American couple and its main goal is to provide a sanctuary for drill monkeys with the aim to one day introduce some of the captive bred animals back into the wild. They also house chimps in large enclosures. Behind the ranch is the Afi Mountain Sanctuary, which is a protected area that is home to wild drills and chimps. Three of us made the hike over the mountain to the base camp, where we spent the night. I have never sweated so much as we went through the jungle and then was never plunged into darkness like that night. It was impossible to see your hand in front of your face. This made all of the sounds of the jungle that much more intense. Falling trees make it a very eerie experience.

We are now sitting in Calabar as we try to get our Cameroon visas and, potentially, our Angolan visas. I would imagine that we will be in Nigeria for another 3 days before entering Cameroon. That is where the fun stops and the hard work of getting through the horrible roads of West Africa in the wet season. Unfortunately the rains are starting early this year, so the estimated 12 transit through Gabon, the Congo, DRC and Angola may take twice as long. 8km a day may be the norm in some parts.

The only other major attraction that is looming on the horizon is Mt. Cameroon. After all of the hikes recently I am not sure if climbing a mountain is the best thing for me or if I am capable of doing it even. But I think I will give it a try. Stay tuned...