West African Atlantic Explorer

Dakar - Freetown

23 days through Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea

FROM: $3120 USD

Transport:

Overland Expedition Vehicle, Jeep, Pirogue

Crew:

Two Dragoman Crew Members, Local Guides where necessary

Accom:

Comfortable Hotel 1 night
Basic Hotel 12 nights
Camping 4 nights
Camping without facilities 3 nights
Guesthouse 2 nights

Meals:

Breakfasts x 22, Lunches x 7, Dinners x 7

Physical:

Lifestyle:

Code:

ZDF

Deposit:

$260 USD per person

Foreign Travel Advice

TRIP OVERVIEW

This has to be one of the best overland routes in West Africa, due to its diversity. Starting in the Sarhelean country of Senegal, at the fascinating city of Dakar, and travelling south through to the stunning beaches of Sierra Leone, a country that is beginning to really embrace tourism, there is so much to see along the way. With wonderful trekking to remote waterfalls, canoe trips to local villages, great opportunity for wetland birdlife and some absolutely stunning beaches, this trip really will surprise travellers. But it is no walk in the park as we are travelling though countries such as Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and The Gambia with a minimum of tourist infrastructure. That is the whole point of the trip though; allowing us to trek through hills and stunning scenery to small villages that few outsiders will ever see and then to chill on the yellow sands of Atlantic beaches.

HIGHLIGHTS

Immerse in the art and culture of Dakar

Explore atmospheric St Louis

Visit the stunning grand mosque of Touba

Spot exotic birds at Tendeba in Gambia

2 days at the coastal resort of Cap Skirring

Overland the rough and tough roads of Guinea

Overnight in remote community accommodation

Guided 2 day trip to Fouta Djallon

Relax on the beaches of Freetown peninsular in Sierra Leone

Explore Freetown and visit the National Museum

WHAT TO EXPECT

This is a trip for those who are happy to sacrifice home comforts for discovery and adventure. The roads can be poor, the climate hot and the insects common, but the rewards are well worth it. Accommodation will range from comfortable hotels, through to basic guest houses and camping.

ITINERARY

EXPAND ALL CLOSE ALL

Day 1 - Dakar

Border information: if you are joining at Dakar, you will most likely enter Senegal at Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport (IATA code: DSS).

Today is an arrival day with a pre departure meeting at 10:00am. Your leader will leave a note in reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Your leader will collect your kitty and check your passport and insurance details at this meeting.

The afternoon will be free to explore the cosmopolitan city and perhaps take an optional trip to the famous Île de Goreé.

Please note that many of the options listed below will only be possible for those with extra time in Dakar before the start of your trip with us - please contact the Sales team if you would like to book pre-tour accommodation with us to have extra time exploring Dakar.

Accommodation: Comfortable Hotel

Day 2 - Saint-Louis

Today we head north through the dry Sahel region to the old colonial city of St. Louis, formerly the capital of French West Africa.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 6

Day 3 - Saint-Louis

Today we will have a free day to explore the streets of the old city and take an optional trip to the Langue de Barbarie NP or the nearby Djoudj Birdlife Reserve.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 4 - Toubakouta

Today we start our journey south to the small town of Toubakouta, situated close to the Sine-Saloum Delta. On the way we will see the landscape change as we enter the greener wetland region, and we will stop to see the Grand Mosque of Touba, one of the best known mosques in Senegal and most holy site in the Mouride branch of Islam.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 9

Day 5 - Toubakouta

On our full day in Toubakouta we will have an optional morning pirogue trip to a nearby village to see a slice of rural Senegalese life and to meet their charismatic female chief. In the afternoon we have an included pirogue trip to the mangroves, the 'Shellfish Island' and the 'Island of Birds' - if the weather is good, there are often some stunning sunsets across the delta.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping

Day 6 - Tendaba

Border information: Exit Senegal at Karang, enter The Gambia at Fass.

Today we will head across the border from Senegal into the small country of The Gambia, then cross the Gambia River on a local transport barge to arrive at the famous Tendaba Camp on the southern shore of the Gambia River. The ferry can be quite a chaotic local experience! Tendaba Camp was the first inland hotel in The Gambia, and is one of the most popular spots in the country for birdwatchers.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 9

Day 7 - Tendaba

Tendaba is located opposite the Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve, one of the premier birdwatching sites in Africa. On our full day here we will have an included morning boat trip into the wetlands to spot some of the stunning area's wildlife and natural scenery. We will also have an opportunity to take an optional safari drive around the nearby forests of Kiang West NP.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 8 - Cap Skirring

Border information: Exit The Gambia at Soma, enter Senegal at Senoba.

Today we will cross the border into the southern Casamance region of Senegal, arriving at the beautiful beaches of Cap Skirring.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 8

Day 9 - Cap Skirring

We will have 2 full days in Cap Skirring, where there will be good opportunities for optional activities such as swimming, biking, fishing, quad-biking and sun-bathing! While in Cap Skirring, your co-driver will travel to the nearby town of Ziguinchor to obtain Guinea-Bissau visas for the group at the consulate there.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 10 - Cap Skirring

On our final day here we can continue to enjoy the activities on offer, relax and recharge ready for the journey ahead.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 11 - Bissau

Border information: Exit Senegal at Mpack, enter Guinea Bissau at São Domingos.

Today we will drive across the border into the very rarely-visited country of Guinea-Bissau, and drive to its capital of Bissau.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 8

Day 12 - Bissau

Today, we will have time to freely explore the city and the old Portuguese centre of Bissau Velho.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 13 - Labe

Border information: Exit Guinea-Bissau at Kandika, enter Guinea at Kandika.

From Bissau we will journey through Guinea-Bissau and into the remote hilly areas of northern Guinea on our way to the town of Labé, the gateway to the stunning Fouta Djallon highland region. The roads on this section are very challenging dirt roads which take us through some incredibly remote areas, and our speed will largely be determined by the state of these roads - although getting to these areas is very special and a great adventure, even more flexibility will be required on these days!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping without facilities

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 10

Day 14 - Labe

We will stop for 2 wild camps en route - the first is likely to be next to the Guinean border at Kandika, the second is likely to be in the highlands past the village of Seriba.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping without facilities

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 11

Day 15 - Labe

Today we continue our drive and find ourselves another stunning wild camp ready to reach Labe tomorrow.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 6

Day 16 - Labe

From Labé we will set off for an included 2-day excursion to the heart of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea.

On the first day we will travel in 4x4 jeeps through very remote country roads to the small rural community of Aïnguel (approximately a 4 hour drive). After lunch there will be a short 3-hour trek to a waterfall viewpoint and to the nearby 'Pont de Pierre' rock bridge where we have the change to swim in a beautiful natural lagoon.

On this night we will stay in a very small and basic community-run guesthouse - please note that if the group is large, some people may need to sleep in tents just outside.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Guesthouse

Day 17 - Labe

On the second day there is a long 8-hour trek through the surrounding hills and villages taking in the incredible scenery. We will stop for a picnic lunch next to a stunning waterfall, where we have the opportunity to swim in the lagoon beneath. In the latter stages of the trek, we hope to be able to get to the base of a much larger and incredibly powerful waterfall, although this is dependent on the ground waters having receded enough after the rainy season to make this route passable.

Upon returning after this walk, we will immediately drive back in the 4x4s to Labe.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Day 18 - Mamou

Leaving the Fouta Djallon region behind us, we head south through central Guinea to the town of Mamou.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Basic Hotel

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 7

Day 19 - Southern Guinea

Today we will continue our drive south through Guinea, stopping to wild camp close to the border with Sierra Leone.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping without facilities

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 8

Day 20 - Freetown Peninsula

Border information: Exit Guinea at Pamalap, enter Sierra Leone at Kindia.

Today we head to the stunning beaches of Freetown Peninsular, where we will spend 2 nights for some well-deserved relaxation after our journey through the tough roads of Guinea.

There are a few different options for which beaches we could choose to visit, our favourites being Bureh Beach at the south of the peninsular and River Number 2 Beach in the western part.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 8

Day 21 - Freetown Peninsula

We will have a full day for optional activities on the wonderful beaches - we could go fishing, take a boat to explore the Banana Islands, get to know the local communities, and of course relax on the beautiful beaches!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Camping

Day 22 - Freetown

Today we will have a short drive up the western side of the Freetown Peninsular to arrive in the Aberdeen district of the city of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Guesthouse

Today's approximate drive time (hrs): 4

Day 23 - Freetown - End Date

Border information: if you are leaving in Freetown, you will most likely exit Sierra Leone at Freetown Lungi International Airport (IATA code: FNA).

Today is the end day for passengers finishing their trip in Freetown. Please note there is no accommodation included on the trip tonight - please contact the Sales Team if you are interested in booking extra nights of accommodation in order to fully explore and take part in some of the optional activities listed below.

Airport information - the fastest and most reliable way to the airport from Freetown is by water-taxi, as Lungi is across a bay from the city. Our hotel in Freetown is a 200m walk to the jetty where the water-taxis depart from - the departure times for the water-taxis are linked to every flight in and out of Lungi airport (usually around 4 hours before the time of the flight). We advise that when the trip arrives in Freetown, you go to the jetty to check the timetable for the water-taxis for your flight and purchase a ticket in advance (USD40 or EUR35) - your trip leader will be able to assist with this. The ticket counter at the jetty is open 24 hours a day.

You should arrive at the jetty 30 minutes before the departure time, as you have to check in your large bags and take a luggage ticket. The water-taxi takes approximately 30 minutes, then you take a minibus for another 15 minutes to arrive at Lungi airport. Your large bags will be waiting for you at the water-taxi office on the left-hand-side of the airport entrance, just hand in your luggage ticket to get them back.

Meals: Breakfast

REVIEWS

Stephanie F

Traveling with a truck is great.

Sharon R

My first Dragoman trip, after many years considering it. Overall really enjoyed the experience and hope to do it again some time.

Laura P

I definitely enjoyed the experience and look forward to the next trip!

Maciej W

The trip is more beach-heavy than I personally like. I would personally like a bit more time in Bissau.

Heather S

I've never done overlanding or subsaharan Africa before so both were very new experiences to me

Carolyn C

The intinerary took us to the most beautiful places of each country without moving too fast.

Luke D

There are no highlights but I knew that when I booked it.

Tamsin C

It was my first time travelling with Dragoman and I am completely sold!

Felix B

We loved being able to travel off the beaten track in a very uncomplicated way.

Robert E

How involved Katie and Adam were with us. They were apart of our journey and made it that much better. Fun and interesting. Katie went out of her way for us and made sure we weren’t taken advantage of by officials and local businesses and Adam was a legend of a driver

Nils Fredrik V

Enjoyed most the general vibe of the countries everyday life. One real highlight was hiking and swimmin ini Fouta Djallon.

Karen B

Enjoyed the scenery, the local people & local food, the other passengers & awesome trip leader & driver.

Erin B

Excellent communication pre-tours, tours are as well organised as the destination will allow (this is Africa...)

Kellie H

The freedom of truck life plus having a great crew makes for an easy and fun trip

David R

Enjoyed seeing these not so easy to travel countries in a quiet relaxing way (very good organized guides); bushcamping; variety (places, accommodation, tours); meeting local people; to do some things individually, some in a group

Sadie K

I enjoyed the independence and how it was structured, but not overly structured. Though the guides are extremely experienced and did an incredible job, it still felt like everyone was on the same adventure getting to plan and navigate together. I also loved bussing and camping, it really felt authentic and though there was a lot of distance to cover, it didn't feel like there was a huge disconnect from actually seeing the country and experiencing a place and not just passing through. The guides, they had a great balance of giving instruction, being organized, but also as I mentioned earlier, letting the group and each individual have their independence on the trip. They were also very friendly and enjoyable to be around!

Contact Us

West African Atlantic Explorer

Dakar - Freetown

USEFUL INFORMATION