Extreme Ivory Coast: Chimpanzee Trekking in Taï and Mount Nimba

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This extreme itinerary ventures into two of the most pristine ecosystems in West Africa. It begins in Abidjan, the 'Pearl of the Lagoons', with an initial contact in Banco National Park — a tropical rainforest inside the city. The real challenge begins with the 7-hour transfer to Taï National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the largest remaining expanse of primary rainforest in West Africa. Guided by expert trackers, three days of intense trekking in search of habituated chimpanzee communities — which here use stone tools — and the elusive pygmy hippopotamus. Nights are spent in basic camps inside the park, with the sounds of the rainforest as the only soundtrack. The second phase is the ascent of Mount Nimba (1,752 m), on the border with Guinea and Liberia. Its slopes are home to species found nowhere else: the Nimba viviparous toad, which gives birth to live young instead of eggs, and endemic flora that survives in the high-altitude grasslands. A trip for travelers seeking the impossible: untouched nature in its purest state.