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Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division)
Route 2 (Okwangwo and Bashu)
Thursday – Sunday, Sept. 30th - October 3rd
Ten people from Canada, Germany, UK and USA met in the late afternoon
of September 30th at the Lagos Domestic Airport in order to get the ADC
flight to Calabar which is situated in the far southeast of Nigeria. The
trip was organized by Kathy and Jason Heiser while Robert Warren gave good
pieces of advice and experiences as he had already been to the Cross River
National Park. At Calabar, three vehicles were provided by the Governor of
Cross River State, Donald Duke, to pick us up and take us to the MCC
Lodges, and the next day to the Park. This generous support results from
Kathy Heiser being the class teacher of one of the Governor’s daughters
(she must be a pretty good teacher!). At the Hotel which is built in
bungalow style we took a nice meal before heading to the Governor’s
birthday party. This event took place in a marvelously decorated garden.
Unfortunately we had to leave the party early as we had to get up at 5
a.m. the next day. After a four-hour drive through the clean and green
Cross River State we entered the Okwangwo Division of the Park which is
situated north of Ikom near the Cameroon border.
Here we split into two groups of five, each of them having their own
porters and a cook organized by The Okwangwo Conservation Society (TOCS)
and an Australian guy – Jason Sali. TOCS is a local conservation
initiative started by Louis Nkonyo, a resident of Okwa II. Jason works for
Development in Nigeria, a local NGO supporting community conservation and
poverty alleviation projects in the area. All proceeds from the event were
to go to assist TOCS to continue its environmental education campaigns in
local schools and villages around the national park. After a plain but
delicious meal we started on different treks. The flora and the
environment we experienced were overwhelming: as soon as we had passed
plantations of cocoa yam, bananas, cassava and cocoa we entered the tight
jungle with it’s evergreen bushes and trees some of them at least 40
meters high, as for example the ebony tree. We climbed up and down the
hills crossing a lot of small rivers, overcoming huge roots and stones
along the narrow paths. The chirping of insects, swelling up and down,
accompanied us for the whole time as did the singing of the birds. The
hornbill was one we saw often. Butterflies in various colours and sizes
were our steady companions. Mammals, such as buffaloes and forest
elephants didn’t show up, but they did let us see their footprints.
At the end of the first day we finally reached Okwangwo were the villagers’
committee didn’t allow us to pass. They had expected to make some income
by accommodating us, while the Government had stopped their hunting. But
we wanted to camp in the wilderness and after a long palaver we bought
them some gifts and continued our way using torches as the darkness had
already fallen. Finally we set up our tents after the rangers had
flattened the ground by using machetes. Then we had a late dinner at 9
p.m.
The following day we hiked for 13 hours, having only a short rest for
lunch. As the guides, good African walkers, underestimated the time we
needed and as we had to get our aircraft back to Lagos on time it was
really a sporting hike. Two of us felt their knees paining, but it was an
outstanding day in an exciting, untouched environment. Some of us took a
refreshing bath at a river mouth. Again we built up our tents not before
night-time among a few houses in the mid of a clearing.
On the last morning we packed up camp very early, in order to reach the
village of Bashu on time. For the whole morning it rained cats and dogs,
though fortunately not before we started. Soon our rucksacks, clothes and
shoes got totally wet. Gradually the treks changed into brooks. We
didn’t even bother any more passing the rivers without putting off our
shoes. Even this special atmosphere of a rainy primary forest with its
hardship was an experience we wouldn’t like to miss. After a warm
breakfast at Bashu we took Okadas to the place were we were picked up by
car. This wasn’t easy to organize and we feared to miss our flight. Then
another hindrance got into our way: one of the rivers we had to pass
through was swollen due to the rain. No passage seemed possible for the
bikes. But the guys managed to carry them while they went up to their
breasts through the water. We followed them with our luggage on our heads
and really were very African at that moment! Finally we reached the car
and passed again the wonderful landscape of Cross River State. At the
airport we reunited with the other group which was as impressed as we
about this unique adventurous trip.
So we finish this report with a big thank you to our organizers Kathy and
Jason Heiser as well as to Robert Warren, to our excellent and helpful
guides and last but not least to Governor and Mrs Duke for their support.
Everybody agreed there should be another trip like this within the
Nigerian Field!
Thomas Ricke / Matthias Wolandt, Germany
Go back to Cross River National
Park route I report.
More photos? Click here.
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Lagos Branch
