Liberia Into Sierra Leone: Beaches, Wildlife, Traditional Villages and Jungle Roads

After several nights of bushcamping in northern Liberia it was time for a little luxury! Libassa eco resort near Monrovia is owned by a French couple who've created a stunning place to relax, catering mainly for the NGO and UN workers in and around Monrovia. They're always very welcoming to the novelty of tourists in Liberia, though we remain the only visitors they've had who choose to camp down by the lagoon! Above is their 'infinity pool' - and the only one in the area as far as we're aware!

Below is the lagoon, a chest-deep area of calm, clear water that's as warm as you'd expect a bath to be!   

Above is the beach by Libassa, a huge expanse of sweeping golden sand with few other people around to share it with. After some time to relax here we headed on to Liberia's capital, Monrovia. 

The Ducor Hotel is perched on a hill overlooking Monrovia, and used to be the definition of luxury, having been visited by various African heads of state such as Sekou Toure, Idi Amin and Houphouet-Boigny. It was closed shortly before Liberia's civil war started, but was unfortunately looted and damaged during the conflict. It remains a fascinating place to visit, and the security guards who keep squatters at bay were only too pleased to show us around the ruins of this once grand establishment. Below is a view from the hotel, down to West Point and the Mesurado river.

From the captial we headed west to Robertsport. This small town is just along the coast and always makes for a great spot to relax for a couple of nights. We camped on the pristine beach, watching the fishing boats come and go and just generally spending the day unwinding and relaxing. In the 1800's Robertsport was host to a colony of freed slaves, and though looted and damaged during the civil war, the town still hosts numerous rather decrepit plantation-style houses, reminiscent of what you will see in the southern states in the USA. 

Once over the border into Sierra Leone we endured a couple of bumpy and dusty days en route to the diamond-trading town of Kenema. We thought we were having a hard time on the bad roads until we came across a convoy of trucks carrying heavy mining machinery, whose drivers were having to dig out many of the big bog holes to give enough clearance to get their machinery through! Fortunately for us the route was dry this time around.

Below is a picture of Aminah about to cross a log bridge as we drove from Kenema to Tiwai Island.

Above are some of the young characters we met en route. Below is a fisherman from Kambama near Tiwai Island.

Tiwai Island is located on the Moa river and is known for its primates. Scientific research on the island started back in the 1970's as the chimpanzees here have been observed using stones as tools to break nuts. Fortunately the primate population on the island has been protected for some time after significant amounts of poaching went on during the civil conflict in the 1990's. We learnt that the monkey population on the mainland is higher than it used to be, as people are now more fearful of eating monkeys following the Ebola outbreak. This has, however, had a negative impact on the cocoa harvest as there are now more monkeys to spoil and eat the crop. 

Tiwai Island is also known for its pygmy hippos. Native to this region, pygmy hippos are particularly difficult to see as they're solitary, nocturnal, small and live in the water. Signs of where they were recently, and will be again at some point in the future, proved to be much easier to find than the actual animals themself! 

Below, Pooley and Spencer enjoying a morning boat trip looking for wildlife around Tiwai.

Below, Jase headed out with a fisherman who cast his nets in the river in the evening before collecting them the following morning. The catch was small but worthwhile as fish provides most of the protein in the diet of the local villagers.

Kambama is the closest village to Tiwai Island, and home to a tremendously welcoming community who were very pleased to see tourism returning after a difficult couple of years. We found their water pump had broken which was forcing them to drink the dirty river water. As they were unable to afford to repair the pump with so little income in the village we made a donation from our trip budget to enable it to be repaired. 

Above and below are students from the village school who came to perform for us. They are practicing for a performance they are putting on in a few weeks time to the surrounding villages.

Moving on from Kambama we spent Friday night in Bo, Sierra Leone's second largest city and well-known for its nightlife. The locals love a party, as we discovered when the tennis courts we were camped on became the dance floor for the evening! 

From Bo we drove west to the Freetown peninsula for a night on Bureh Beach, a magical spot to relax before we finished the trip in Freetown itself. The mountains of the Freetown peninsula come right down to the coast which is almost unknown in the rest of West Africa. Bureh is becoming increasingly famous for its surfing and even has a surf school, though it was very calm when we visited.

From the beach we drove into Freetown for the end of the trip where we sadly said goodbye to Steve, Spencer, Jess, Emilia and Pooley. 

At the same time we said hello to Deborah, 2 Mikes, Melissa, Alice, Chris, Mandy and Steve who joined us for the start of our Freetown to Dakar trip, and who are now travelling with us through Guinea. The beauty of the Fouta Djalon highlands awaits us!

Many thanks to Lexi for many of the photos in this post.

Ivory Coast into Guinea and Liberia: Old Favourites and New Discoveries

The last blog post finished in Korhogo, northern Ivory Coast, from where a short days drive via the impressive cathedral in Bouake bought us to Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian capital. Former President Félix Houphouët-Boigny was born here in 1905, which at the time was a small town which he went on to develop into the political and administrative capital once in power.

One of the highlights of visiting Yamoussoukro is a tour of the stunning 'Basilica of Our Lady of Peace', a magnificent architectural achievement of which Ivorians are justifiably very proud. The basilica was consecrated in 1990 by Pope John Paul II and was a gift to the Vatican from the then President. The dome is intentionally slightly lower than that of the Basilica of St Peter, but has a larger cross on top, making it 158 meters high. 

The building was designed by Lebanese architect Pierre Fakhoury, using Italian marble and 7,000 square meters of stained glass from France. The construction is estimated to have cost somewhere between US$200-600 million and was said to be a gift from God, though others claim it doubled Ivory Coasts national debt!

From Yakro we headed west to a small village for the night where we got to witness a stilt dance ceremony, a tremendous afternoon and evening of entertainment for which the whole village turned out. The warmth of the welcome we receive here is always humbling, with our time here offering a fascinating insight into traditional village life.

The dancer above came on towards the start of the ceremony, as the men drummed and the women sung and clapped, inviting all those from the village to join in the ceremony. 

Several youngsters showed off their acrobatics, above, starting nervously but gaining in confidence before the adult acrobats took over, below. 

The dancer below rattled from bells tied to his ankles, spinning around on one leg at times, and was followed by a woman who came on to dance, symbolising the beauty and fertility of women in the village.

The stilt dancer is a feared spirit, starting slowly before building into wild spins in the air and shrieking out with a piercing cry. He then came crawling around the crowd giving his piercing cry, genuinely scary!

From the village we headed west on rough dirt tracks and entertaining log bridges towards the Guinean border. Here we waved goodbye to Ivory Coast with a memorable wash in the river that forms the frontier to rinse off the dust from the journey.

Above, from left to right, Jan, Spencer, Pauline, Alice, Alice, Douglas, JP, Jase, Al, Pooley, Jess, Steve, Emilia, Nathan and Zoe, just over the border into Guinea. 

Below is an avenue of bamboo trees which we drove through. They're 20 meters or so in height, offering strong shade and put to good use in the local construction trade! 

Nzérékoré is the largest city in Guinea's 'Forest Region', a bustling commercial centre whose market attracts traders from all around. We spent a couple of nights here after the drive from Ivory Coast spending some time visiting the artisans market. Above are some examples of wooden carvings made by artisans near Nzérékoré. 

We also had a great time dancing the night away in what must surely be the sweatiest nightclub in Africa. Inside were several hundred people with 1 small AC unit as the only ventilation, with sweat dripping from the ceilings and flooding the floor as the night and dancing progressed!

Guinea's forest region is known for its traditional vine bridges, though there are far fewer now than in the past. We trekked to see the one pictured below, a truly magnificent structure built entirely of natural materials and still in regular use as one of the main crossing points over the river. 

On leaving Nzérékoré we went trekking to see wild chimpanzees near Mt Nimba, a peak surrounded by dense forest close to where the borders of Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia meet. It's possible to approach the chimps quite closely as they are used to humans visiting, having been studied by many researchers over the years. It was here that chimps were first witnessed by researchers to recognise traps set by hunters and seen teaching this to each other to avoid them. 

From here a short drive took us over the border from Guinea into Liberia. It's a stunning drive between the 2 countries, with the beauty of the forested peaks all around us making up for the many hours of waiting for paperwork to be slowly completed and checked multiple times over! 

Our first stop in Liberia was a deserted iron ore mine, operated by Lamco from the 1960's to the 1980's. We drove steeply uphill for an hour on a tarmac road constructed long ago, but now left to rot and ruin, travelling through dense forest and clearing trees off the road as we went. Finally we emerged at the top amongst gloriously open terrain being reclaimed by nature after the decades of mining.

From the top we could see back over the borders into Guinea and Ivory Coast. The barrels above were near a mobile communications tower, powered by a generator and looked after by several very cheerful security guards. 

Below are examples of the terraces left behind by the mining.  

We then descended to the other side of the site, and had lunch and a swim by a lake in a disused pit which was fed by several waterfalls. 

Above, Aminah is parked among rusting mining vehicles which were abandoned when the mine ceased production in the 1980's. 

Below, we had fun climbing around on the huge old trucks and diggers! Al fitted in one of the tyres and Jase managed to climb into the rear diff of another.

From the mine we drove on roads being rapidly upgraded by the Chinese to the beautiful Kpatwee Waterfalls, below. Here we spent the afternoon relaxing, surrounded by dense forest on one side and rice plantations on the other. 

We're now just a few days from Sierra Leone, looking forward to the usual friendly welcome in Sweet Salone, and meeting the new passengers who will join us in Freetown for the trip north to Dakar. More bumpy roads, wildlife, music and beaches await us!

Ghana: Wildlife, Markets, Forts, Beaches and Waterfalls

We started our northbound trips in Accra at the beginning of February, and it felt good to be back on the road after a few sweaty weeks in southern Ghana getting Aminah and her equipment ready for the return journey north back to the UK.

A warm welcome to John, Pooley, Nathan, Douglas, Steve, Spencer, Alice, Alice, Alexi, Zoe, Jess, Pauline and Emilia, who joined us and Jan who had been with us since our Accra to Ouagadougou trip a few weeks ago.

Above is the Kwame Nkrumah memorial which some of our passengers visited in Accra, built in memory of Ghana's first President, an influential pan-African independence campaigner.

Above is a primary school class some of us visited in the district of Nema, as part of a tour to see daily life in this residential suburb. Below, chameleons for sale in the local market.

Many of us went on to visit Jamestown, and saw the fort, fishing boats and the lighthouse .

We also went to see the world famous coffin makers at work, and saw more on our first drive day, along the coast to Elmina. These coffins are real works of art; some reflect the profession of the deceased, others are clan totems, whilst some are representative of African proverbs.

The coffins are traditionally used by the Ga people, and are occasionally made to order to be exported worldwide!

Below are pirogue makers whom we saw on our way along the coast to Elmina. The base is made from a tree trunk, often with planks added along the sides to increase the size.

Elmina Castle, also known as St Georges Castle, was built by the Portugese in the 15th century and is thought to be the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a long and tragic history as a slaving fort, though it's setting is stunning nestled among a busy fishing community. 

We also visited Cape Coast Castle, again a former slaving fort, and the first centre of British administration in what was then the Gold Coast. Another brutal history, with a stunning sea front setting.

Kakum National Park protects one of the few remaining belts of pristine rainforest in Ghana, which we visited on the canopy walkway, above. 

Below, the beach we camped on for a few nights, a truly beautiful spot .

A days drive north brought us to the Ashante stronghold of Kumasi, dominated by Kejetia Market, one of the largest open air markets in West Africa. It sprawls across the city as far as the eye can see; its hustle, bustle, noise, colour and smells providing a real assault on the senses. Every product imaginable is available, as can be seen above! 

The truck below has unloaded empty crates, ready to be filled with produce. 

Below are some fabrics for sale in the market, some of it Kente cloth. It's made locally, predominantly by the Akan ethnic group, and was initially worn only by royalty, though it is now much more widespread. 

Above is Fuller Falls, where we camped for the night and enjoyed washing off the sweat and dust from the drive day up from Kumasi, though its flow has been much reduced by a dam above.

Below, ladies who came to the falls to do laundry and collect water during our visit.

We also visited Kintampo Falls on our drive north through Ghana; Alexi is pictured below.

Above and below is Larabanga Mosque, believed to be the oldest mosque in Ghana located close to the entrance for Mole National Park. Locals believe the mosque dates from the 15th century.

Above is the main waterhole in Mole National Park, located just below where we camped for 2 nights. During our time at Mole we went on guided walking and vehicle safaris, and also had the chance for some down time by the camp swimming pool. The elephants in the park are well habituated to groups on foot, allowing for some very close encounters!

Above, Pooley, Jess, Nathan, Alice, Douglas, Steve and Zoe. 

The dry season is a great time to be in Mole National Park; with the countryside dry and dusty, and temperatures climbing, the wildlife comes regularly to the waterholes to drink or cool off. 

A hot and dry drive day from Mole took us further north in Ghana for our last bush camp before the Burkina Faso border. We visited leather tanners, basket makers and a mud brick cathedral.

Our last stop in Ghana was a visit to the crocodiles in Paga, though they were feeling the heat, too and not willing to come out of the water to feast on a live chicken like they usually do!

Our next blog post, through Burkina and into Cote d'Ivoire, will be out in about a week's time. 

Many thanks to passenger Alexi for the photos, some great shots!