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Travel in West Africa is often challenging, and you'll need a well-developed sense of adventure to overland through the region. Beginning on Ghana's Gold Coast we'll head for Togo, where voodoo is still very much a way of life. Crossing this long, thin country we make for Benin where we'll stay in a stilt village, visit Ouidah, a poignant former slaving port, and explore Abomey, the former royal capital. It gets even more adventurous as we cross into Nigeria, visiting a wildlife reserve and heading up to the Jos Plateau. We'll travel right the way across this African giant, skirting the edge of the Afi Mountains - home to drill monkeys and chimpanzees - before crossing the border into Cameroon, overlanding through the rainforest on mud roads to Douala and the end of this epic trip.

what's included?

Week 1: Ghana & Togo

• Explore the Ghanaian slaving forts at Elmina Beach and Cape Coast
• Accra and the beaches of the Gold Coast
• Visit to the stunning jungles of Kakum Nat. Park including an amazing canopy trek
• Discover voodoo, a religion firmly embedded in local culture, amongst the jungle-clad hills of Mount Klouto

Week 2: Togo & Benin

• 2 nights to relax on Benin's Grand Popo Atlantic beaches, meeting the local fishermen
• Local pirogue dugout trip across Lac Togo to Togoville
• Afternoon visit to Ganvie, where fishermen live in stilt houses on a marine lagoon
• Guided city tour of the voodoo centre of Togoville
• Discover the history of slavery at the Ouidah 'Route des Esclaves'

Week 3: Central Nigeria

• 2 nights in Abomey, capital of the Dan Homey Kingdom with guided tour of Palace and Museum
• Overland through southern Nigeria to Jos Plateau
• Big game safari in Yankari NP, Nigeria's best wildlife reserve. Stay at the beautiful hot springs

Week 4: Southern Nigeria & Cameroon

• Jungle mayhem: drive dirt roads into Cameroon's rainforests, digging out when it rains
• 3 night stay at the Drill Ranch Monkey Conservation Project in the Afi Mountains
• Overland through Nigeria to the Afi Mountains, the edge of the rainforest

Week 5: Cameroon

• More R&R on the white sands of Kribi Beach
• Explore Douala, the capital of Cameroon
• Time for some R&R on the black sand of the Atlantic beaches at Limbe

what can I do on the way?

(Activities available at extra costs)

• Day's guided butterfly walking safari through forests of Mont Klouto
• Night walk with local Turtle conservationists along Benin's Atlantic beaches
• Jungle trip to visit the Pygmy villages around Lolodorf

General Notes:

Because of the nature of this tour, the itinerary may well vary from that published. This trip will involve crossing remote areas and there will be an element of discomfort. This is a tough but very rewarding trip.

Kitty does not cover food while staying in hotels and hostels. All kitties are quoted in USDs, however in North and West Africa, Euros are much easier to use. Please ensure you bring Euros and not USDs for the kitty and for personal spending. The exchange of USD to Euro for the kitty will be decided by the tour leader on Day 1 of the trip.