Communauté rurale de Palmarin Facao
We arrived here late afternoon Thursday and staying for 2 nights before we head off to The Gambia. As usual, we setup the field kitchen and pitched our tents.
The site is a campground and hotel complex right on the coast but having lots of tall mature trees as well. There is a lot of room to camp. I set up my tent under a large palm tree. I left the flysheet off so I could look at the stars through the mesh covering all the inner part of the tent, excepting about a 50cm band by the floor. It was very hot so I slept in my boxers. I woke up at around 4am-ish a bit chilly so I put my silk liner on top.
It only dawned on me later that the palm tree, under whose fronds my tent nestled, had a full crop of coconuts. I wondered what would happen if one decided to hurtle 20 Meters to the ground. I calculated I twould miss my tent. Let’s hope I’m right. I was never good at maths!
(Please click on any thumbnail above to enlarge the whole gallery for full sliding photos)
A thorn punctured my sleeping mat a few nights ago. It was just a small hole so caused a slow puncture. My mattress inflated OK but slowly deflated during the night so I ended up with sore hips. I fixed it yesterday with Gorilla tape and it works a treat. It was still full this morning when I awoke.
We had a barbecue around the fire for evening meal. It was also a birthday party for Ben, a really sweet German guy on our trip. He was 41.
It was so hot that a lot of us hung around the cafe bar area and read, snoozed, updated journals etc. I went for two walks.
Here are some factoids from WikiVoyage:
Palmarin is rural community running along a 17km peninsula on the most southern stretches of Senegal’s Petite Côte. To the west are the sandy beaches skirting the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Located to the east is the protected National Reserve de Palmarin, a patchwork delta consisting of mangrove channels, salt flats, grass lands and forest. This unique combination of habitat supports a wide assortment of plant and animal life.
The majority of the area’s residents live in one of five villages, from north to south Ngallo, Ngueth, Gounamane, Diakhanor and Djiffer. The dominant industries in the area are traditional fishing and tourism. Other smaller industries include salt, oyster and clam harvesting. The dominant ethnic group in the area is Sereer, speaking a distinct Soloum area dialect. French and Wolof are secondary languages also commonly spoken.
Since the designation of the Réserve Naturelle Communautaire de Palmarin in 2001, protection of the 10,430 hectares which make up the region has been a top priority for local as well as international organizations.
The region is home to a plethora of fauna and flora including hyenas, jackals, as well as a wide range of resident & migrant birds, as well as ancient baobabs and critical mangrove systems.
Cultural treasures also rest in the reserve. Ancient mounds of clams shells, collected by early inhabitants of the region, dot the landscape, some up to thirty meters high.
Due to the historical and archeological significance of these sites, the reserve has received a special designation from UNESCO in hopes of protecting the area. Today, the reserve serves as both a place for animal as well as human activities. Under the surveillance of the Direction des Parcs Nationaux, some traditional uses of the land such as salt collection, farming and cattle grazing are still allowed. However, there has been a general move to utilize the pristine nature of the area primarily as an attraction for the developing local tourism industry. Such a move provides sources of alternative income for the local people and reduces the pressure to source wood for fuel or land for agriculture from within the reserve. For tours of the reserve, contact the Office of Ecotourism or the local assembly of Eco-Guards.
About Author
