Located near the coastal villages of Ifaty and Mangily, Reniala Reserve — also known as the Domergue Reserve — is a 60-hectare protected area preserving one of the last remaining sections of Madagascar’s ancient spiny forest. This extraordinary ecosystem exists nowhere else on Earth and...
We drove slowly from Jinja to Kampala and decided to stop somewhere to explore the Mabira Rainforest. It was pretty unclear where to stop, so we decided to try it in Najembe, where we could find a small car with a driver to go inside the forest.
Our other stop on the way to Kampala was the Mabira Forest, the largest semi-deciduous rainforest in Uganda, situated halfway between Jinja and Lugazi and stretching across 120 sq km. The rainforest is home to 311 tree species, some of which are ancient. Before the 1800s, the forest...
In the afternoon, we took a two-hour walk on the Oloolua Nature Trail. Finding the main gate was easy, so we paid 600 KES in cash (no ticket) and started our walk. They told us it is well marked, but that’s not true, so we recommend taking a picture of the trail map hanging next to...
One of the most popular trails at Dana, and the only one without a guide, is the 14 km-long Wadi Dana Trail. First, we paid the entrance fee to the Dana Biosphere Reserve (🎟️ 10 JOD), and then we started our 5-hour hike from Dana to Feynan Ecolodge. This trail leads downhill but is not as...
We arrived at the charming 15th-century stone village of Dana, which dangles beneath the King’s Highway on a precipice, commanding exceptional views of the valley below. That valley and the surrounding area make up the Dana Biosphere Reserve. The village of Dana has been occupied...
We followed Google to the Ajloun Forrest Reserve Visitors Centre, which was a huge mistake. We ended up on steep, narrow streets in the middle of Ajloun, so we had a tough time driving through and finding the correct direction. After arrival, we found out that the only available unguided...
Yesterday, we arrived late to visit Azraq Wetland Reserve, another RSCN project. They did not allow us to park there overnight, so we drove a few minutes to their lodge, where a friendly receptionist managed to get permission from the manager to stay there. The Azraq Basin comprised a...
We drove around 45 minutes from the border to Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, established in 1975 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). This 22 sq km reserve was created to reintroduce wildlife that has disappeared from the region, most notably the highly endangered...