Day 1 – Dakar
Arrive in Dakar and transfer to the hotel. Overnight Hotel Djoloff or similar.
Day 2 - Dakar – Goree Island
Spend the morning exploring Dakar and experiencing urban West Africa, before boarding a ferry to visit nearby Goree Island, once a centre of the slave trade. Explore the historic sights of Goree with its colonial architecture and colourful markets. Overnight Hotel Municipal or similar. (BLD)
Day 3 - Goree Island - Lac Rose – Lampoul Desert
Leave the island and continue to Lac Rose. A shallow salt lake surrounded by dunes, the high concentration of minerals sometimes gives it a pink hue. Explore the surrounding area then out into the desert later in the afternoon, where we spend the night at a tented camp. (BLD)
Day 4 - Saint Louis
Continue to the atmospheric town of St Louis, once the capital of French West Africa. Spend the day exploring its streets by traditional caleche (horse and carriage). Overnight Hotel La Poste or similar. (BLD)
Day 5 - Djoudj National Park – Fulani Villages
Travel to Djoudj National Park with its incredible bird life. We discover vast flocks of pelicans, flamingos and more. Afterwards we head out into the Ferlo desert, home to the semi-nomadic Fulani people. We have the opportunity to meet them and learn about their unique culture, centred around livestock and grazing. Overnight in simple huts. (BLD)
Day 6 - Touba
Drive to Touba, a stronghold of the Mourid Islamic brotherhood and considered to be a sacred town in Senegal. Spend the rest of the day exploring the town and learning about the spiritual traditions of Islam in Senegal. Overnight Relais de Kaolack or similar. (BLD)
Day 7 - Sine Ngayene – Banjul
Drive to Sine Ngayene, an astonishing megalithic site of over a thousand carved stones arranged into fifty two circles, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From here we cross the border into the Gambia and take a ferry across the river, to transfer to our hotel on the outskirts of Banjul. Overnight Atlantic Hotel or similar. (BLD)
Day 8 - Banjul – Casamance
Spend the morning in the company of an ornithological guide, looking for birds in the large park by the hotel – this is home to over 70% of the species that live in the country. We then visit the National Museum with its exhibits on local archaeology and history, before crossing back into Senegal and the lush Casamance region. Overnight Hotel Kadiandoumange or similar. (BLD)
Day 9 - Ziguinchor
Spend the day exploring the culture of the Dioula people, meeting the king of the oldest Dioula kingdom. With his permission we learn about the animistic customs that hold sway here and venture into a sacred forest where we may be lucky enough to see traditional rituals taking place. Return to Ziguinchor for the night. Overnight Hotel Kadiandoumange or similar. (BLD)
Day 10 - Quinhamel
Cross into Guinea-Bissau. We visit the villages of the local Manjaco people, and see their sacred wooden sculptures, then continue to Quinhamel for the night. Overnight Hotel Mar Azul or similar. (BLD)
Days 11-13 – Bijagos Islands
Sail to the Bijagos Islands, a magical and unique world of authentic tribal traditions and unusual wildlife. First visit the island of Bolama, once a colonial capital but now largely abandoned, its Portuguese buildings slowly being taken over by vegetation and goats. From here continue to Rubane, our base for three nights. We spend our time exploring this area and learning about the customs of the local people, some of the most traditional in this part of West Africa. Overnight Ponta Anchaca Lodge. (BLD)
Day 14 - Bissau
Return to the capital Bissau, where we have time for a quick look around the lively old quarter, with its traditional Portuguese architecture, before having dinner and transferring to the airport for your onward flight. (BL)
Please note
Please note: We will not return to Bissau until the afternoon and so you should not book any flight before the evening.
Included in price:
- Airport transfers
- Accommodation – as listed in the dossier. The nature of the destinations that we operate may sometimes mean that we need to change hotels, but we’ll always endeavour to keep the same standards. Please be aware that as we operate in many countries where tourism is in its infancy, hotel standards may not be the same as you’re used to elsewhere.
- Guides – In most cases you will be accompanied by one guide from start to finish. However there may be occasions when this is not practical, for example if your trip covers a number of different countries. In these cases it often makes more sense to include different guides for each place, to take advantage of their specific knowledge of the destination.
- Meals – As listed within the itinerary / dossier (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner).
Entrance fees – Entrance fees are listed for those sites that we mention within the itinerary. If there are any other sites that you’d like to see, these would be at your own expense.
Not included:
- Visas
- Airport taxes
- International flights
- Travel Insurance
