Benoue National Park

Benoue covers around eighteen hundred square kilometres of wooded savanna along the Benoue river in the north, designated a biosphere reserve in 1981 and forming part of a larger complex of parks and hunting zones that together make up one of the more significant savanna landscapes in west and central Africa. The river and its pools hold hippopotamus and crocodile and concentrate animals in the dry season, when kob, waterbuck, roan antelope, hartebeest and buffalo come to drink, followed by the predators. Elephants pass through. Tracks run through the park from a small camp, and the drier months from December are the only practical time to drive them.

History

The area was set aside as a wildlife reserve in 1932, made a national park in 1968, and became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1981. It covers 1,800 square kilometres, with more than 100 kilometres of frontage on the Bénoué river forming its eastern boundary (Wikipedia, Bénoué National Park).

The landscape

• Hippos in the river pools - the water that concentrates dry-season wildlife.
• Kob, roan and hartebeest - the antelope of the wooded savanna.
• Riverside gallery forest - the green strip along the Benoue.
• Dry-season game tracks - the routes through the park.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, when tracks are passable and animals concentrate at water. Two to three days. Guides are compulsory and arranged at the park entrance.

Things to know

Wildlife numbers here have fallen and sightings are far thinner than in East African parks. Tracks are rough and the wet season closes them entirely. Facilities are basic. Conditions in the wider northern region should be checked locally before travelling.

Nearby

Garoua is north; Bouba Ndjida lies east.

Key facts