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Abuja Marsh – Sunday 11 May 2008

This page updated:  11-May-08

 

Do you like war and carnage?  Dismemberment?  Dive bombing?  Great armies marching?  Thick jungle?  Then this is the trip for you! 

 

Come explore Crock Lake and the marsh and stream which feed it.  See battles on the minute scale.  Watch as caterpillars are torn to shreds.  See birds dive for fish.  Follow the army of ants on their way to hunt.  All this through thick undergrowth and good mucky muck.

 

And, don’t forget to pickup your souvenir natural loofah scrubber sponge at the end of the walk!

 

Six of us intrepid explorers set out on a sunny Sunday morning to walk around the lake and up the stream. 

 

 

Here’s what we saw:

 

  The road into the mysterious  jungle

 

Man-eaten plants 

 

  Expansive grass savannas

 

Giant jungle trees   

 

  Mysterious wetlands

 

Thick lush vegetation with colorful wildlife

 

 

 

  Wild ants that herd aphids like cows then eat their sweet excretions

 

Treacherous swamps which swallow up man and girl

 

 

 

  Exotic women

 

Deep valleys with luxuriant growth

 

  Great plantations

 

Armies on the march 

 

  Out of this world architecture

 

Birds of many species   

Including this pygmy kingfisher, swallows, egrets, grey herons, green-backed herons, hawks, vultures, doves, rust-bellied cucals or cuckoos, hornbills, pied crows, and a variety of little birds of all sorts

 

  Outlandish flowers

 

Great rivers 

 

  Animated plants that close up to defend themselves

 

Voracious beasts in an eating frenzy

 

  Prehistoric amphibians

 

Plants that cut men to shreds 

 

 

Incredible water falls

 

  Natural hair weave fibres

 

Oh, and don’t forget your souvenir loofah!  loofah

 

 

Maximum number of attendees: 

No maximum, open to all.

 

 

Rating: 

Moderate – for heat, thick undergrowth, muck, slipperyness. 

 

 

Security: 

No security concerns.

 

Gear:  

Boots or high shoes for going through marsh and deep mud; sun hat, lots of sun screen, loose comfortable clothing; water, binoculars, magnifying glass, birds of west Africa book.

 

 

Costs: 

No costs.

 

 

Timing:   

Go early as it gets hot and muggy even before 12 noon.

Go until you get too hot and tired, then head back.

Anticipate 3-4 hours or ½ day, but the timing is casual.

 

 

Directions:  

Meet in front of the French school in Maitama on Mississippi St., off Ikoku, just past the British High Commissioner’s residence.  Do not block construction entrances on either side of the street, park only on the right to leave road relatively clear.

Walk down to the lake and turn left, hugging the left bank with the lake on your right.

 

 

Contact Info:   

Event Coordinator