Mandina Bolong, Makasutu, The Gambia

2019-01-12: Makasutu Culture Forest, Snapshot of the Gambia. Bush walk, boat ride, amazing landscape and wildlife.

Makasutu Culture Forest is a private nature reserve of 405 hectares on the banks of a side arm of the Gambia (the bolong of Mandina). The guided day tour allows you to discover the variety of fauna and flora of the region. Mangrove, rainforest, savannah, marsh etc. That's what makes the site so fascinating.
We must also emphasize the quality of the guides on this site. Ours, Suleyman, has an answer to each of our questions (except the length of lianas).

The mangrove. A very particular ecosystem in a very salty aquatic environment. The various mangroves are the only trees that can live and grow in such an environment. There are three types: blacks, whites and reds. The reds live in the water and have aerial roots (root-stilts) that allow them to settle in the mud as on piles. They remove salt from the water through these roots. Black mangroves live on the edge of the water or in shallow waters. They also eliminate salt by their roots. White mangroves are found in relatively dry areas and it is through their leaves that they remove salt, we can see for ourselves by tasting the droplets on the leaves.

The fruit of the white mangrove

The white mangrove eliminates salt by its leaves (these are very salty)

Sulayman, our guide and Christine

African Kiwi. Gingerbread.

Termites mound

In the reserve

The mangrove

The mangrove

Thierry and the mangrove

Cashew trees allée

Cashew tree leaves

Palm wine collecting

The bollong

With the pirogue on the bolong

Marsh Sandpiper / Chevalier stagnatile / Teichwasseläufer

Spur-winged Lapwing / Vanneau éperonné / Spornkiebitz

Senegal Thick-Knee / Oedicnème du Sénégal / Senegaltriel

oyster fishermen

Pavian