“We’re starting in a place I know well,” says Fay. “I’ve spent the last ten years there, in the Congo Basin. It’s very flat terrain, one with lots of swamps and sandy soils.”

From a dense, dry forest the team will move to a wooded area with many clearings. These open areas lure forest elephants, buffalo, and other large animals. Pushing through the woods, Fay and company should encounter gorillas, chimpanzees, leopards, and ten species of monkeys.

The team will also encounter signs of human influence, for this polygon is among the most heavily developed places on the Congo Trek route. Just last year, loggers razed nearly a third of the unprotected forest.