Looking for a winter destination that’s sunny and warm? West Africa is one of those places where I only recommend group tours to minimize the hassles of traveling the African continent. Yes, you can do it alone if you are extremely adventurous and willing to put up with some needless discomfort like paying bribes. Roberto, owner of Trans Africa, says that’s the price you pay to travel in West Africa – knows who to bribe and how much to give. Check out Adventure Center (on the side bar), Intrepid Travel (bookable through Adventure Center), iExplore, GAP Adventures, , Wilderness Travel and Trans Africa. Trans Africa is a reputable company based in West Africa who arranged our West Africa group trips.

You don’t visit West Africa for wonderful food, or luxurious hotels, although there are some of both. The popular adage is…” you go to South Africa to see animals and West Africa to see the people”… It is all about tribes and unique experiences. Read past posts on TWS detailing trips to Mali, Burkina Faso (how can you not love a country with a capital named Ouagadougou – “wah-gah-do-goo”), Togo, Benin and Ghana, each and every country completely different. Voodoo, Ashanti funeral rites, festivals, Timbuktu, camping in the vast desert.

What to see and do? Sheila’s very short list because the sights are endless:

- Tribal culture. There were Taneka, Somba, Moba, Fulani, Ashanti, Bambara, Bobo, Dogan, Fon, Taureg, Yoruba…each with different cultures, jewelry, clothing (or no clothing), homes (cliffs, caves, mud, etc.), nomadic herders and traders, farmers, cultivators. A never-ending variety of tribes and a photographer’s dream. Never boring;

a naked, elderly Taneka head priest is not a pretty sight in West Africa
- The Dogon Escarpment in Mali. Properly called the Bandiagara Escarpment in Dogon country, it is a sandstone chain of cliffs. The ancient Tellem people carved caves in the sandstone to bury their dead. Dozens of villages are still located along these cliffs and some of the villagers sell “artifacts” taken from the caves. Not only was it beastly hot on the trails, but amazing to see our “water porter” do the entire route with a case of water on his head. What an adventure;

it was up and over the Bandiagara Escarpment in Dogon country, Mali
- The vast Sahara desert. It was miraculous how the driver and guides navigated through the desert. We never saw a landmark, but they knew every sand dune, location of wells and tribe that lived in the region. They knew exactly where we were at all times. And then there is the stillness, brilliant stars, salt caravans still treading the ancient routes, and waking up to the sounds of hundreds of camels and goats being watered at three wells;

wells and camels among the Sahara dunes of West Africa
- Participating in an Ashanti Funeral, Kumasi, Ghana. The person died some time ago ( it could have been years before) but the family saves up their money and plans a major send-off when they can afford it. The funeral is important to Ashanti culture and a major social event. The immediate relatives dress in red while the others wear black cloth and every piece of gold jewelry their bodies can support. There are many rituals: giving offerings to the spirits of the ancestors, food, drinks and the women perform lively, traditional dances. Definitely one funeral you’ll look foward to;

immediate family and mourners at an Ashanti funeral, Ghana
- Visiting a Voodoo Doctor and market in Togo. Lome has a fascinating fetish market that sells traditional medicines needed for voodoo – entire bats, bat wings, snakes and their potions, monkey paws, and lots of other ingredients necessary to prepare magic potions. And then we attended a real voodoo ceremony…don’t ask! ….Since you did ask, they believe in spirit possession and this was not a “for tourists” ceremony; and

- Festivals. Two that stand out are the the Gelede and Dogon Masked Dance. The Gelede Festival celebrates the spiritual powers of elderly women (hey…that’s me), who protect the community’s well-being. The masks are specifically made for the celebration (used ones are patched), and consist of both human and animal faces. The Gelede dancers are all men, but represent both men and women in their performance. The Dogon rite was performed by dancers on stilts, some wearing masks that were 15 feet tall! We were dripping sweat beads everywhere and could only imagine how they felt.

Gelede pregnant woman representation in West Africa
Basic Information?

- Need Visas for all countries. We used a Visa Service rather than sending the passports back and forth to multiple countries;

- Very few ATM’s. Bring cash;

- No problems with food or water as long as you are traveling with a reputable tour operator. They will tell you what to eat and drink and most organizers supply all three meals and water. Traveling on your own? Drink bottled water, don’t eat raw foods, “cook, peel or forget it…yadda…yadda” ; and

- Completely safe with a good tour operator. They know what to do, where to go and “when to fold them…”

West Africa requires a different mindset than in my first five recommendations but it’s really an experience of a lifetime. You don’t need to be young, athletic or in great shape. Only the desire to visit unique areas of the world…

Now…wasn’t that easy?