Nki National Park

Nki covers around three thousand square kilometres in the far south-east and is among the least visited protected areas in Cameroon, a block of lowland rainforest bounded by the Dja river along its southern side. The Nki falls, where the Dja drops over a rock shelf into a gorge, are the park's named feature and are reached by river. Western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees are present in significant numbers, along with forest elephants and a long list of forest birds, and the low level of human pressure inside the park is what makes those numbers possible. Access is by pirogue and on foot, arranged through operators, and takes days.

History

WWF has worked to protect the area since the 1980s, and the logging companies left the village of Ndongo in 1988, leaving the local economy badly hurt; when a WWF visitor came in the early 1990s she called Nki the last true wilderness. It was named an Essential Protection Zone in 1995 and later made a national park, and its forests, with Boumba Bek, hold some of the highest densities of forest elephants in Africa (Wikipedia, Nki National Park).

The landscape

• The Nki falls on the Dja - the river dropping into a gorge.
• Gorillas and chimpanzees - populations supported by low disturbance.
• Lowland forest with almost no tracks - one of the least visited parks.
• River approaches by pirogue - the practical way in.

When to go

December to February and June to August, when rivers and tracks are most workable. Five to seven days. This is expedition travel and needs an operator, permits and time.

Good to know

It is among the hardest places in the country to reach, involving days of travel by track and river. There is no infrastructure of any kind. Costs are high. Malaria and remoteness from medical care are real risks.

Nearby

Boumba Bek is east; the Dja reserve lies west.

Key facts