Korup National Park

Korup covers around thirteen hundred square kilometres of lowland rainforest near the Nigerian border, and it is generally considered one of the oldest and most botanically rich forests in Africa, having survived the dry periods that cleared much of the continent's woodland, with several hundred tree species recorded and a great many found nowhere else. The way in is memorable: a long suspension footbridge over the Mana river, swaying under each step, beyond which the park has no roads at all and everything is walked. Drills, chimpanzees, forest elephants and several monkey species live here, though the forest is dense and sightings are largely of birds, insects and plants.

History

The Korup forest became a native administration forest reserve in October 1937, and in the early 1970s the primatologists Steve Gartlan and Thomas Struhsaker proposed making it a national park; the filmmaker Phil Agland's Korup: An African Rainforest, broadcast in November 1982, brought it to a world audience. It was declared a national park in October 1986 over 1,260 square kilometres, with the first British government grant for rainforest conservation, £440,000, and the Korup Project supported it from 1987 until 2003 (Wikipedia, Korup National Park).

What's there

• The Mana river suspension bridge - the swaying footbridge into the park.
• Ancient lowland rainforest - forest that survived the dry periods.
• Hundreds of tree species - the botanical richness the park protects.
• Drills and forest monkeys - the primates of the canopy.

When to go

December to February in the dry season; the rest of the year this is one of the wettest parts of Africa. Two to four days. Guides and porters are compulsory and arranged at Mundemba.

Good to know

Rain here is extraordinary and trails become deep mud. Everything is walked and carried; there are no roads and only basic camps. Wildlife is heard far more than seen. Getting to Mundemba is a long, rough journey and conditions in the wider region should be checked locally before travelling.

Nearby

Mundemba is south-east; Kumba lies east.

Key facts