DÉCOUVERTE DE LA FAUNE ET DE LA FLORE

The forest belongs to the early bird! Indeed, whatever your desire, expect to enter the jungle between 6.30 and 7.30 am. It's at the Nkombe Forest Station, located equidistant from Kichwamba and Ishaka, that you'll check in, pay for your activity (if you're traveling independently), meet your guide and be briefed on the details of your visit. Bird watching, forest walks and butterfly watching, which take between three and four hours to complete, start between 7 and 7.30 am. These hikes generally take place on the ten trails set up by the NFA, some of which can be very difficult (steep hills, mud...). So don't forget your waterproof walking shoes, your covering clothes, your mackintosh, your cap, your snack and your two liters of water... On the trails, through the emblematic Guinea plum trees, raphias (whose fibers are used to make local mats), bamboos, flame trees (whose flowers are said to excite the ladies' libido when they eat them...), Mutragyne rubrostipuletae (nicknamed Viagra trees because they are supposed to improve men's sexual performance...) and a myriad of other plants (including some used in traditional pharmacopoeia), you should be able to admire magnificent lepidoptera, primates (colobus, vervet...), snakes (like the python...) and superb birds! If you enjoy climbing and waterfalls, don't hesitate to hike the 11 km Waterfall Trail to see the Kilyantama Falls unfold before your eyes. For chimpanzee tracking, departures are at 7.30 a.m. (you'll need to arrive 15 minutes early for the briefing) and 1 p.m.. The latter option will delight lovers of late mornings; however, as the chimpanzees have their midday meal in the afternoon, it's advisable to set your alarm for the morning to get closer to them (10 meters maximum). Tracking time varies according to the location of the chimpanzees, but you should allow four hours, one of which should be spent in their company. Those interested in chimpanzee habituation will leave the NFA premises at 6.30 am.