#4: [31-Oct-10]

#2: [15-Aug-07]

#1: [12-Mar-02]

11-Feb-2008 -- This is the 7^th of a series of 83 confluence visits during our voyage from Nigeria to Europe and back to Nigeria around the entire African continent. It all started on 28 January at 11N 5E.

Story continues from 11N 2E.

It is 7:30 a.m. and we are leaving the Tanougou Falls where we spent the last two nights and heading for Batia where one of the entrances of the Pendjari National Park is located. We want to drive through the National Park to the other entrance at Porga.

It is a very nice park for West African standards. We saw amongst others elephants, buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodiles, and lots of antelopes and many more animals. When we arrived at the Porga entrance to the park, we where only a couple of kilometres away from the Confluence.

The road leading to the main road bypasses the Confluence by 480 meters. We parked our vehicle and had a nice little afternoon stroll to the Confluence. After completing all the necessary documentation, we left for Tanguiéta and further on to Natitingou where we spent the night.

The next morning we went to the Somba country on the border to Togo. The fascinating about the Betamaribé people are their houses called "tata somba". They look like miniature-fortified castles. The ground floor is reserved for the animals. The intermediate level is where the kitchen is. From there, you ascend to the roof where there are rooms for sleeping and a terrace. The Betamaribé have avoided Christian and Islamic influences and most of them are devout animists. They still hunt with bow and arrows.

Continued at 9N 2E.