After a fairly uncomfortable first night, things improved considerably: a much better night’s sleep, another good breakfast and an encounter with a boa to get the day started – our last day in camp.

We headed out for our hike, this time a shorter one, setting off directly from the camp. After about an hour, we reached the Piscine Bleu and Piscine Noir (the two are about 50m apart) – two natural pools both offering the opportunity for a refreshing dip. On the way back, some of us – myself included – took a little detour to visit the Cascade des Nymphes. Eventually, we made it back to camp, where the local population of ring-tailed lemurs was waiting to provide some more entertainment.

Another good lunch followed, before it was time to pack up and leave our temporary home in the national park. Well, most of the packing and cleaning had already been taken care of for us. Back at the bus, we headed out of the park and returned to the hotel (with a short stop at the local supermarket on the way). Time for a proper pool, a warm shower and, naturally, some more Rhum Arrangé – this time the Pok-Pok (physalis) variety.

Dinner brought another culinary highlight: meatballs. And fairly good ones, too – easily beating IKEA’s famous Köttbullar. After two days in the wilderness, the hotel comforts felt particularly good – even if the meatballs were arguably the real highlight.