West Africa VII: Guinea-Bissau--Thatched Huts and Hippos (10/28/23)

We were living the dream--our own thatched hut so close to the beach that we could hear the surf as we sat on our porch.  Our own lounge chairs right on the beach, with a thatched umbrella above us.  The days that we spent on Ilha Rubane in Orango National Park--October 28-30, 2023--were idyllic. 

 

Our hut.

On October 28, 2023, we took a boat to a nearby island to search for pygmy hippos, a rare and endangered species.

We had a local guide and a map, but it still took a few tries to find the hippos on the deserted island.

We hiked through long grass that felt like tracking lions in Kenya.

Even the shape of the trees looked like the African savannah.

We hiked for an hour or so, in the humid heat.  Mike was always out front, with the guides, as the 70 and 80-year-olds, however, fit, trooped behind.  

Part of the trail was marshy and, at one point, we were up to water and mud to our knees.  As we emerged from that pond, one tour member had a leech hanging off his calf!  Another got bitten on her foot--the guide  assumed it was a snapping turtle.

I had never seen petunias growing wild.  They are native to Africa.

We saw growths on trees and brown balls hanging from trees--bird and insect nests.

Finally, the hippos!  There were six or more of them, basking in a pond and peering at us curiously.  They didn't get out of the water, so we weren't sure how small, or "pygmy" they were.