Mon 13 Oct
The Danish girls had failed to secure a pre-dawn lift back to the park reception so I packed and waited by the road soon after first light. After 45mins I got a lift in a comfortable, spacious 4x4. Apparently there was no chimp tracking at this time of year, so I was glad I hadn't got-up any earlier. I paid my park fee and was assigned my ranger. I chose the 10km trail and a walking stick, and off we went. For me the forest was impressive because of its size. The trees were big; the views were big. We descended for a long time; passing some waterfalls. On the path we saw curious seedpods the size of coconuts containing anything from six to 13 giant "conkers". Finished in just under 4hrs, hearing but sadly not seeing any primates.

Back at the reception centre I enjoyed a Fanta orange and played "igisolo" (Rwandan mancala) with the park warden. Later while waiting by the roadside I met a couple of Brits who had travelled down through Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. They had taken an alternative route through northern Kenya, which was quicker although closer to the Somali border. It sounded worthy of further investigation.