Heading north

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After exploring the remote beaches of the peninsula, we made our way back to Freetown and were once again surrounded by the chaotic metropolis. Our first destination took us straight through the busy centre and out the other side into the hills beyond. We had decided to visit Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary which was established to offer a home to chimps that have been found as orphans of hunting, traded as pets or were captured for bush meat or trophies. The sanctuary hopes that at some point in the future it will be possible to re-release these chimpanzees back into the wild to support the declining population, unfortunately at the moment there is too much risk and not enough protection. A number of years ago I worked for an NGO based in Uganda which is working towards the same goal and I saw a lot of similarities between Tacugama and the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT).



On previous visits to the capitol I have always been in a work vehicle or had a local friend showing me around, but this time Sam and I decided to explore for ourselves to find out what the city is really like. After a night listening to the pant hoots of the chimps in the forest we headed downtown to the oldest part of the city, where a gigantic cotton tree stands in the middle of the main high street. This iconic tree is over 100 years old and in its younger years the same tree used to tower over the dealings of the slave trade. From here we explored the shops and markets and found the bus station where we would begin our journey north in the morning. Downtown runs parallel to the seafront and climbing up from the wharf are a flight of steps popularly referred to as ‘Freedom Steps’ as they were where newly liberated slaves would first set foot on Freetown soil. After a day seeing the sights, travelling by public transport I found my opinion of Freetown much improved. It was much easier to get around than first anticipated and the hectic bustle was interesting rather than intimidating.



We were up before dawn the following morning to begin our journey to Makeni about four hours north-east from Freetown. We had decided to break up our journey by spending a night there before continuing on to the National Park. The city is a little smaller than Kenema and mining companies in the area are spending money on developing the roads and supplying electricity. We had lunch at a place called The Clubhouse which is linked to and supports a local NGO called Street Child. I was surprised when we arrived with the amount of pumoi (white people) that were there and then we realized that the following weekend the Makeni marathon was due to take place and the extra people were here to help run the event or to participate.



The second half of our journey north was rather more challenging and tedious than the first had been. We made our way to the Makeni bus park early in the morning and found a poda poda which was heading to Kamakwie, the last big town before Outamba-Kilimi National Park. Almost 4 hours later we were still hanging around in the bus park waiting for the vehicle to leave. A poda poda doesn’t have set arrival or departure time but will leave only at the point when it is not possible to fit another person or bag into the vehicle, and that point is generally much later than you would expected. The comings and goings of the bus park provided our entertainment while we were waiting as we marveled at how many goats could be transported on top of a vehicle, and how much one person could carry on their head while maneuvering through the bustling crowds. Finally we were on our way, the journey which I expected to take 2-3 hours ended up lasting almost 5 hours and we were beginning to wonder if we would even make it to the National Park before nightfall. We made a number of stops along the way, sometimes the stops made sense as people or goods were getting off, other times we had no idea what was going on and during one of these stops the driver of our vehicle got into a fight and we ended up leaving him behind to settle the dispute and we continued with one of his assistants (who had been riding on the roof) driving us. The final leg of our journey to OK was via bike and thankfully this was easy to organize when we reached Kamakwie as there were bikes waiting and eager to do the journey as it is good money for them. I do love traveling by motorbike in Africa and it was great to finally enjoy the views and the fresh air and know that we had almost arrived.



Our accommodation at OK was a lovely little hut with forest views right next to the river. As it is such an out of the way destination we weren’t surprised to find ourselves the only visitors there and we made the most of the tranquil peace and quiet and being surrounded by nature; bathing in the river and cooking our meals over fire. The following morning we went on a ‘hippo canoe trip’ and were lucky enough to actually see hippos. We paddled up stream enjoying the calm clear water and the towering trees that lined the river. As our guide was asking if we’d seen hippo’s before I heard the sound of water being blown out and there in the water in front of us was a group of hippos. It was hard to tell how many were in the group as they were in deep water so we only saw their eyes peering out and they kept submerging under the water and coming up somewhere new. It was amazing and a little bit intimidating to be able to get so close to them in such a small wooden canoe.



Later in the afternoon once the heat of the day had started to die down we went on a guided walk around the Park. The habitat at OK is very different from Gola Rainforest the other National Park in the country as it is much more open woodland whereas Gola is known for being almost impenetrable. The footpath leading through OK was dappled with the early evening light coming through the trees as we made our way up to one of the highest points in the Park. From this vantage point we were able to see the whole reserve stretching out for miles in every direction; I only hope that the good work continues so that view remains the same for generations to come. Shortly after sunset a storm blew in bringing with it thunder, lightening and then a heavy downpour of rain. Sam’s definition of Africa is that everything is dramatic, and it was certainly true in this case as the lightning provided a spectacular light display over the river filling the whole horizon.



After an early morning bathe in the river it was time to head back to Kenema. We had arranged that the motorbikes that had dropped us off came to collect us for the return journey and they were good to their word. Along the route to Kamakwie there is a ferry river crossing similar to the one that I have used travelling to Gola villages but smaller. When we reached the crossing the ferry was at the other side of the river having the contents of a lorry loaded onto it as the lorry itself was too large to cross. We settled down on a log to watch and wait. As we did so a big African dug out canoe came over, I thought perhaps he would take the people who were waiting on our side over the river. It turns out that a canoe is much like any other vehicle here in Africa such that it won’t leave until it’s almost too full to move so in one canoe trip we managed to transport four people, three motorbikes and two massive bags of rice (yes it was a big canoe but still impressive!). Upon reaching Kamakwie we found that the only way to get to Makeni that day was to continue by motorbike so after a quick stretch we got back on for another 3 hours of being bumped along through beautiful scenery.



At Makeni we were unlucky and just missed a full poda poda heading to Bo (where we had to stop on the way to Kenema). After about 90 minutes of waiting they decided there wouldn’t be enough people to fill the poda poda so they moved us to a big car….then a short while later we moved again to a small car. In the end we left in a taxi carrying 8 people including the driver with me and Sam sharing the front seat and a guy in the boot! It wasn’t a good transport day for us as this vehicle stuttered to a stop only a short distance outside of Makeni. All attempts to fix the car failed but we managed to judder along far enough to reach a small town where we could change to another vehicle. This vehicle wasn’t able to take us all the way to Bo so we would have to change again, and along the way we had another breakdown, thankfully this time one that we could fix. The sun had set by the time we reached the stop before Bo and we still had two more taxi changes to complete before reaching home. During the final stint another heavy storm pelted us with rain, visibility was shocking and the roads were slick with water….but we made it eventually and were very grateful to be home with a warm welcome from the dog and a big comfy bed freshly made and waiting for us to collapse into.

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