Latest News | News Break Nigeria Besides the sprawling beaches, the sand and the sun that Europeans throng in their thousands to explore during winter, Abuko Nature Reserve, the first-ever pristine tropical reserve, is perhaps one of the reasons The Gambia is nickname the Smiling Coast of West Africa. Of course, a trip to the reserve, undoubtedly the most visited tourist attraction in the Gambia with approximately 33,000 visitors per year, is worth the Kenyan safari or even more than climbing the famous China Walls. The reserve located in Western region of the country is the nearest tropical forest to Europe. However, visitors are only allowed to tour the reserve after 30-minutes orientation by the wildlife officers who afterwards hand the visitors over certified tour operators. Hello all, I am Abdouli Njie, your tour guide. Together we are going to unravel the sheer beauty and an amazing richness of Gambian wildlife and flora made possible through the conservation of the natural stream running through Abuko Reserve. The stream, according to Njie, springs both warm and cool water, and is better felt than behold. The reserve, he notes, is 105 hectares (roughly 2sq. km) rectangular shaped with a surrounding narrow strip around its boundaries acting as an extra buffer zone and over 2,000 malina trees that act as an extra barrier against encroachment by locals. Yet, it exhumes more than enough excitements and challenges as it fetes visitors in the abode of nature. The evergreen forest gallery follows the course of the Lamin Stream and covers approximately 1/3 of its total area. Efforts, according to the tour guide, are being concentrated on maintaining the crooked bush trails, bird photo hides, the animal orphanage as well as the boundary to prevent encroachment by people and cattle. A visit to the Bamboo pool, the biggest among other three pools at the bottom end of the reserve, reveals a community of different wildlife species that seem to live in harmony. “This is a lesson for warring mankind,” says a British doctor and tourist on holiday in the country. You can easily spot crocodiles and birds in and around the freshwater pond with the birds perching on rather friendly reptiles. The pond is an ideal first-stop for bird-watchers and animal enthusiasts as well as tourist in general. At this point, Njie, the tour guide, hands his visitors over to designated guides on site to help wildlife fans to locate animals and birds while on the forest trail. The intriguing thing is that the guide turns visitor and listen like he has never been to a forest before. “My job is knowledge based. You need constant update to answer all questions, especially from the very inquisitive European visitors. I don’t care who teaches me,” Njie enthuses. Sousie, the new guide, warns against throwing things at the monkeys. “The species are from Asia and frown at humans that disturb their party with edibles, but will throw back stones at you,” he sounds a note of warning. It has been estimated that there are over 290 bird species living within the forest gallery. Viewing the preying action of Pied Kingfishers, African paradise flycatcher, Willow Warblers, Pygmy Kingfisher, among other predator birds, is captivating. However, the cries and hovering of rare species like cattle egrets, wax-bills, western blue-bill, among others, distinguish the reserve from the rest in the country. The fauna population is further enriched by four primate species: Verve monkey, Red Colobus Monkey, Red Patas and Bush Babies. The other mammalian types you must see include the Grimms Duiker, Ground Squirrel, Savannah Antelopes, Bushbuck Colobus Badius, Tragelaphus, Brush Tailed Porcupine, and several rodent including the Cane Rat. Among the reptiles at the park are Nile Crocodile, and West African Crocodile.. There are also numerous butterflies and moths such as the Saturnis. A visit to the Animal Orphanage, which was set up in 1997 as a rehabilitation centre by the DPWM, raises one’s compassion for weak, vulnerable or injured animals as if they are humans. Well, of course, they are mammals took. The rehab cares for parrots, hyenas as well as various kinds of monkeys, including chimpanzees. Also located on the reserve is the Darwin Field Station, which is a research centre focused on maintaining The Gambia’s biodiversity. There is also an exhibition, the Abuko Conservation Education Centre and refreshments area that are concentrated around the animal orphanage. The nature trail is wonderful. Starting the trek, you will first come across loose leafed Guinea Savannah, and walk pleasurably through trunks covered in mud deposited by tree ants. The trail later drops on getting to the main Bamboo Pool, which is partly covered in water-lilies and fringed by large palms. A walk across a wooden foot bridge spans a small swampy stream and goes past the first bird hide and towards the visitor’s centre. Across the bridge is a building built in 1970, as a rest-house for visitors. If you make your way up to the observation platform, you will possibly get a bird’s eye-view of large lizards, numerous feathered birds and dwarf or Nile crocodiles (particularly in the mornings when they come out of the water to sunbathe). From this point you follow the nature trail that leads to thick, dark, lush vegetation. As you turn left you will see the first glimmering of open bright savannah, which is soon interrupted by more thick jungle that is interspersed at ground level with huge trunks and large root systems. If you look carefully you can see numerous ground squirrels, brightly coloured beetles, verve monkeys, soldier ants, birds and butterflies. As you continue along the cooked path leading along the Southeast you will arrive at an enclosure housing some vultures and hyenas at the Animal Orphanage. There is a kiosk here where you can enjoy some refreshments. In the next enclosure you can observe crowned cranes, baboons and bush-buck, and next to them you will come across a few lions. From this area, there is a path that veers off towards the exit if you are feeling a little tired by this time. A walk along the trail takes a couple of hours, though there is a short-cut route. At the end of the trail, Sousie hands over the visitors with a mild smile to Njie, the first tour guide. But Njie interprets the smile as a tip to encourage him. “A tip is always appreciated, though not mandatory.” The tourists willingly contribute over $100, besides the D1000 they pay as entrance fee. But the experience is worth it and really ‘a trip for all time.’ Emelike Obinna
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:17:35 +0000
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