明凯贝国家公园(Minkébé National Park)藏在加蓬东北部的边境深处,这片占地约7570平方公里的热带雨林是中非地区现存最完整的原始荒野之一。这里自2002年正式建立国家公园以来,始终没有修建任何硬化公路,这种极端的封闭性保护了非洲大陆上极其罕见的森林象群和古老的花岗岩孤峰地貌。如果打算前往这里,意味着要放弃舒适的酒店,准备好迎接一场真正意义上的丛林硬核生存。早期来访的探险者曾在这片土地上记录到超过22000头森林象,虽然盗猎曾一度猖獗,但明凯贝依然是全球观察这种神秘长鼻目动物的最佳地点。
去明凯贝的路上没有沥青,甚至连平整的土路都是奢望。由于加蓬政府为了保护雨林生态的完整性,严禁在核心区修建道路,这使得明凯贝成了地理意义上的孤岛。想进公园,通常需要先从首都利伯维尔(Libreville)折腾到奥果韦-伊温多省的首府马科库(Makokou)。这一段路可以选火车或越野车,如果是雨季,车辆陷在泥坑里耗掉一整天是常有的事。这种交通条件直接劝退了90%的普通游客,留下来的都是为了追求极致荒野体验的专业摄影师或动植物学家。
到了马科库还没完,剩下的路程得靠独木舟。你需要雇佣当地向导,逆着伊温多河(Ivindo River)或其支流向上游划行。这段水路短则两天,长则四天,具体取决于水位高低。沿途你会切身感受到什么是真正的遮天蔽日,河道两旁超过50米高的硬木树冠完全封锁了阳光。说真的,坐在窄窄的木船里连续摇晃七八个小时,腰酸背痛是家常便饭,但当你看到河岸边偶尔露头的矮河马或者大群灰鹦鹉时,这种疲惫会瞬间被兴奋取代。
森林象(Forest Elephant)比草原象体型稍小,象牙更直且略微向下生长,它们是明凯贝的绝对主角。在公园密林深处的天然盐沼地(Bais),这些巨大的生物会成群结队地聚集,用长鼻挖掘富含矿物质的泥土。观察它们的最佳方式不是开车,而是在向导带领下隐蔽在下风向的观测台。在这片常年气温在24到27摄氏度的丛林里,空气湿度经常维持在80%以上,你甚至能听到大象在树丛中行走时树枝折断的巨大爆裂声。明凯贝的森林象对人类非常警惕,这种野性十足的对视与国家公园里半驯化的动物体验完全不同。
如果看腻了地面的泥泞,明凯贝还有独特的景观——孤峰(Inselbergs)。这些巨大的花岗岩体从平坦的雨林中突兀地拔地而起,高度通常在200到300米之间。这些山体是数亿年前地质活动的遗迹,表层覆盖着特殊的耐旱植物。爬上一座孤峰的顶端,你会看到极其震撼的画面:视野所及之处全部是波浪般起伏的深绿色林冠,没有任何现代文明的痕迹,只有偶尔飞过的黑白犀鸟打破宁静。这种孤独感和宏大感,是只有在西非原始丛林才能获得的独特奖赏。
去明凯贝不是开玩笑,医疗保障几乎为零。出发前三个月就要开始接种黄热病疫苗(这是入境加蓬的硬要求),并全程携带抗疟疾药物。丛林里的蜱虫和蚂蟥比猛兽更烦人,所以别穿短裤。建议准备那种快干材质的长袖长裤,并用凡士林涂抹靴子边缘。在那边每天步行的里程可能超过15公里,一双抓地力极强且防水的专业登山靴能救你的命。晚上睡在简易营地里,睡袋和高质量防蚊帐是标配,清晨六点半出发时冷到需要抱着热水杯,但到了中午你又会觉得置身于蒸笼。
钱的问题也得算清楚,明凯贝不是那种廉价的背包客目的地。加蓬国家公园管理局(ANPN)收取的入园门票大约是每天5000中非法郎,但这只是毛毛雨。大头开销在于包船、燃料费以及向导和搬运工的工资。由于补给全部要靠人力运进雨林,一个为期十天的行程,总花费很容易突破3000美元。而且这事儿没法到了现找,必须提前至少一个月联系位于利伯维尔的旅行社或ANPN官方进行报备,否则你连马科库的码头都离不开。
绝对不可以。加蓬法律规定进入明凯贝必须有持证向导陪同,且需获得国家公园管理局的特殊许可。这不仅是为了保护脆弱的生态,更是为了游客安全,在没有信号和道路的7000多平方公里荒野中,一旦迷路几乎没有生还可能。
建议选择6月至8月的大旱季,或者12月至次年1月的小旱季。这段时间降水相对较少,河道虽然水位低导致行船困难,但动物更倾向于聚集在盐沼和水源地,观察到象群和低地大猩猩的概率会从雨季的30%提升到80%以上。
完全没有。离开马科库镇约10公里后,所有移动信号都会消失。如果你需要与外界保持联系,必须租用昂贵的铱星卫星电话。这里是真正的数字排毒区,建议多准备几块相机备用电池,因为营地没有任何充电设施。
Amit Tonge The WWF recognized it as an area needing protection as early as 1989 and has been actively working towards protecting the forest since 1997. The park was established as a provisional reserve in 2000 but the Minkébé National Park itself was officially recognized and established by the Gabonese government in August 2002.[2] It is recognized as a critical site for conservation by the IUCN and has been proposed as a World Heritage Site. In 1997, the WWF initiated a management program and established two main centres of forest command, one at Oyem, the other at Makokou. A central camp was also installed at the mouth of the river Nouna to manage the protected area. The WWF has attempted to create a complex of protected areas in the interzone between Gabon, Republic of the Congo and Cameroon and the Minkebe was intended to become a part of a conservation process on a much broader geographical scale. This interzone is considered one of the most biologically rich forests in Africa and is ecologically a part of the Northwest Congolian Lowland Forest ecoregion, one of WWF's main global ecoregions.[4] This work at a regional level in the interzone between Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and Gabon is known as the Dja- Odzala-Minkébé Tri-National (TRIDOM), where each of the countries have committed themselves to cooperating, implementing and managing the interzone in order to promote conservation and sustainable development. The TRIDOM zone covers 140,000 km2 which equates to approximately 7.5% of the Congo Basin's forests. Although much of the protected area is unspoiled with human intervention, logging of Gabonese redwood trees has increased considerably in recent years where roads have been built and there are two logging concessions in the area which could threaten the park in the future. Other threats to the park include low scale gold mining and hunting for crocodile skin, ivory or meat to sell in the cities of Gabon although this is relatively low. Hunting management is being implemented by a protocol signed within Gabon, between the Gabonese Ministry of Forestry Economy, the Governorate of the Woleu-Ntem Province, Bordamur and the villages in which are directly involved. The protocol acknowledges the interests of conservationists, loggers and local communities on matters relating to hunting and fishing. There is also a management strategy towards hunting activities in the north-eastern periphery of the park between the Ministry of Forestry Economy, the Ministry of Mines, and local representatives.
Moshe Cohen Africa is great
Sayyid Fadel Beautiful
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