Our group

Was 10, including one Canadian, one Aussie, one Kiwi (who lives in the UK) and five Brits. We had one in her 30s, one in her 40s, three 50 somethings, three 60 somethings, Jim at 74 and an 86 year old.

M'bour fishing village

Because fishing boats arrive and depart from this port, a huge market exists. Vendors from all over West Africa bring their goods here: Mali, Ivory
Coast, Burkina Faso. The market was jammed with people.

Fishing boats arriving at M'bour port

JOL and CMC

At Joal, Senegal.

Cemetery at Joal-Fadiout

The mangroves at in the river deltas are a source of oysters. On the same areas are large quantities of mussels. Over centuries, man made islands have been formed from the shells of these products of the sea. Villages have been built on these islands. This is the cemetery of two of these villages, Joal- Fadiout. It is divided into Muslim and Christian areas. French Catholic missionaries settled in Fadiout, so it is largely Catholic. There is a mosque as well. Note, the bodies are buried in shells.

Mangrove sunset

Sine-Saloum Delta, Senegal

Our guide

In the mangroves.

Wassu stone circles

Dating from AD 500 to A D 1000. Thought to be burial sites. In Gambia.

Gambia River tour

Gambia

We've been in and out of Gambia. Gambia is a former British colony completely surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. It was taken by the British so that they could use the Gambia River to transport slaves. (The Brits outlawed slave trade in 1811 and slavery in 1833.) We drove past the village where Kunta Kinte was born (see Alex Haley's Roots). We stayed at Georgetown and did a town tour on foot. We saw the Wesleyan Mission school, founded in 1824. Georgetown became a refuge for freed slaves, including those who
left other colonies.

Parade refreshments

Parade goers

Senegalese Independence Day parade

Became independent on April 4, 1960.

Dindefelo Falls

After a picnic lunch, we walked 45 minutes to a waterfall. I had my suit and put it on, but I was deterred from swimming by my trip mates.

Bedik children

Bedik village

Up early to take a one hour climb up to the Bedik village of Iwol. Very warm walk.

Game run and boat ride

Up at 5:30, breakfast at 6, in the open bed truck for a game run at 6:30. Lots of birds, few animals. Then a 2 hour boat ride on the Gambia River. Next a picnic. This is our audience, green monkeys.
Back in the truck for a 2 hour ride to our bus where we drove for another couple of hours. Our reward? A swimming pool.

Waiting for dinner

Overlooking the Gambia river. Temperature 100 degrees.

Set for dinner

Unfortunately, dinner is nightly at 8. I have adapted well.

Warthog suite

In Wassadou, we stayed in the Warthog suite. It was very hot, at least 100 degrees. No ac.

Ceiling in mosque

Worshipers entering mosque

Dome and minarets

More minarets

Touba door

Touba minaret

Touba worshiper

Touba Mosque

We had a long hard drive from the coast to Wassadou in eastern Senegal on the Mali border.
Part way, we stopped at Touba to see the largest mosque in black Africa.

Boat ride in Djoudj Bird Sanctuary

We saw Gambia Goose, Black Crowned Crane, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black Crowned Crake, Knob-billed Duck, Pied Avocet.
Jackal, Warthogs, Red Monkeys, Crocodile and Monitor Lizard.
But who's counting?

St. Louis

St. Louis, located on the coast to the north of Senegal, was the capital of French West Africa. The colony included what is now Senegal, Mali, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso. Antoine de St. Exupery flew mail here. Our hotel features relics from the French air mail service. This is a view from our balcony.

Fresh fish

These folks are sorting through the fish rejected as too small in a boatload of fish just brought to port St. Louis.

Baobab tree

This one is 1500 years old. One ethnic group buried its dead in baobab trees. Baobab is also a food source.

Nomad family

On the move.

On the road

We left Dakar and traveled north through the desert towards St. Louis. After a couple of hours, we stopped at a pretty hotel and switched to a 4wheel drive open bed truck (24 seater) where
We dune buggied out to a small village.
Back to the hotel, where we had a lovely lunch. Then several more hours on the bus until a short ride on a smaller truck to our camp sight.

Village laundry

Village chieftain

And girl.

Outside view

Of la douche.

Our desert tent

Our en suite toilet

Dakar coastline

Mosque of Divinity, Dakar

Fishing boats

Bougainvillea

The President Elect

Door of No Return

After Roots was shown on tv in the 70s,many black Americans came to Goree Island because it was said to be the departure place of slaves sent to the Americas. This doorway was said to be the last place in Africa for the slaves.

The doorway was located in this slave house.

Arriving Goree Island

Goree Island

Is located Twenty minutes off Dakar by ferry.