Outamba Kilimi National Park
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Outamba-Kilimi National Park
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 Entrance to the national park |
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| location | Sierra Leone |
| surface | 1109 km² |
| WDPA ID | 7417 |
| Geographical location | 9 ° 46 ' N , 12 ° 2' W |
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| Setup date | 1986 (1995) |
| administration | National Protected Area Authority |
The Outamba Kilimi National Park ( English Outamba Kilimi National Park ) is located in the northwest of Sierra Leone near the border with Guinea . As one of only a few national parks in the country, it is one of the tourist highlights of a trip to Sierra Leone. Founded in 1986 (national park since 1995), the landscape is characterized by wet savannah and primary forest regions with a few hills (including Outamba ) and numerous rivers (including Kilimi ).
The park is divided into the two areas Outamba (741 km²) and Kilimi (368 km²), which are a few kilometers apart. The common traveler will mostly stay in the Outamba area.
The park can be reached with an off-road vehicle (absolutely necessary) via Makeni and Kamakwie . A bottleneck is the short ferry connection over the Little Scarcies River. On the other side you can see a sign that leads (on the right) to the national park. This is where the camp and the Visitors Center are located.
fauna and Flora
During the 10-year civil war, numerous animals in the national park were killed by the rebels for food. This also includes many species protected by international agreements. However, in the last five years the population of most animal species has developed very positively.
There are nine species of monkeys in the national park, including the chimpanzee , the red and black- and -white colobus monkeys, and the soot streak are classified as threatened. According to the last 2010 census, the chimpanzee population in the national park is given as more than 1000.
Outamba-Kilimi is one of the last large animal species retreats in West Africa . Here live hippos and with some luck you can see elephants , leopards , bongos and crocodiles and several duiker species.
The national park is a paradise for ornithologists . At least 105 bird species have been identified.
Touristic
In the national park you can spend the night in a few permanently installed tents with shared sanitary facilities. You have to bring your own food. From here you can take part in organized canoe tours and hikes through the tropical rainforest and wet savannah.
Outside the park, about 15 kilometers away, in Kamakwie, there are very simple accommodations. There are marked hiking trails in the national park and guided canoeing and hiking tours can be undertaken. There is no electricity or drinking water.
See also
Web links
- World Database on Protected Areas - Outamba-Kilimi National Park (English)
- World Database on Protected Areas - Outamba-Kilimi National Park (English)
- Official site of the National Park (English) ( Memento of 18 June 2016 Internet Archive )