West Africa can not compete with East and Southern Africa when it comes to National Geographic level fauna. Expansive human settlement and overhunting are the main reasons for that. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for pied plovers and green monkeys (no disrespect to them). Increased conservation efforts and a growing spotlight on [...]
Travel Tips
Learn some local language basics, read up on bargaining tactics, discover why most street food is actually perfectly safe to eat, and much more.
As we approach the end of 2022, most of the world has lost its appetite for pandemic related border closures and travel restrictions. We are supportive of public health measures that save lives, but it is a huge relief to us that we can once again move around West Africa. So are there still any [...]
You can cover a surprising amount of ground in The Gambia, a tiny sliver of a country that looks like a fly-by on the map. In our previous post we talked about exploring the Gambian river. In this post, we will head down the coast to one of our favorite places in the whole region: [...]
You would think that with the large distances between most capital cities in West Africa, intra-regional air travel would be thriving. In fact, it is the opposite. There are not many carriers, operational costs are high, and most people living in the region can't afford the tickets. Whereas you may be able to find a [...]
We enjoy traveling throughout West Africa, but we are often stuck in the orbit of Senegal's southern province. The Casamance is naturally beautiful, culturally fascinating and incredibly easy to travel given the limited tourist infrastructure. Unfortunately, a lot of people skip the region because there is this inconvenient thing called the Gambia that separates the [...]
Twenty-some kilometers inland from the Atlantic Ocean, there is a small town in Guinea-Bissau with a population of roughly 10,000 people. The town is called Cacheu, and it was one of the first colonial settlements in sub-saharan Africa. It served as a port for the Portuguese. The principal export was human beings, destined for the [...]
In May 2018, the main southern border between Cameroon and Nigeria was closed to tourists due to the ongoing security issues in the western area of Cameroon that secessionist rebels are now calling Ambazonia. The Cameroon government can not guarantee the safety of people in this area so they have decided that the best option [...]
For overland travelers planning on visiting multiple countries in West Africa, organizing visas is often the biggest logistical headache. Visa policies are asymmetric and often vary from embassy to embassy. In one country, the Ghanaian embassy may not grant you a visa unless you are a permanent resident of the country where you are applying. [...]
iOverlander - is an app that was designed by overlanders, for overlanders. Its strength is that the content submitted to the site all comes from the users. This ensures that the information provided is relevant as it is constantly being updated by people on the ground. Its a fantastic source for campsites, wild camps, good (and bad) [...]
I remember when I first decided to travel to West Africa. Family members spoke to me as if I had lost my mind. "West Africa? Are you insane?" Thankfully, I didn't listen to them. West Africa has an unfortunate reputation. The region seems to only show up on TV screens when something awful is happening. [...]
