Fitness
Everyone tells us that they didn't expect to do so much hiking when they signed up. Also, they are surprised how difficult it is to hike even short distances when the trail is rocky, sometimes slippery, and often up and down steep hills. If you are not in great shape, it will take more than long walks on weekends to prepare. Start your fitness program by October at the latest.
Running/jogging is good preparation. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to run 5 km in less than 30 minutes. Stair-climbing or regular mountain hiking helps too.
We move very slowly (1 km/hr) on census, and not much faster when traveling between camps. We move in a group, and never, ever, leave folks behind because they are moving too slowly. We move slower than the rate of the slowest person. However, extreme exhaustion is no fun and can set in very quickly.
Spanish
If you have any Spanish language ability, you'll want to brush up on those skills. Everyone is very grateful if you can speak even a little bit of Spanish.
Census methods
As soon as you get your Bioko Handbook you should color the monkeys. Consult field guides and the photographs on our Website for the correct markings. You should memorize the appearance and names (Latin and common) for each monkey species.
On census in the upper Caldera.
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Expedition volunteer Paul Jaffe helps launch a cayuco at Moraka Beach. Enlarge image
