This national park in Ivory Coast has one of the last remaining areas of rainforests in West Africa. Located 100km off the coast of the Atlantic, Tai National Park also marks a natural border with Liberia with rivers Sassandra and Cavally crossing at this point. On the nortern birder is N’zo Faunal reserve and Buyo dam. Other rivers such as N’zo, Little Hana, Hana and Meno drain their water south west in river Cavally
The forest reserves and the park cover an estimated 4, 540sq km and 33,000sq respectively. It was gazetted as reserve in 1926 and later in 1972; it was raised to the status as a national park in Ivory coast. In 1978, the park was recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere reserve and consequently in 1982, it was named a heritage site.
Wildlife
There are more than 140 species of mammals in the park including 11 species of primates such as the western red colobus, Diana monkey, chimpanzees, lesser spot-nosed monkey, campbell’s Mona monkey, green colobus,dwarf galago, sooty mangabey and Bosman’s potto among others. Other species of mammals in the park include the fruit bat, giant pangolin, African golden cat, leopard, pygmy hippo, red river hog, bonbgo, duiker, water chevrotain, Liberian mongoose, African forest elephant, swamp rats and other species of small mammals.
More than 250 birds are found in the park some of which include African crowned eagle, hornbill, lesser kestrel, olive greenbul, warblers, guinea fowl, bush-shrike, flycatchers and cuckoo-shrike among others.
The sea coast is ideal to find the slender-snouted crocodile, dwarf crocodile, green turtle, leatherback turtle, hawksbill turtle and the home’s hinge back tortoise among others. There are 40 dofferent species of reptiles and more than 100 different insects.
Travel
The area has two seasons with the rains falling in the months of March to July and later in September to October. The dry season is November to March for the northern part of the park. The coastal region and border of the park has no dry season. The annual temperatures are at an average range of 24-27ºC.
