Gambia, Bassari Country and Casamance

Travel day.

Pick-up and welcome at Banjul airport.

Direct transfer to the accommodation in Sanyang Beach.

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

We leave in the morning for Serrekunda, the largest town in The Gambia, just 3 km from the coastal resorts. It has all the typical features of a city, with the bustle of everyday Gambian life. We visit the traditional market.

We continue to Lamin Lodge, a wooden restaurant built over the water where the monkeys steal the show.

After lunch, we carry on to Tanji, the largest fishing village in the country. It is a unique experience that lets us see African life and the daily work of local people, enjoy the arrival of the fishermen and watch the fish-smoking process.

After this, we head inland and spend the night in Kassagne.

Accommodation: Abcas Creek Lodge

After breakfast, and after enjoying the surroundings of the accommodation, we head for Tendaba.

Depending on arrival time, we have lunch on the way or at the accommodation.

In the afternoon we take a ride in a traditional boat, crossing the River Gambia and its tributaries to reach Bao Bolon Wetlands National Park.

We have the chance to spot a huge variety of birds and, with luck, the odd crocodile.

Accommodation: Tendaba Camp or similar

We leave Tendaba early, heading for Soma (in central Gambia, on the south bank), crossing the River Gambia by the Senegambia Bridge to reach Farafenni, where we stop to see its market.

We continue to Wassu, where we visit the stone burial circles, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

Back on the road, we have lunch on the way to Kuntaur, where we take a boat to cruise River Gambia National Park, where we may spot chimpanzees (3 of the Baboon Islands are home to these primates thanks to the conservation project under way there). During the crossing we may also see hippos, birds and baboons.

We carry on to Janjangbureh Island, crossing the river on the local ferry.

Accommodation: GTHI or similar.

Today is a long day in the car, so we have an early breakfast (around 6 am) and then set off for Mako, passing through Basse and crossing the border into Senegal at Velingara.

We continue by road towards Tambacounda, stopping at Darsalam for lunch.

We carry on across Niokolo-Koba National Park before reaching Mako, where we sleep in an eco-camp beside the River Gambia, which runs through the park.

With a little luck we will see animals as we cross the park. After a short rest, we set off later on a walking excursion in search of hippos.

Back to the camp.

Accommodation: Badian eco-camp (community-run) or similar

After breakfast, we head for the Bassari villages. After leaving our bags at the hotel, we make a short stop at Kédougou market, where you can do some shopping before heading into the villages.

We drive about 25 km inland from Kédougou to Bandafassi, where we begin a trek of about an hour, climbing a hill of around 540 m. We reach the village of Iwol, where we see the most traditional way of life in the country.

Back to Kédougou, where we stay overnight

Accommodation: Hotel Relais Bedick or similar

After breakfast we head to the Peul villages in Dindefelo. From here, we start a trek up Dande mountain.

On the way we visit some caves and reach the goal of our trek, the Dindefelo waterfall. Here you can swim and relax in the natural pool of this impressive setting.

The Dindefelo waterfall is 115 metres high and forms a natural border with Guinea.

We eat a picnic lunch during the trek.

We return to the camp, where our vehicle waits to take us back to Kedougou.

Accommodation: Hotel Relais Bedick or similar

After breakfast, we leave for Vélingara, crossing Niokolo-Koba park again.

Along the way we stop to visit Malinke villages, where gold is mined daily (except Mondays and Fridays).

We have lunch on the way or on arrival in Vélingara, depending on how long it takes us to get there.

After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we visit the town market.

Accommodation: Hotel Lew Lewal or similar

We leave Velingara in the morning for the capital of the Casamance, Ziguinchor.

On the way we cross fields of groundnuts, millet, maize and rice, and you will soon notice that we are entering one of the most beautiful and pleasant parts of the country, for its climate, its people and its atmosphere in general.

After roughly 4 hours on the road we reach Ziguinchor, where we visit the city and have lunch.

After lunch we continue towards Seleky, where we spend the night

Accommodation: Solidarity camp or similar

After breakfast we set off on a boat trip along the tributaries of the Casamance towards Eloubaline.

In Eloubaline a local guide shows us the village, its streets, its sacred places and its fetishes, which protect the village in the traditions of animist culture. We also visit the impluvium houses, designed to collect rainwater.

After the visit we return to the boat and head for Edioungou, where our driver will be waiting to take us to Oussouye, where we spend the night.

Oussouye is a very important community of the Diola kingdom. In the afternoon we have an audience with the Diola king, who tells us about his life and how he was chosen.

Accommodation: chez Pierre, Aljoe or similar

We leave OUSSOUYE after breakfast for Mlomp, a village whose inhabitants are mostly animist, famous for its architecture and its two-storey adobe houses, unique in West Africa. We visit the local Mlomp museum, housed in an impluvium house, where we are shown the different instruments and tools the Diola people use in their daily lives.

After Mlomp, we continue to Elinkine (a fishing village), where we board a canoe for Carabane island.

When we reach the island, lunch is waiting for us. With our energy restored, we explore the island, admiring its ruined colonial houses, the school, its Breton-style church and the curious Catholic cemetery that runs along the beach.

Accommodation: Camp Chez Bouba or similar

The day starts with a canoe trip towards the mouth of the river. If we are lucky, we may see dolphins on the way.

We pass through the fishing village of Diogué, home to people from several African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, etc.). Because of its geographical position, Diogué was the departure point for the most important irregular emigration in the south of the country.

We take a one-hour walk through the rice fields to earn our lunch: today we eat with a Diola family. After lunch and a good time together, we return to the canoe and head for the small island of Ehidj, where we spend the night.

Accommodation: Camp Chez Leon

After breakfast, we take the canoe to Katakalousse, where we meet our driver and head for Cap Skirring.

On the way, we stop at Boucotte to visit the Diola culture museum.

Our final destination is Kabrousse, the last village of the Casamance on the coast. After settling into the accommodation, we visit the village and stroll around its craft market before returning to the hotel, where we can enjoy the pool and the sunset on the beach.

Accommodation: Hotel Maya or similar

After breakfast we head back to The Gambia.

We stop at Brikama, the second-largest city in The Gambia, to visit its wood-craft market, where you can buy traditional souvenirs and watch the wood being carved.

Afterwards we head for the accommodation in Sanyang to enjoy the lovely beach and surroundings a little longer. You can take a walk to the spot where the fishermen gather and smoke fish in Sanyang.

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

Free morning to make the most of the beautiful beach and the surroundings of the accommodation. You can take a walk to the spot where the fishermen gather and smoke fish in Sanyang.

Transfer to the airport.