18 Days Great Empires of West Africa Tour Package
Duration : 18 Days / 17 Nights
Priced From : $8,695 pp dbl. occ.
Dates : Feb, Apr, Oct and Nov

Overrun by sands of time, the great civilizations of West Africa await for you to rediscover them. Explore the fabled desert city of Timbuktu, which guards its secrets as the sands of the Sahara come ever closer. Travel off the beaten path to a voodoo market in Benin, where witch doctors buy and sell exotic fetishes and potions. Journey deep into the interior to witness a great procession of tribal kings, adorned in jewels and their best robes. This modern-day exploration of remote West Africa calls to the adventurous and curious traveler who wants to go where few have gone before.

Itinerary

Days 1 - 4 - Depart for Bamako & Timbuktu, Mali

Travel among desert warriors, and explore ancient mosques, distinctive mud dwellings and teeming markets in Bamako and Timbuktu. Trek through the Sahara Desert by camel to meet the Tuareg tribe who welcomes you with colorful dances.

Days 5 - 7 - Mopti, Djenne & Bandiagara

Fly to Mopti to find a bustling fish and salt port at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers. Then visit Dogon cliff villages to discover their unique architecture. Their superstitious culture is famous for their animist beliefs and strange death rituals. Back in Bamako, walk the Maison des Artisans, one of the largest markets in West Africa, and find a treasure to accompany your golden memories of these great empires.

Day 8 - Abidjan, Ivory Coast

The modern and beautiful city of Abidjan is the pearl of the African Riviera. Drive to the Abidjan Plateau, the Cocody residential quarters and visit one of the largest cathedrals in Africa.

Days 9 - 13 - Accra, Kumasi & Cape Coast, Ghana

Visit the Manhyia Palace with time to explore the vibrant Kumasi central market. Experience Durbar, the climax of the Akwasidee Festival, where a procession of chiefs, resplendent in their gold ornaments, drum and dance. In Accra, we will enjoy an authentic dinner in a private Ghanaian home.

Days 14 & 15 - Ouidah, Lome, Togo

Travel along the Bight of Benin and the Slave Coast of Togo where fishing villages dot the scenic coastline. For over a century, in the trading towns of Porto Novo and Ouidah, the Portuguese bartered slaves for guns—mainly to the Caribbean and particularly Haiti. Haitians imported their practice of voodoo from the slaves. In Ouidah, see the Sacred Python Temple, where fetish rituals are performed, and visit a voodoo cemetery.

Days 16 - 18 - Cotonou & Ganvie, Benin

Benin excites everybody’s love for the mysterious and unfamiliar with its title, “the cradle of voodoo.” Shop the unique fetish market in Cotonou. In Ganvie, cruise to bamboo huts built on stilts above the lagoon. The natives of this African version of Venice tend their fishing traps and move about in pirogues (dugout canoes).

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