INTRODUCTION
Discover the very best of West Africa on this journey of extremes. Travelling through three very different nations, we experience diverse cultures and traditional religions, amazing natural attractions and unique architectural styles, welcoming and friendly people and vibrant local music. From the Gulf of Guinea to the remote nomadic lands in the north of Burkina Faso, we visit fetish markets and python temples, spend a night in a traditional stilt village, witness fire-dancing and mask ceremonies and even have the chance to spot big game in northern Benin. We may even be granted an audience with King Maiga Belko at Arabinda.
CELESTIAL CHURCHES, PYTHON TEMPLES AND ROYAL PALACES
From Togo's vibrant capital Lome, dominated by an eclectic mix of traditional faiths and Christianity, we head east along the Atlantic coast into Benin. The old slave trade post of Ouidah is considered the spiritual capital of voodoo and we visit the python temple and Portuguese fort. At Lake Nokwe we take a boat to the stilt village of Ganvie and are privileged to spend a night in this traditional fishing community. Next it's onto the Royal Palace and UNESCO world heritage site at Abomey and the nearby village of cove where may be lucky enough to witness the remarkable spectacle of a Gelede mask ceremony.
FORESTS, FIRE DANCES AND GAME-VIEWING
Returning to the lush landscapes of central Togo we travel to Kloto and spend time walking in its forests with a local entomologist. Then we head north through the varied territories of many local peoples including the Tem famous for their fire dance rituals and the Bassar whose striking conical roofed clay houses dominate the landscape. We enter the land of the Tamberma and Somba in northern Benin who live in fortified dwellings similar to medieval castles and spend a day trekking and discovering the many varied communities and ethnic groups of the area. Our time in Benin ends in the grasslands of Pendjari National Park where we may spot elephant, buffalo, antelope and even lion.
SAVANAH, DESERT AND NOMADS
Crossing into Burkina Faso, we continue north through the Gourma and Mossi regions to reach Bani with its impressive adobe mosques. Gorom Gorom is our next stop with its weekly market providing lively trade between the nomad herders and sedentary farmers at a point where savannah meets the harshness of the Sahara desert to the north. We continue into this uncertain land to visit the nomad settlements of the Fulani, Songhay and Bella people. At Arabinda we may be received by King Maiga Belko before arriving in the Ouahigouya, the ancient capital of the Mossi kingdom of Yatenga. Our tour ends in Burkina Fasos lively and dusty capital, Ouagadougou.
Included
