Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau - Colours of West Africa

Itinerary

Day 1 – Bissau
Arrive in Bissau and transfer to your hotel. Depending on your time of arrival, there may be time to explore the city. Overnight Hotel Azalai or similar.

Day 2 – Bolama – Bijagos Islands
Tides permitting, travel across the sea to Bolama, the former capital of Portuguese Guinea and dotted with delightful old colonial buildings. We are likely to be the only western visitors here. Continue on to the island of Canhabaque, where we camp on the beach. (BLD)

Day 3 - Canhabaque
Explore Canhabaque, a very traditional island where women still wear skirts made from palm fibres. Life in the villages here is characterised by ancient customs and secret ceremonies. We may be able to visit the ‘monastery’ where local men are initiated for seven years into the local beliefs and practices. Later we transfer to the island of Rubane. Overnight bungalows. (BLD)

Day 4 – Orango Island
Cruise to Orango Island, known for its unique saltwater hippos as well as crocodiles. We spend the day cruising along the mangrove fringed coastline looking for these animals. The hippos can be quite elusive and if the local guide is unable to locate their tracks we will visit the village of Okinka Pampa, known for its matrilineal tombs, instead. Overnight bungalows. (BLD)

Day 5 – Poilao National Marine Park
Travel to Ilha dos Cavalhos, with its nesting colonies of herons, pelicans and storks. We then head to Ilha de Poilao, known for its beaches upon which green turtles congregate to lay their eggs. In the evening, accompanied by a local naturalist we will walk on the beach to witness the turtles coming to lay their eggs in the sand, watching dozens and sometimes even hundreds of turtles coming ashore. Overnight bush camp. (BLD)

Day 6 - Canthalez
Travel back to the mainland and to the estuary of Rio Cumbija, the only way to reach land through a landscape of swamps and mangrove forests. We will then join our 4x4 vehicle to begin the inland part of our expedition in one of the most remote parts of West Africa. The track becomes a small path surrounded by walls of vegetation as we enter the Canthalez forest. We stay in a village where a new eco –tourism project involves the local community in managing our campsite. The area is rich in monkeys including the rare and beautiful colobus. In the evening, local Tanda and Nalu people will perform some spectacular traditional dances. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 7 – Chimpanzee tracking - Bafata
Rise early and accompanied by local rangers we walk through the forest, looking for one of the many groups of chimpanzees to be found here. Later we drive through forest to the small town of Bafata to spend the night. Overnight Hotel Triton or similar. (BLD)

Day 8 – Etiolo
Drive through Guinea to reach Senegal, on remote and sometimes difficult tracks. We spend the night in the remotest part of Senegal in the country of the Bassari people. Overnight La Vallee Heureuse or similar. (BLD)

Days 9-10 - Bedick and Bassari tribes
Spend two days discovering the most remote tribes of Senegal. Protected by mountains and rivers, on the border between Senegal and Guinea, we find the last animist tribes of the country, the Bedick and Bassari, who have maintained their traditional culture and religion in the face of an ever encroaching Islamic presence. This is a unique insight into a fascinating ethnic group. Overnight Hotel Le Bedick or similar. (BLD)

Day 11 – Malinke and Fulani villages
We follow a small track, climbing the Tambaoura escarpment across canyons and rocky hills and past beautifully decorated villages. We may be lucky enough to be meet Malinke and Fulani villagers and be invited into their homes. Overnight camping. (BLD)

Day 12 – Bamako
Return to Bamako and transfer to the airport for departure. (BL)