Are you sure its safe?
Isnt there some kind of war going on?
Yes, it is.
Photo: Scott Ramsay
And no, theres not.
But the confusion is somewhat excusable.
Theres this deep fear of it.
Photo: Scott Ramsay
Its where you get strange diseases, and the forest will eat you.
People know more about Antarctica or the moon than they know about this part of the world.
With Kamba, she aims to break through the stereotype.
A view over the Odzala National Park.
Gray parrots screeched overhead, cicadas loudly made their presence known.
Theyve already left, Lepale sighed.
Too many elephants around.
Photo: Andrew Howard
Another hour of bushwhacking followed, down barely-there paths that made the previous trails look like highways.
Suddenly, Lepale picked up pace and sped off into the jungle.
When he reappeared, he gestured for us to follow and mask up.
Photo: Scott Ramsay
On a gnarled tree wrapped in strangler figs, we found a family of seven gorillas having breakfast.
Fat fingers grabbed fistfuls of fruit, sending leaves raining down the forest floor like confetti.
For Bermejo though, the gorillas are just one part of the jungles allure.
A room at Lango Lodge.
There are few people, nobody makes a noise.
Its magic that places like these still exist, and its our responsibility to preserve them.
Those words hit home a few days later, when I waded waist-deep through a swamp colored like Coca-Cola.
The viewing deck at Ngaga Lodge.
While my feet slipped through the muck, a hippo turd, still fresh, brushed past my elbow.
Despite their size, hippos and nimble forest elephants can appear like ghosts from nowhere.
Take in the smells, listen to the sounds, he whispered.
Photo: Andrew Howard
There are few other places where it’s possible for you to feel nature so deeply.
On a grassy patch just ahead, a tusker emerged from the jungle fringe.
Lopes face read with a mix of prudence and excitement.
