PENDJARI NATIONAL PARK AND SOME WATERFALLS-BENIN

Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s life. 

-Mark Twain-

EARLY morning.  Why do the animals have to be on the move in the mornings?  Well actually I do know why, they do it before it gets too hot, which is smart, and with that, it means that we have to be up early as well to give us the best chance possible to be able to see some wildlife today.  I woke to a little commotion outside this morning when I looked out the window I saw Patrick doing a shuffle dance as he was being attacked by an army (according to him) of ‘killer’ ants and he was still in his jocks and Patti was there trying to shine a torch to see where the suckers were coming from.  I left them to it, but apparently Patrick won and there a few hundred less ants in the world now thanks to Patrick saving his sleeping buddies inside their hut.  If you ever need an ant exterminator-Partick is your man!!!  5am was our wake up call, breakfast of cereal and coffee at 5.15am and then our pickup was at 6am.  They were actually late, not getting to us until 6.20am (this is Africa) and we were on the road 10 minutes later.  There were 2 vehicles, one was a safari jeep (a converted Toyota trayback cab) and the other was a normal 4WD, but not a safari car by any means.  We figured when and if we made it over the river, we could all technically all fit onto the safari car for optimal viewing for all. 

It took us 40 minutes of travelling a single lane dirt road, passing small villages and their perfectly made little mud huts, to get to the entrance of the Pendjari National Park.  Here Zoe confirmed numbers and paid for our tickets and within 10 minutes was on our way and officially into the park.  The Pendjari National Park lies in north western Benin, adjoining the Arli National Park in Burkina Faso. Named for the Pendjari River, the national park is known for its wildlife and is home to some of the last populations of big game like elephants, West African lions, hippopotamuses, buffalo and various antelopes in West Africa. The Park is also famous for its richness in birds.  The park is an area of 2755 square kilometers in the far north-west of Benin.  The hills and cliffs of the Atakora range make the north-west one the most scenic areas of Benin. They provide a wonderful backdrop to the Pendjari National Park, which, in its isolation, remains one of the most interesting in West Africa.  In March 2009 it was nominated as a tentative site for UNESCO's World Heritage Site program.  The rocky cliffs of the area are sparsely wooded and on the deep soils of some of the summits and the Atakora escarpment one finds a greater variety of plant species.  The Pendjari River has an impressive gallery forest. The park includes both Sudan and Northern Guinea savannas, with areas of grassland dominated by Acacia and there is a high annual rainfall of around 1100 mm; The park is open year-round, although from June–November rainfall can be heavy and certain parts of the park may be inaccessible.

Pendjari National Park is home to most of the typical game species of the western African savannahs. One of the rarest large mammals, which are still found in Pendjari, is the Northwest African cheetah. However, the cat is very rare now even in the National Park.  There were perhaps only 5–13 individuals left in the National Park, including neighboring W National Park in 2007.  The lion population of Pendjari and adjacent W National Park consists of about 100 animals and is possibly the largest in all of western or central Africa. As a special feature, almost all male lions of the Pendjari area carry no manes or at best very weak manes.  The value of the lion population gained additional importance, since a study indicated a genetic uniqueness of West African lions compared to lions from southern or eastern Africa.  Other larger carnivore species include leopard, spotted hyena, side-striped jackal, and African civet.  Pendjari also has a relatively large population of elephants. Their number was stable over the last decades and counts more than 800 individuals (years 2005-2010).  Including neighboring W National Park and Arly National Park with the whole population includes more than 3,800 elephants, making it the largest elephant concentration in all of western Africa.  The second largest animal of the park is the hippopotamus.  The Park is renowned for its abundance of birds with some 300 different species in total.  The National park and the bird habitat is protected by the government in Benin

So there was potential to see a lot and we may have been expecting big things and at least a ‘good’ view of some elephants.  Before we got to the river to check its height and crossability, we were driven to a waterhole that is popular during the dry season and known for a lot of animals drinking here.  Unfortunately we are here on the back of the rainy season, so there is plenty of water throughout the park, hence the flooding, and after having to walk through some ankle deep water to get to the ‘rustic’ viewing platform, where we climbed a branch made ladder, to walk across planks of wood for the flooring, we saw a few birds and a baboon sitting in a tree in the distance.  It would be cool to sit here on a day where animals came to the hole to drink, but today was not the day and after 30 minutes here we were back to the jeeps to push onto the ‘river’ and see if we could make it across.  We got to the river point at 8.45am, and after one of the guides walked across, the drivers all agreed that we would be able to make it across today, where yesterday it had been impassable.  Maybe things were starting to look up.  After seeing the guide cross, Harj and I thought about also walking across rather than going in the cars, that small amount of fear still apparent, they told us that it was a concrete causeway so there would be no issue of slipping on rocks, but if we wanted to wade through we could do so if there were 2 of us as we would have to link arms as the flow of the river was quite fast.  After we heard that it was a solid crossing, we decided to stay in the vehicles and we crossed over without any issues.  We were now in the national park proper and it was time to become alert and start our animal spotting.  We then transferred from the cab of the car to the safari section and Sam, Zoe and Bean were allowed to get onto the roof rack of their car, which had a mattress up there for it, and were able to animal spot from up there.  The downside for them is that they didn’t have any cover from the sun, but they didn’t seem to mind and we were now ready to see lions. 

As mentioned, the park is just coming out of its rainy season and the grass is lush, so much so that elephant grass was taller than the cars most of the time, which is not ideal to be able to spot any kind of animal, even when we did see an actual elephant, he was really hard to get a picture of as he was walking in the tall grass and then he moved a few meters and the grass just swallowed him up and he was gone.  It became quite clear after the first hour that we really weren’t in the right season to be animal spotting in the Pendjari National Park.  You need to be here in the dry season when there is no or little elephant grass and the animals have to congregate around the waterhole, whereas at the moment there is plenty if puddles and reserves of water all over the place giving the animals more freedom to move around.  Like any national park in the world, you are never guaranteed to see animals and today was not our day.  We thought with the crossing of the river that it was going to be a good omen, but with only another elephant sighting (again in the tall grass), a few fast moving monkeys, some baboons and a handful of impala looking animals, which were beautiful creatures, a few birds and a jackal.  We stuck it out till 11.45am, after being on the road for 5 hours as it was now starting to get hot, really hot, and not even the animals would come out in this heat.  If we were to spot anymore animals we would have to come back later in the afternoon when the heat of the day had gone, and with us staying outside the park, the logistics of us heading back to camp for lunch and then back again in the afternoon seemed slim.  Zoe checked with the drivers and they said that in the afternoon we would have to drive further into the park to see them and by the time we went back to camp (an hour away) to get to that section of the park we would have had to leave there and then and even then, it would be a late return with the extra distance having to be backtracked later in the afternoon.  We got back to the river that we cross in the morning and we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a crocodile swimming upstream, and he wasn’t a small looking lad!  This was the same river that Harj and I were going to cross this morning on foot!  Imagine!!!!  We arrived back to the main gate at 12.45pm and made a group decision to head back to camp for lunch and then in the afternoon we would go to the waterfalls that were located walking distance from camp.  You should have seen what Sam and Zoe looked like!  As they were travelling behind us, they were coping all the kicked up dust and with it being hot (they had no cover) the dust stuck to their faces like glue and they were filthy…they looked hilarious, and our first reaction was how did you get so dirty as we were sitting pretty in front with the cool wind on our face and a shade cloth over us.  We figured even if we went back in the afternoon, the grass was still going to be an obstacle anyway and seemed pointless.  It was a shame, and we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get more time/opportunity (grass too long, weather too hot) to see more animals and it really was the wrong time of year to try.  But try we did and we did see elephants, but no leopards or lions which the park is renowned for, but unless the lions were going to be walking on the red dirt road, we would have had bucklies of seeing them today. 

We got back to camp at 1.15pm and Patrick whipped up a lunch of canned ravioli and I have to say I am loving all this tinned food.  Who would ever have thought that it would have been so delicious!!!  It basically only needed heating up and after we had finished and packed everything up, we changed into our togs and at 2pm, set off for the waterfall.  The water fall called De La Cascade was only a 15 minute walk and we had to cross over 2 small rivers to get there.  The first one wasn’t too bad, you just had to watch your footing on the stones and it was ankle deep.  The second crossing was a little trickier with not as big stones and along the way we picked up a small child of around 10 that helped us across them both.  You know when people help that it isn’t for free and we were trying to not take their help, but Duckie and I both needed it, just a small helping hand, and Coriander (the child’s name) was so charming we didn’t mind so much.  The falls are not free (of course) and the guide who collects our money of 1000CFA (2AUD) walked with us to the falls.  First impression of the falls was wow.  They were beautiful and it was like we had left a different world behind.  It was shady, the temperature had dropped 10C, and they were a decent sized falls.  They would have been 40m across and at its tallest point, maybe 15m and they were full and running at full pelt.  A least the wet season worked in our favor for once after our failed attempt this morning in search for animals. 

The water was amazing.  It was clear and certainly refreshing and I could have stayed in there all afternoon.  There were small fish in there that would occasionally have a nibble on your feet, but it was more shock that it actually hurting every time they did it, but it was a weird sensation all the same.  The brave guys of the group, namely Patrick, Zoe and Bean, climbed up a slippery slopping section of the falls to get to the top and they went for a walk at the back of the falls with the guide initially.  They came back some 40 minutes later and decided to jump from the top of the falls.  The guide had mentioned that the depth of the pool was 25m, so no chance of hitting the bottom and the 3 brave souls jumped.  Crazy kids.  They mentioned that there was another fall where they had walked and a bigger pool and we should go and check it out, but there is no way I would have been able to climb up the side of the waterfall like they had, it was a tricky maneuver and I knew my limitations and decided to not go.  Even with Patrick telling us it was paradise back there, there was no way I could get up there and certainly live, so I was just going to have to live precariously through his photos instead.  They did a few more jumps and then they were heading back to ‘paradise’ taking their cameras with them this time and Duckie, Patti and I decided to stay and look after the gear while they were gone.  Coriander stuck with us and was a true gentleman, showing us how to get into the pool, where the edge of the rocks were and also did a few jumps off the top of the falls for us.  That kid could climb that waterfall like a professional, he was amazing and at one point a local came over asking for money for food and Coriander came straight over to ‘defend’ us and told the old man to keep moving along.  It was so sweet and we decided that we were going to tip the little guy for looking after us all afternoon. 

It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, getting out of the days’ sun and we eventually left the falls at 5pm walking back the same way we had come, crossing the 2 rivers, with help and me nearly losing it in the 1^st crossing, but we all made it back safe and sound.  We were on dinner tonight, but we had a few hours spare, so I grabbed my computer as a BIG storm rolled in and was able to blog in the ‘bar’ with no alcohol, as the rain pelted down for nearly an hour.  With the rain comes a cooler temperature and I was able to get another blog completed, making me now only a day behind.  I am going to catch up in no time, I am just dreading having to upload them all when I get back to Accra, as I will be bombarding Facebook with all my entries, but so be it and it is good to know that I will be up to date when we leave Ghana on the next section of the trip.  So I apologize now in advance for all the feeds that will be coming through Facebook and also the influx of loading all my photos as well.  So far I have taken 1200 and with a week left of this section, I am guessing there will be a few hundred more to add to that total, but I am looking forward to sharing them as I do have some great shots (just ask me).  As I have always said to any downside there is an upside and with the storm blowing in, if we had of gone for the afternoon drive, we may just have well got stuck in the park with the possibility of the river rising due to the storm and then we would have been in all sorts of strife, with the truck and Eve (she stayed behind) on one side and us on the other.  Some things just work out sometimes.

Dinner was a simple but effect alternative to what we have been eating a lot of, pasta, and Cooking With Gas decided to mix it up with 2 minute noodles for a change.  It was a genius idea, buying 12 packets, but after adding 6 into the pot we figured that was enough and with some fried up onion, some tinned corn beef, tinned vegetables, tinned tomatoes and the chicken sachets from the noodles, Harj and I think it was the best meal of the trip to date, not just our meals, but of all the meals prepared by all 3 teams, and with everyone heading back for seconds, I think that everyone would agree.  I’m taking note of all the meals and how much is going into them for the next section of the trip and I think the information will certainly come in handy for the shopping and amounts.  The difference being not knowing what will be available in the new countries we are going to and what we can get here in Benin may not be obtainable in the Ivory Coast.  Oh well, we are working with what we can get our hands on and I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I am as I haven’t been on an overland trip that hasn’t had someone buying and cooking the food each night and I have to say I am enjoying it.  Considering I am not a cook by any means, I think that people on the trip don’t have great expectations of food, so there isn’t a lot of pressure as such and eventually we are all in the same boat, as everyone has to cook and as long as it in edible and there is enough, then you really can’t go wrong. 

So with the day starting off hot as an oven, it closes with a cool fresh breeze that only after rains can bring.  That crisp fresh smell and we needed it after the last few days of living in an oven for the last few days.  The mozzies are giving everyone grief and as I look around the group everyone has red spots on their legs and even though we know we shouldn’t we are scratching the buggery out of those bites, so much so that some of mine have bled, but I just can’t help it and it doesn’t seem to matter just how much insect repellant I put on, I still accrue new bites.  I haven’t had this many mosquito bites in years, even with my World Odyssey travel days and I have to say I HATE it along with everyone else who has been bitten so far.  So as I fall asleep and the bites seem to itch even more, I think I fell asleep mid scratch and I just hope that I am not keeping Duckie awake with the itch, itch, itch I do with my feet and nails.