Outamba - Kilimi National Park

29 december 2022

The sounds during the night were incredible - never silent and very much alive. In the morning I watched a colony of tiny monkeys in the trees close by.

I joined the other campers for breakfast which was delivered in a plastic bag by a motorbike rider from the village.

I spent time trekking around the area close to the campsite until we all went across the river by canoe to the main NP area. Here we followed the park ranger Cila, on a wild hike through deep undergrowth to an area known as Elephant Camp. This was once a rangers camp used for those who needed a bit of isolation! There is supposed to be a heed of elephants in the area too. We didn't see any animals but got a real sense of the remote, natural lie of the land. A great experience.

Back at the camp we started to hear music coming from the village. Ramadam was getting married and a festive event was in full swing. He had chosen to marry a lady from the village, making a home in the village and committing to his role as the village chief. It was a big event with lots of food and palm wine.