We got up early the next day, packed a boat ( i say we, we were very well taken care of here not only by Odyesseia, Alice & Andrew but obviously by the staff at Sangha Lodge) and headed downstream to the depths of the Republic of Congo. Binos round our necks, huddled up on seats excitedly swapping sandwiches and pointing out wildlife down the river we made 6 rather brief stops to stamp our passports and onward to the next country. We arrived into the WSC headquarters on the outskirts of the Nouabale- Ndoki Natonal Park, part of the Sangha Tri-National Landscape and quickly made use of the restrooms and headed off for a fine dining experience (jokes, but I must say considering what we were expecting and how remote it was the food was great!). Riverside views and lots of excited school children peering at one of the few white people they have seen and then we split into our two groups, one to the gorilla research camp and the other to another hide at Wali bai. Fortunately, we were off to the bai which wasn’t far, we got to pass through one of our immigration stops on the way and were met with some adorable puppies, I very nearly snuck home. Onto the forest for about an hour before reaching Wali Bai, our home for the night. Packed dinner at hand we set up base and let the silence take over. Scanning the forest for any sign of life! We overnighted here for 2 nights and walked into the small nearby town for fresh supplies the next day (and a cheeky beer). During our time we saw otters swimming in the bai, forest buffalo (male and female) eating the reeds from the bai itself, a black and white colobus monkey who dipped his head also under the water to retrieve these clearly tasty and nutritious algae like reeds. As well as grey headed parrots soaring overhead, a green pigeon who took me on a mystery tour around the Bai as I tried to figure out what he was. From taking pictures of the butterflies that landed all around us to the highlight of an elephant coming to drink in the middle of the bai just as the light started to fade, we were firmly reminded just how remote and wild this place was. None more so than waking up to a large male leopard sawing in the middle of the night under the small platform. A sound I am used to living in South Luangwa but mercifully a noise that caused Alice to sit bolt upright and wake us up for! The mattresses provided were shockingly comfortable and it was a battle to take the rest or try to stay up and see what else we could see or hear! It is quite something to imagine these animals may have never experienced a human before and whilst the “safety” of our raised hut did provide comfort it really was a wild experience. Something you need to attune your senses to.

After 2 nights we met up with the other team for another lunch on the river, swapped stories and headed to our next destination, Mondika. A gorilla research base. It was a longer hike in through a few rivers, which probably reached the tops of our ankles, a couple of sketchy areas with a high density of biting ants but the luxury of an eco-bathing area in a crystal-clear river, actual beds and a toilet seat on the long drop, even women’s and men’s quarters! We arrived in style and the team were super welcoming, even sharing supplies of fresh fruit (a massive luxury)! We got an early night and some rest ready for our trek the next day. The way it works is the researchers go out, find the gorillas and come back to find us and lead us in… the cut off for this is midday. If they do not find the gorillas within that time frame unfortunately with the light, you must try another day… except we did not have another day. We had breakfast, excitement was high… we waited… we waited… we paced... we waited… we bird watched, we waited, we decided to have an early lunch just in case… at 11.45 just as we gave up hope the researchers came back. To be honest I skipped behind the researchers, mood now even higher. Then we hear wild chimps, in Gabon we had learnt the Chimpanzees tried and have successfully killed gorilla babies so if they heard them, they would move on, they also developed a huge distrust for the researchers around which caused the habituation process to be abandoned for that group. This came as a massive blow. Once again it seemed we wouldn’t be able to see them. However, after a brief conversation in French, Alice discovered that was quite the opposite here, they had even seen chimpanzee and gorilla babies playing. With this fresh information the skipping restarted, and I envisioned the best possible outcome, awards for photographer of the year played over my mind as I envisioned the two playing, haha! We managed to get to the gorillas who were sadly not playing with baby chimps, in fact they were all sleeping face down. There was one cheeky youngster who kept trying to steal glances at us, unlikely to have seen many foreign Mzungus (white people), curiosity was high, but his mother was NOT happy with that and kept pulling him back! Just as the hour was up and our magical experience was about to end the team of Ba’ka trackers asked us if we wanted to stay a few more minutes as the group was about to get up and walk. A huge round of thankful smiles was exchanged and the group did indeed get up, from full on stares through the trees to interactions, to a tiny baby rolling into one of the beams of light penetrating the forest floor. It might have been 15 minutes, but it felt like the lucky break we needed for pictures. Spending time with gorillas is such a privilege and even watching them sleep feels like a huge win but there is a small element you try to keep quiet that would love to take home a shot, some eye contact, a movement, something to take home and those 15 minutes truly spoilt us. When the time was over the trackers asked us if we were happy. Language wasn’t needed, smiles beamed, hugs were shared, group photos were taken and again once more we skipped home. The mood in camp was such a natural high, we cooled off in the river, bathed, dried out from the jungle and swapped more stories and supplies with the team! Fortune favoured us again and Pavlov the head researcher asked us if we wanted to go on a night walk, an exciting wander outside the electric fenceline which was sadly cut short due to an impending storm. And when I say storm, this was intense, although safely in a tent which did give us some comfort (at least from the water) the surrounding vegetation provided nothing but fear. The rain was coming down thick and fast, the crack of thunder was only just louder than the crack of tree branches falling. If any of the trees around us were to fall, the tent would be flattened. Everything was wet, my iPhone screamed at me there was water in the charging point, so I had what little of my torch was left after the night walk. The storm lasted hours, I took immense comfort having Alice next to me, flashes in the tent every now and then reassured me she was ok and there. I very nearly snuck through to her tent but reminded myself of what a brave big girl I was and repeatedly thought of baby gorillas and chimps playing (I am still convinced I might see this). I think we both peed next to the tent under the platform that night not daring to venture to the long drop (at the very least avoiding getting drenched in the rain). It eventually subsided just before dawn, it had crossed my mind if it continued, we were stuck there. It gave me heck of a lot more gratitude for the people who worked tirelessly in this and other research camps, the anti-poaching teams, the people that allow us to make these unique and intrepid trips possible!

With little sleep but a hot cup of coffee and some shared comfort the next morning we packed up and headed back to the main base, the streams that once reached our ankles were now almost waist high, which just goes to show how quickly conditions can change in the jungle and how tough you have to be to survive out here. We met the rest of the team, had a lot of hugs (mainly initiated by myself) and jumped onto the boat exhausted but happy and excited for a final feast in Sangha lodge and a warm shower and comfy bed! The luxury that awaited including a bottle of some of the finest red wine, a feat of warm and fresh food and a huge double dry bed makes you realise just how lucky we are and the small details not to take for granted. The team we had here were nothing short of remarkable, high levels of adventure but also spirits. I am happy to report we were mainly female which just goes to show which sex prefers adventure! They are people I have had the privilege to call now friends, share repeated journeys with and some of which have even been out to visit me in Zambia, something else I don’t take for granted!

I love pushing myself on these sorts of trips, I am at my happiest in some of the simplest surroundings. I’m grateful for the day-to-day luxuries I have and that my body allows me to push through any physical challenges. The rewards of the wildlife we see, the people we meet, the places explored are all not taken for granted. I have always been a child that wanted to climb a tree, a mountain, find frogs, get my feet muddy and it feels like each of these trips honours that child. Seven-year-old Chloe would be immensely proud of the explorer I have become; she would awe at the things I have seen and likely gawk at the friends I have made along the way.

What an epic adventure that just reinforced the special hold that Africa’s jungles hold over me. There is something about a forest that calls me home and whilst I am keen to explore all parts of this world and especially to find its inhabitants there is something in this part that calls me home again and again and again…. to be continued…