In The Jungle

The problem with jungles is that you don't actually see very much in them, apart from a lot of trees. In Cameroon we visited the Korup National Park which is the most biodiverse tract of rainforest in all Africa, sheltering everything from the weirdest insects through to elusive gorillas. And yet, trekking for two days in the depths of the rainforest my most exciting spot was a large millipede. It's a strange sensation to hear the proximity of animals but be unable to sight them in amongst all that foliage. I suppose this might be quite good news for the jungle and the survival chances of the endangered animals. But it means the sort of financial lifeline tourism provides for the safari countries of East Africa is never going to be as viable here. Though there's a hell of lot more wildlife in Cameroon than Kenya, the chances are you're not going to see all that much of it.

Korup is primary rainforest, but that doesn't necessarily mean all the trees are ancient and enormous as I had perhaps rather niavely imagined. To be honest, much of the forest has the feel of ancient woodland in the UK. The difference is in the scale of largest trees, the humidity, and the incessant background noise. Also, we don't have biting black ants in England. I had over fifty of the buggers running over my body when I stood too long in their pathway. The experience gave the expression 'to have ants in your pants' a whole new potency for me. I was ripping off my clothes like I'd just arrived at a nudist convention once they started sinking their teeth into me.

It is encouraging that work is taking place in both Cameroon and Nigeria to combat the threat of animal extinction. In Nigeria, we visited the Afi Mountain Drill Monkey Ranch, where we were able to get up close to one of the most endangered primates of them all, as well as observe chimpanzees rescued from cruel capitivity. The Drill Monkey sanctuary has something like 85% of all drill monkeys held in captivity and is conducting a very successful breeding programme whilst housing the monkeys in very close to natural conditions. We saw similar good work at Limbe in Cameroon, where a wide range of rescued primates included lowland gorillas. However, there is no doubt that habitats remain highly threatened and conservation work is being hampered by poverty, ignorance and corruption. Everywhere, in these countries you encounter examples of major investment having been made at a particular time and then nothing much happening afterwards. The existing tourist infrastructure at Korup is on its last legs, and at the Yankari National Park in Nigeria the Wikki Warm Springs Resort has that same down on its luck feel as your classic out of season English seaside town.

Yankari is an exceptional place to visit despite the warn out look of its central settlement. Sited in the savannah of northern central Nigeria, the park shelters large populations of quite a number of game animals. We got very close to a big herd of elepants, saw water and bush bucks, crocodiles and the telltale bubbles of a submerged gang of hippos. You can wind down from your safari in the most idyllic natural springs imaginable, a crystal clear stream of water heated naturally to 31C wends its way out of a leafy dell beneath a giant cliff. You can even get relatively cold beers, a rare find in this neck of the woods. Just remember to watch out that the baboons don't make off with your clothes, and try not to get into an argument with a warthog.