THE SCALES

These curious ladders, made of wood and bamboo assembled by lianas that take the place of steps, were built in other times to allow the villagers of the plain, often captives, to reach more quickly the villages of the Fulani nobles on the plateaus. With these ladders, they avoided a long detour in their daily work. Captives, sold as a result of wars or the poverty of their families, they had to perform the tasks required of them by their masters in exchange for gifts in kind. At the beginning of the 20th century, these ladders were frequently used by the Fulani to hide and escape from the requisition of troops for the colonial army of the time, but also to remove their children who were forced to go to the "white" school.

To get to the ladders, it is best to hire a local guide. To do so, contact the village of Ley Holo, located on the main trail about 6 km before Lélouma, or Djinkan, the last village where you should leave your vehicle and continue on foot to the ladders. If you don't have a guide, ask a local boy to accompany you, as it is impossible to find the way by yourself.

There are two ladders: the first one, which is the most frequented, allows access to the village of Ley Langué, in the valley. It is reached after a half-hour walk downhill. The very rudimentary ladder, which the inhabitants happily cross barefoot and loaded with packages, is nestled in a crevice of the cliff. There are in fact two ladders of about fifteen meters each with an intermediate landing. Once at the bottom of the second ladder, you still have to go down in the middle of a maze of rocks to reach the plain. If you have to go back by the same way, don't forget that on the way back, it goes up! It is better to avoid climbing the ladders too tired. The second ladder, which is reached after a 45 minutes walk, offers a panorama of a breathtaking wild beauty and gives access to the village of Keïlin. Here you will see little passage because, the cliff being much higher and the track longer, the inhabitants do not use it any more. The ladders are overhanging on the cliff, and their descent is even more impressive than the previous ones. In winter, the water flows everywhere along the rocky walls and makes all the ladders quite slippery and therefore dangerous. To be avoided!