The car ride to Boali waterfalls (Des Chutes de Boali) took a little over 1 hour. The waterfalls were full after the rains and they looked spectacular. The area nearby is touristy, with a hotel and a bar, and with many locals who swarm around every visitor trying to sell them something or to help up and down the stairs and to earn a few franc. It is possible to go to the river below, although the rocks are slippery at the bottom of the falls.
On the fourth day, a half of our group left the CAR. The remaining 5 people including me went to the pygmies’ village near Mbaiki. This area is known for its timber industry.
The villagers danced for us. Some did it with a gusto while others just went through the motions. They were paid for their performance of course.
Somehow, our guide Steve miscalculated the time that we needed to reach the village from Bangui. His estimate was 4 hours one way and not doable in 1 day. We were supposed to stay in the village’s guest house which would have been very basic accommodation. The drive actually took only 1.5 hours and the group happily returned in the afternoon to our Ledger Plaza Hotel where power outages continued daily but at least it had plumbing and comfortable beds.