Treehouse in Kakum National Park

The trotro ride went well after waiting. We arrived at Kakum National Park around 4 pm and had an overpriced dinner. All the staff then left the park and we were all alone - our guide didn't arrive until 6:30 pm. It was already dark when we made our way to the treehouse, which was deep in the rainforest, about 1.5-2 km away. After 20 minutes of walking, we suddenly heard a gunshot very close by. We stopped and our guide said 'Turn off the flashlight!' and suddenly we were in complete darkness. It was a bit scary, especially because there are larger animals like leopards, elephants, and monkeys in the nature reserve. So I grabbed Simon's hand and we waited for about 5 minutes until we turned the lights back on and continued walking. We still don't know if it was a poacher or another guide protecting themselves from an animal.

When we arrived at the treehouse, we dropped off our things and were about to go on a night safari. But first, I had to use the toilet. I took the flashlight and walked 100 meters. I immediately got a huge scare. There was a 10 cm long grasshopper sitting on the toilet bowl of the outhouse (they were really big and their antennae were as long as their whole body! I should have taken a picture..). When the insect saw the light, it jumped into the toilet and there were 3 more insects sitting there! I quickly turned around and went back to the others. 'That was quick,' Simon said to me and I told him that I couldn't use that toilet😅🙈 The guide told me to go before the one-hour tour. So Simon came with me to the toilet upstairs so I would have light and to scare away the insects. There was another toilet that I thought was better at first. But when I was about to take off my pants, a mouse ran in front of my feet. Although I'm not afraid of mice, because I was already tense and jumpy, I panicked and ran out of the toilet😂 Simon just laughed at me! Another level in our relationship reached😅 In the end, I somehow overcame my fear and managed to use the toilet.

The hike started at 8 pm and lasted a little over an hour. We heard a lot of strange noises, especially from grasscutters (maybe there's a video of it somewhere). The lighting was also unusual. The full moon barely shone through to us, so it was pitch black when we turned off the flashlight. But the sky was constantly flashing. It didn't thunder or rain, so we found it unusual. Unfortunately, we didn't see much while walking through the rainforest. Apart from a firefly, Simon also spotted a huge fat rat (I'm not exaggerating! As big as a Dachshund). Overall, it was exciting and frightening at the same time. At times, we had to turn off the light and scaredy-cat me immediately grabbed Simon's hand again. Dealing with the insects was also a bit annoying: despite mosquito repellent, some 10 cm long insects flew into your face, and every now and then, one of us would shake it off until it went away.

By 10 pm, we were in our 'beds' in the treehouse: a mattress full of holes on the floor + a mosquito net with holes in it too. Well then, goodnight! And hopefully, I won't have to use the toilet anymore!🙈