At the reserve we met with our guide, Musa Manneh, who had a vast knowledge of the nature reserve and its wildlife, and specialised in ornithology (birds).
We began our walk into the dense greenery. The vegetation was amazing – the massive trees and stunning green canopy were breathtaking. They also provided a wonderful shield from the midday sun which glimmered through the leaves.
We walked through the forest along dusty paths lined with giant termite hills over 7 ft tall, which I personally found pretty amazing! As we walked Musa pointed out the various types of plant life and gave us an interesting run down of some of the plants medicinal and everyday uses.
We arrived at the education centre which overlooked the crocodile pool, and took a moment to appreciate the wonderful views of the pool and its surroundings from the raised balcony area. Whilst we stood, many exotic looking birds flew over the pool which was a real thrill, and we even spotted a sleeping crocodile skulking in the shadows at the pool’s edge.
We continued our wanderings through the forest, catching occasional glimpses of monkeys running through the undergrowth.
We came to an opening and found an assortment of caged animals, a refreshment bar and lots of rather cheeky monkeys! Some of the caged animals were apparently part of an orphanage - a temporary home for animals and birds that had once been held in captivity illegally. The wildlife authorities have an ongoing programme of confiscating captive wild animals, and reintroducing them into the wild. We saw a few monkeys and parrots.
There were also caged areas housing baboons and hyenas – truly amazing animals! We were able to see them up close and were completely astonished at the size of these creatures! The animals were obviously well cared for and seemed very happy in their enclosures.
We were able to buy bags of peanuts for about 50p from the refreshment stall. We fed these to the monkeys and parrots – an activity greatly enjoyed by my 2 year old son! Some of the monkeys were a little timid, but others would quite confidently sit on your knee and gently prize your fingers open to get to the nuts hidden inside! It was a great experience! Not only did I get to touch the monkeys, but I also got to smell them – it reminded me of barnyard and soggy dog smell!
There were also a great many vultures loitering around – again a thrill for the bird enthusiast in me! To see them just flying around free and so close was spectacular! I have to say they aren’t my favourite bird, as they aren’t very pretty, but the size and presence of the birds was certainly worth some respect.
After some welcome liquid refreshment we continued on our travels through the forest. Musa took us to a photo hide which looked out across a pool. He gave my family a wonderful explanation of the wildlife and birds in the vicinity. Unfortunately I had spotted a rather large spider and a few other creepy crawlies on the ceiling of the hide and fled in a bit of a blind panic (doing the typical girlie thing). Musa told me they were harmless, but in fairness the spider did look a tad menacing (mind you anything with more than 4 legs tends to set me on edge).
As we strolled down the path once-more, Musa signalled for us all to slowdown and be quiet. He pointed to a gorgeous orange coloured monkey sat in a bush right beside the path. We had not seen a monkey like this throughout our travels and it was adorable!
So, after an afternoon of wildlife filled wandering, we came to the end of our travels. We took a look around the little craft market at the end of the nature reserve – I bought the cutest little hippo family – they looked so wrinkly and kinda grumpy! My sisters bought some cute wooden carvings and pretty necklaces, then we hopped into a taxi bus and headed back to Lamin for some top nosh and a lie down!
The guided tour was fantastic – I couldn’t recommend it enough! If you are planning on visiting The Gambia, please look up Musa Manneh – he will offer a fair price for his services and really knows his stuff!
MUSA MANNEH can be contacted by the following means:
Address: c/o Talibo Bojang
Banjul International Airport
Departures Hall
Sky Bar
The Gambia
West Africa
Email: musaamanneh56@yahoo.com
Telephone: 00220 7834098
General Info:
Musa tour is a free-lands bird watching tour operation taking customers to all the prescribed places for bird watching in The Gambia. Musa provides a service based upon your individual interest and your budget, but is definitely good value for money.
He trained at Abuko Nature Reserve where he became a certified tour guide, and he caters for both small and large groups.
If you would like further information please drop him an email – he’d be delighted to hear from you!
He trained at Abuko Nature Reserve where he became a certified tour guide, and he caters for both small and large groups.
If you would like further information please drop him an email – he’d be delighted to hear from you!
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