Simone's Journey - Quarantine

Quarantine at Tassi

Our last day in the quarantine camp at Tassi is drawing to a close. Initially, five days seemed like an eternity before we could finally enter Ozouga camp and walk into the forest to hopefully spend time with the Rekambo chimpanzees. But I needed to catch up on sleep, and these calm days have really helped me settle into the climate - currently 25 degrees but often accompanied by strong winds and gloomy skies.

Fortunately, we had two bright, sunny days that allowed walks to the Atlantic beach. There we discovered animal trails, watched grey parrots, observed white crabs and hermit crabs, spotted kingfishers, and enjoyed the beautiful interplay of sea and sun.

Tassi itself is one of the first tourist camps, built 17 years ago but unused for a long time. We're allowed to spend our mandatory 5-day quarantine here. It has amazing, truly beautiful scenery with spots perfect for romantic campfires. If you're lucky, you might see elephants, buffaloes, or even a leopard.

Sadly, this good old camp is at the end of its life, on the brink of deteriorating since no one maintains it anymore. We're hoping that in the future, with support and permission from ANPN, we can build a new quarantine facility.

The most sobering sight has been contemplating what to do about the unbelievable amount of human trash contaminating this amazing ecosystem - mainly drinking bottles, shoes, fishing nets, and cosmetic containers washed ashore from ocean vessels and scattered across this otherwise pristine environment.