But again, it's desirable to have enough resources to upgrade the hippos!
You gather hippo dwellings, place them in the town, and rebuild the Castle; by turn 121 you'll have 9 bears, then you just need to upgrade and go for G.O.
On the way to G.O., you can grab a couple of cons if they're not far, and Utopia if available.
But going into G.O. without backup is dangerous, although it depends on the guards!