West Africa

West Africa is a cultural and musically journey, incomparable to anywhere else in the world. Dakar is about as far west as you can go in Africa, a city-sized village perched on the Atlantic coast. From here we’ll head inland, making for Bamako, travelling deep into Mali. Signs of a desert people begin to appear when we cross the border – the long robes of the Fulani, or the occasional indigo headdress in the crowd. We overland across Mali to visit the remote Dogon tribe, trekking from village to village.
Turning south we leave Mali, crossing Burkina Faso and going well off the tourist route. We head for the coast, travelling down through Ghana with time to relax on its beautiful beaches to recover from the rigours of desert travel. We drive along the ‘Gold Coast’, through Togo and Benin, heading for Nigeria.
Nigeria is not the easiest place to travel. Roads are rough, things don’t go to plan, and the climate can be uncomfortable – but this African giant has a wealth of attractions. We’ll cross the Jos Plateau and the Afi Mountains before dropping down into the jungle. By the time we reach Cameroon we’re deep in the rainforest, travelling on mud roads that mean digging out the truck when it rains. Douala’s the end of the road for us, and there’s time to hit the beach at Limbe for some R&R after the extraordinary journey we’ve undertaken.