Kora playing

We're hoping to pay a visit to The Kora Workshop in Kafountine on our trip from Dakar to Freetown this autumn, and again next spring. There are still a few seats left to join us as we spend a week exploring Senegal's little-visited but delightful Casamance region. Music plays a large part in the culture of West Africa, and it will be great to have a chance to try playing the kora, and hear a performance by a local master.

Here is Pa Bobo Jobarteh playing in Kafountine.

For some more great kora music, here are the Malian legends, Toumani Diabate, on kora, and Ali Farka Toure, on guitar, playing Kala Djula.

We still have a few spaces left to explore this fascinating region on our Overlanding West Africa trip this autumn from Dakar to Freetown. Details are here

Overlanding West Africa in the media

We’ve been busy promoting OWA since we returned from West Africa in April 2013, and are very happy to say that our hard work and efforts are paying off in getting us noticed.

Firstly one of our travel blogs was recently published in Travel Magazine in may 2013. You can read about our first ever exploratory trip on the link below as we journeyed between Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast . An incredible journey with some superb photos attached:

Travel Magazine: Overlanding West Africa, a driver's tale

We’ve also recently featured in Black Frog Publishing’s ‘Spotlight’ series of interviews. Kirsty and Andy have many years of experience working in the overland industry and have now set up a publishing company focussing upon adventure travel writing. They interviewed us for their latest article highlighting why we set up Overlanding West Africa and what makes the region so special to travel in. Thanks guys!

Black Frog Publishing: Spotlight on Overlanding West Africa

Richard at The Sunday Times, a fellow West Africa aficionado,  was kind enough to include Overlanding West Africa in his “Ride The Road Less Travelled” article a few months ago. Featuring our new exploratory trip through Liberia we truly believe a place for this trip is warranted. To date, no overland truck based company has been through Liberia….we are attempting to be the first! Along with being the first to run trips through Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone in 2012 we are very proud to be pushing this little known corner of Africa to the adventure travel market.

We also featured in Escape The City’s recent ’Top 10 Escapes’ article. E.T.C is a great website, designed to tempt people away from the hustle and bustle of a career in the city and show them there are alternatives. Thanks to Ben Keene from Tribewanted in Sierra Leone for recommending us for the list!

Escape The City: Overlanding West Africa In Top 10 Escapes

The picture below, on the right hand side, is of BBC journalist George Alagiah. Focussing upon the changing social and economic climate in Africa, George hosted a questions and answers session on Twitter. We are very pleased that George picked a question about Ghana from us at Overlanding West Africa (it was his top question!)

Overall we are very pleased that we are cementing our reputation for operating the most indepth and comprehensive trips in West Africa, going to more countries and visiting more places than any other operator.

We still have a few seats available for our Dakar To Freetown and Freetown To Accra trips in late 2013. We are offering discounts on the remaining limited number of seats. Remember guys, our Freetown to Accra trip will be the first time an overland truck based company has ever gone through Liberia, we will be making history, come and join the adventure!

Please read the Passenger Feedback that we received from our 2012-2013 season, and see what makes our trips better than any others out there by reading our Why Travel With OWA? page.

The Best Footage On The Net Of A Stilt Dance Ceremony!

Please share this video with your friends! This is quite possibly, no definitely actually, the best footage on the net of a traditional stilt dance ceremony in Ivory Coast, you will not find anything better! The video is a short edit from one of the longer films that super film maker Jamie Noel made for us. INCREDIBLE! We spend the night in this village with the super friendly Ivorians, and get to witness 2 hours or so of dancing and festivities, before the stilt dancer appears from the forest and kicks up a dust as he moves around precariously balanced on stilts. We then have dinner from the truck, but the ceremony carries on late into the night so you can be sure it will be a great evening!

Some fantastic videos taken on last season's trips that really showcase the best of West Africa

A day in West Africa on our trips

Jamie Noel is a professional film maker and was a passenger on our Accra to Freetown trip in January 2013, through Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Jamie made several videos on the trip.

This highlights the beautiful landscapes, the rich culture, the incredibly friendly people, wildlife, beaches and markets, all accompanied by a great West African soundtrack! 

Stilt dance ceremony in Ivory Coast

Witness the beauty and magic of a traditional stilt dance ceremony in Ivory Coast! Our trips spend the night in this beautiful village with the incredibly friendly Ivorian people.

Trek to a vine bridge in Guinea

This video shows a vine bridge we visit in Guinea's Forest region. It's a beautiful trek, involving one hour of hiking through thick forest.

This particular bridge is still used to this day by the locals for transporting produce through the forest. It is one of the very few examples left of the incredibly engineered "pont de llanas's" as most have fallen into disrepair. With all the new roads being built in the region the locals no longer rely upon the bridges for getting around the region.

Visit www.overlandingwestafrica.com/accratofre­etown for more information and details of this particular trip we run through West Africa: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Ghana

Wild Chimps, Adobe Mosques, And Basilicas 

Watch our groups trek wild chimpanzees in Guinea, visit the basilica in Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast, adobe mud mosques in Burkina Faso and Ghana, and walk the canopy bridges in Kakum National Park!

Jamie Noel is a professional film maker and was a passenger on our Accra, Ghana to Freetown, Sierra Leone trip in January 2013. Jamie made this video for Overlanding West Africa. Check out his other work on our You Tube page here you wont be disappointed!

History Of Slavery In Ghana

Superb article from 'All West Africa' about the tragic slave history of Ghana. One can not even begin to imagine the suffering that took place.

Ghanas Slave History

We will visit Cape Coast and Elmina to see the castles which tell of such a sad history details of the trip here www.overlandingwestafrica.com/trip-2

This is one of the best blogs we have found to date. It is by Robin Wyatt who writes photo essays, and boy does he have an impressive portfolio. In this piece, Robin focuses upon Senegal, and takes a number of subject matters like people, architecture, wildlife, culture etc, and talks briefly about it with one helluva stunning photo.....so much colour! Really can not recommend this link enough, check it out!

Senegal: Travel In The land Of Hospitality