Posted by Lu Barnham on May 27, 2010 02:12 p.m.
In recent years, wild swimming has become popular in Britain. Books have been published on where you can go to leave the urban chaos behind and return to nature. Even without the added influence of tough economic times, Brits are legendary for their love of holidaying at home, and embracing the great outdoors is much more fashionable than it used to be.
One thing you should know about the island I live on is, however beautiful these wild swimming locations may be, 360+ days of the year, the water is unforgivably cold. However happy the people in the pictures may look, there must be someone just out of the shot waiting with cups of cocoa and hot water bottles. My own British wild swims have so far been limited to dips in the Lake District National Park, and a misguided leap into the Thames. I don’t highly recommend the latter, but both had the same effect – blue lips and the shivers.
But why not take my nation’s rekindled love for the great outdoors to warmer climes; say, the continent of Africa? Six months of on-the-ground research and I can give you these top five destinations. I should mention that a lot of rivers and lakes in Africa would be dangerous to swim in, due to sharp-toothed beasties, diseases, and rapids (not so different from the Thames, after all). The following, however, make excellent destinations whether you swim or not, and give gorgeously natural opportunities to get soaked without the goose pimples.
Wli falls, Lake Volta region
The walk to this spectacular double-drop fall goes through a forest full of big spiders and pineapple plants. The locally grown coffee is so strong that, should you drink a cup for breakfast at a local guesthouse, you’ll be practically hyperactive by the time you reach the water – at least you can burn some energy in the cool, clear pool at the base of this tall waterfall. Watch out for giant ants and colourful butterflies.
Cascades d’Ouzoud, Morocco
In the right season, the area near the base of Morocco’s highest waterfall is good for swimming. In my opinion, this is also a contender for the most beautiful waterfall in the world. Bright sunshine, monkeys leaping in the trees, a rainbow cutting across stunningly clear water as it roars down two levels of rugged red rock, slick with green moss.
Afi Mountain Drill Ranch Environs, Nigeria
The dense forests around the excellent drill conservation centre at Afi Mountain have all sorts of secrets, from a ropeway way above the ground, to beautifully swimmable rivers and pools. (Drills are relations to mandrills; a type of baboon-like primate, hunted ruthlessly but protected in huge enclosures at this awesome conservation project run by Pandrillus.) Listening to birdcalls in the forest and spotting unusually shaped termite mounds as you get lost on little paths leading to the waterways is all part of the fun.
Kpimé Falls, Togo
The smooth wet rocks and pools at the bottom of these high twin falls entice visitors to bathe and play. If you can see through the rising mist, that is.
Karfiguéla Falls, Burkina Faso
There are two reasons to come all the way down to this tiny remote corner of Burkina Faso, only thirty miles from the border with the Cote D’Ivoire – to explore the moonlike Sindou Peaks, and to climb to the top of the rocky falls of Karfiguéla. Explorations reveal secret falls and pools. With the water splashing over your face and running down your back, you come away light and refreshed for days – the best natural massage I’ve ever had!