Africa

[Visited: May 2018]

A bumpy road takes us from Guiglo to Taï, passing several settlements cut out in the dense forest. After spending a night at the nuns in this pleasant town close to the border with Liberia, we arrange a motorbike to take us to Djiroutou in the south of the park. It gives us a first impression of the park that was established a World Heritage Site back in 1982 because of its extensive flora and fauna. Most of the rainforest of Ivory Coast and its bordering countries is gone, cut down and replaced by plantations for cacao, fruit and other food products. Taï National Park in the far west, is one of the last pockets of primary rainforest, and is home to five endangered species. Fortunately, we have found a capable rider, and he steers his motorbike through deep ruts in the unpaved road, through pools of water, muddy sections, over steep hills and through small villages. The road we ride on is a red ribbon meandering through a luminescent green carpet, and by the time we arrive at the end of the scenic road, we are already happy with the views we have seen on the way. Shortly before, on a particularly steep section of the track, the driver tried to accelerate, thus catapulting his bike upwards, sending us backwards on the road. Fortunately, we come away with only scratches.
The staff at the ecotel take good care of us, and after a dark night at the very edge of the jungle, we are up early for the 5km hike to the Chimpanzee Camp after we cross the river marking the limits of Taï National Park in a pirogue. The hike is easy, and we feel continuously dwarfed by the giant trees whose canopy lies high above us. After lunch, we are off for a hike that will take us to the summit of Nienokoué. The trail is easy to follow, and sometimes, we have to walk around the huge tree trunks of the fromager tree. We pass a small stream, and then head up a hill, until we finally emerge from the dense forest all around us. Suddenly, the landscape opens up, and every step we take up the steeply sloping huge granite slabs of rock, the views get better, until we reach the highest viewpoint. We now finally see what the forest looks like from above, not below. Just to know that there are elephants, pygmy hippopotamus, and many other animals walking around this vast stretch of primary rainforest that stretches to the horizon in all directions - knowing it is very unlikely we will see any one of them. After walking back to our camp, we have an early sleep: our wake-up is foreseen at 4:15 the next morning. The entire night, the sounds of the jungle come from the pitch dark night around our elevated, open hut. Our recurring thought is: will we see the chimpanzees tomorrow? Our guide has told us that, even though the group is closely monitored, they sometimes cross the river, and exit the park. No one to stop them. We can only hope this will not happen now.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

inspiring you to travel

Djiroutou Taï National Park (Ivory Coast)

Djiroutou Taï National Park > Ivory Coast > Africa

[Visited: May 2018]

Around the World in 80 Clicks