During our excursion to the inland regions of The Gambia, we made a memorable pit stop at the Gambia River. Together with our guide and a local captain, we boarded a small motorboat and set off across the water. Along the way, we stopped amid the lush greenery of the river’s many islands to pick up a park ranger. He accompanied us toward Baboon Island, surprisingly home to around 150 chimpanzees. The rangers know each individual chimpanzee by name and care for them closely. People are not allowed to set foot on the island, allowing the chimps to live peacefully in their natural habitat. From the boat, the rangers throw fresh food onto the shores, drawing the chimps out for feeding, a special sight to witness. 🐒🐒
During the boat ride, we also spotted two hippos: a mother and her calf. That part of the trip was a bit tense, especially when our motor briefly stopped! Our guide reassured us, explaining that hippos are not aggressive by nature and generally leave humans alone unless they feel threatened. However, once they sense danger or hunting, they can become extremely aggressive. Hippos are surprisingly among the fastest animals in water, definitely not something you’d want to challenge!
- A direct flight from Brussels Airlines gets you at these magical scene -
