West Africa Grand Expedition

Trip Highlights

• Cross the Sahara Desert from north to south, transitioning from arid sand dunes to lush sub-Saharan savannahs, forests, and coastal islands.

• Navigate the high ranges of Erg Chegaga and the dry Salt Lake of Iriki in 4×4 vehicles to seek out rare white addax antelopes and ancient fossils.

• Board fishing boats to explore the emerald waters of the Naila salt lagoon alongside migrating paleo-arctic birds.

• Retrace trans-Saharan trade routes through remote Mauritanian stone citadels and oases like Chinguetti, Ouadane, and Terjit.

• Spend two nights camping under the stars in a fully equipped mobile Bedouin tented camp in the Western Sahara desert.

• Cruise the Bijagos Archipelago by speedboat to discover isolated island tribes and witness the Vaca Bruto mask dancing ceremony.

• Attend an exclusive musical performance by the Griots, a lineage of Malinké storytellers dating back to the 12th-century Mali Empire.

• Meet with chiefs and elders in a council gathering inside a grass-roofed clay roundhouse on the Fouta Djalon mountain massif.

• Traverse deep jungle terrain to cross spectacular, traditionally engineered liana bridges leading to hidden villages of initiates.

• Witness West African spiritual traditions, including the ritual trances of Voodoo ceremonies in Togo and Benin and the spinning Zangbeto mask cult performances.

• Explore European coastal fortifications and slave trade hubs, including Elmina Castle, Cape Coast, and Ouidah’s Door of No Return.

• Journey by motorised boat across Lake Nokwe to explore Ganvié, a massive African village built entirely on stilts.

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