Sette Cama Safaris jungle trek and accommodation. Gabon.

Consumer Report.

Date; Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March 2010.

Participants; Philip Lawry and my mum Fay Lawry.

Cost; CFA 95,000 per person per day for transport from Ndogo boat club, meals, guide, treks and water (excluding CFA 7,000 per person per day park entry). Euro 1 = CFA 656

Contact; Alain; e-mail ppjalain@yahoo.fr or phone +24107841526

Accommodation

Sette Cama Safaris is located on lagoon side of the narrow sandy barrier bar between the Atlantic Ocean and Ndogo lagoon at Sette Cama. The location is idyllic. In its day 10 or 15 years ago Sette Cama Safaris must have is been quite special; it comprises a bamboo paneled open air main foyer meeting area used for dining and six wooden huts each with a bathroom. Unfortunately the buildings have deteriorated in the harsh tropical environment and have not been maintained.

On arrival there is no registration, room assignment, greeting or printed information available. In the end we followed someone carrying our bags to what we presumed was our room. Of course better French language skill would have helped us.

Meals are adequate and well presented; locally grown salads, chicken and fresh fish dishes. Because the generator is only run the in the evenings drinks are tepid.

As a general comment the facilities and services available are not used to their full potential. A torch, candle or lantern would be useful after the generator is turned off. Water supply is dependent on the generator to pump water up into a header tank, so often there is no water for showers. The hot water system wasn’t working. Pick up and departure times are aspirational rather than realistic. So don’t rush your breakfast in anticipation of a punctual departure.

Jungle Trek.

The format is a seven km walk through jungle, emerging at an isolated beach in the early afternoon. After lunch and a long break, participants walk five km along the beach back to the waiting boat. With two guides we left Sette Cama Safaris in an open boat around 0900 hours for the day long trek. En route to our drop of point we saw hippos and monkeys. We waded off the boat through shallow water to start the seven km walk to the beach. After a somewhat perfunctory and concise safety briefing we quietly made our way through the jungle following our machete wielding guide. Terrain was undulating and traversing several muddy boggy patches necessitated walking along slippery mossy logs; quite challenging! Although tracks and signs of large animals abounded, we saw only small animals; monkeys, a squirrel like animal, land crab, insects and birds.

Emerging tired, sweaty and hungry from the jungle we were pleased to see our second guide had set up the lunch he’d carried up the beach after dropping us off and repositioning the boat for our return. Lunch was tasty and welcome.

After a snooze in the shade of a palm tree we commenced the five km walk back to the boat. Walking on the beach was far easier and we made good time. During this phase we encountered two families of elephants and saw a buffalo. Two of the elephants were so close to us our guide had to herd them away so we could pass safely. Reaching the boat was a welcome time and we wearily climbed in for the trip back to our lodge and looked forward to a refreshing drink and a shower.

Summary

In balance I’d recommend this trip but express caution about safety aspects and mitigation should something go wrong during the jungle trek. Were someone to twist an ankle or have a heart attack I don’t know how they could be bought to medical help. There is no mobile phone signal. The logistics of going for help, then locating and evacuating the victim would be difficult. That said, this trip offers an amazing opportunity to get close to some wild animals in their environment. Despite the shortcomings of the accommodation and organisation, it didn’t take anything away from our enjoyment.