 | Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso contd. |
|
|
Page Text Content
CRADLE OF VOODOO
19 DAYS HOTELS/CAMPING/CAMPEMENTS/STILT VILLAGE TRIBAL LANDS OF WEST AFRICA Discover the very best of West Africa on this journey of extremes. Travelling through three very different nations, we experience diverse cultures and traditional religions, amazing natural attractions and unique architectural styles, welcoming and friendly people and vibrant local music. From the Gulf of Guinea to the remote nomadic lands in the north of Burkina Faso, we visit fetish markets and python temples, spend a night in a traditional stilt village, witness fire-dancing and mask ceremonies and explore the vast expanse of the Burkinabe Sahel. We may even be granted an audience with King Maiga Belko at Arabinda. Celestial Churches, Python Temples & Royal Palaces From Togo's vibrant capital Lome, dominated by an eclectic mix of traditional faiths and Christianity, we head east along the Atlantic coast to discover traditional Voodoo villages Main image: Togolese market
DATES AND PRICES Flight Inc 19 days Fri to Tue
Ref BWA
FACTFILE
Itinerary Day 1 Fly London/Lome. 2 Arrive Lome (Togo); sightseeing. 3 Drive Agbodrafo via voodoo villages. 4 Boat trip along Mono River (Benin); continue to Ouidah. 5 Visit Ouidah; pirogue to Ganvie stilt village. 6 Drive Abomey; visit Royal Palace. 7 Drive Kloto (Togo); afternoon forest walk. 8 Drive Sokode via Atakpame. 9 Drive Kara via Bassar; village and market visits. 10 Drive Boukoumbe (Benin) via Massif Kabye. 11 Walks in Somba area and visit communities. 12 Drive Gourma region (Burkina Faso); village visit. 13 Drive Bani via Mossi. 14 Drive Gorom Gorom via Dori; visit market. 15 Drive Aribinda via Oursi. 16 Visit archaeological sites; drive Ouahigouya. 17 Drive Ouagadougou. 18 Free in Ouagadougou. 19 Fly London. Accommodation & Meals: 8nts hotel, 5nts camping, 2nts campements, 1nt stilt village; 15 breakfasts, 14 lunches & 14 dinners included. See p41. Mode of Travel: 4WD Landcruisers or minibus/On foot/Boat Comment: Travel is largely on roads and well-maintained tracks but come prepared for some rough rides and long journeys. Due to the unpredictable nature of West Africa nightstops may change and our itinerary may vary. Accommodation is a mixture of hotels, basic local accommodation and we carry tents and camping gear for the wild camps. Tour Staff & Support: Explore Tour Leader, local guide, driver(s) & cook. Group Size: Approx. 9 to 12.
and explore the banks to the Mono River. Crossing into Benin we reach the old slave trade post of Ouidah, considered the spiritual capital of voodoo, where we visit the python temple and Portuguese fort. At Lake Nokwe we take a boat to the stilt village of Ganvie and are privileged to spend a night in this traditional fishing community. Next it's onto the Royal Palace and UNESCO world heritage site at Abomey and the nearby village of cove where may be lucky enough to witness the remarkable spectacle of a Gelede mask ceremony. Forests & Fire Dances Returning to the lush landscapes of central Togo we travel to Kloto and spend time walking in its forests with a local entomologist. Then we head north through the varied territories of many local peoples including the Tem famous for their fire dance rituals and the Bassar whose striking conical roofed clay houses dominate the landscape. We enter the land of the Tamberma
and Somba in northern Benin who live in fortified dwellings similar to medieval castles and spend a day trekking and discovering the many varied communities and ethnic groups of the area. Savannah, Desert & Nomads Crossing into Burkina Faso, we continue north through the Gourma and Mossi regions to reach Bani with its impressive adobe mosques. Gorom Gorom is our next stop with its weekly market providing lively trade between the nomad herders and sedentary farmers at a point where savannah meets the harshness of the Sahara desert to the north. We continue into this uncertain land to visit the nomad settlements of the Fulani, Songhay and Bella people. At Arabinda we may be received by King Maiga Belko before arriving in the Ouahigouya, the ancient capital of the Mossi kingdom of Yatenga. Our tour ends in Burkina Fasos lively and dusty capital, Ouagadougou.
Cradle of Voodoo Ref BWA
REF:BWA
ARIBINDA Oursi
Meet local king Necropolis
BUSH CAMP
Explore Fulani & Tuareg areas Gorom-Gorom Market ig er N I G E R BANI Adobe mosque
2008 deps flight land Price in £s inc only 11 Jan-29 Jan 2275 1845 01 Feb-19 Feb 2275 1845 22 Feb-11 Mar 2275 1845 14 Mar-01 Apr 2275 1845 28 Nov-16 Dec 2345 1915 19 Dec-06 Jan 2395 1995 2009 Price in £s 09 Jan-27 Jan 2395 1995 30 Jan-17 Feb 2395 1995 20 Feb-10 Mar 2395 1995 13 Mar-31 Mar 2395 1995 Land Only tour: 17 days - start Lome day 2 (Sat), end Lome day 18 (Mon) Plus Local Payment: 200 (approx £135) payable Lome Single Room Option: £270* see p41 for details These are guide prices, see p45 for details.
N
OUAHIGOUYA
BURKINA FASO
OUAGADOUGOU
Local markets
KOMPIENGA
Trekking to visit Somba villages Bassar
Ot
TAMBERMA AREA
BENIN
Boukoumbe
i
Bani Mosque/Peter Eshelby
KARA SOKODE
Fire dancers
Oueme
GHANA
Lake Volta
TOGO
Mo n o
Atakpame Weavers
ABOMEY GANVIE
Bokoko Oracle
Gelede Mask Ceremony
From
KLOTO
Forest walk OUIDAH Mono River boat trip
CASABLANCA
(MOROCCO) km
Tribal dance/Simon Bostic
LOME
0 250
AGBODRAFO
Lake Togo
Fetish market
Request a tour dossier for comprehensive tour information
11
|
inbro