New Trips In 2015-16 And The Unite4WestAfrica Initiative

Hi everybody,

After many weeks of planning, writing, and HTML, we're pleased to announce our new itineraries for late 2015-early 2016 are ready to go and now live on the website! All of our trips can be viewed here or you can navigate to the trip that interests you by hovering over THE TRIPS tab at the top of each page. This will bring up a sub menu to take you to any of the trips we operate.

Mauritanian Nomads Taking Tea In The Sahara Desert

All of our existing trips are still there, but with some minor changes:

Dakar to Freetown - stays the same

Freetown to Accra - much the same as last year, except we will visit the south of Ivory Coast instead of the north, and not visit Burkina Faso

Accra to Ouagadougou - very similar to our Ouagadougou to Accra trip, but visiting more of Togo and the east of Burkina Faso

Accra to Freetown - stays the same, but includes a visit to the Gurunsi homes of the Kassena people in Tiebele, Burkina Faso

Freetown to Dakar - stays the same

Dakar to Marrakech - Brand new trip, taking in northern Senegal, some of Mauritania, Western Sahara, and southern Morocco

Marrakech to Tangier - Brand new trip in Morocco, visiting many of the key highlights in the Sahara desert, Atlas mountains, and Rif mountains

Everyday Life In A Moroccan Medina

Our Trips And The Situation In West Africa

The ebola outbreak continues to affect lives and communities in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. From watching the mainstream media news channels, the situation seems as bleak as ever.

However, all this doom and gloom is not a fair representation of the facts and decidedly unbalanced. There has been a huge improvement in all 3 affected countries since December 2014:

• The rate of new cases being reported throughout Liberia has drastically reduced in recent weeks, things really are looking alot better there now
• The east of Sierra Leone around Kaliahun and Kenema (where the outbreak first surfaced in Sierra Leone) has improved dramatically, with only 1 or 2 cases being reported per week over the last month. In and around Freetown and the west of the country, the number of new cases being reported has declined by a huge amount
• The outbreak continues to rumble on around Guinea, though at a much lower level than before, with the number of new cases reported being significantly lower than in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Alot more is being done by the governments and the international community to help improve the situation, though there is of course alot more work to do. It does appear slowly but surely the outbreak is being brought under control, and we are very hopeful that the region will return to some sense of normality very soon.

Happy Ladies In Their Finest Clothes In The Forest Region Of Guinea

We want to reiterate that we cancelled our trips in late 2014 - early 2015 due to the closure of a number of key borders throughout the region. That was the only reason we cancelled - the logistics of operating multi-country trips became impossible.

All sensible advice from health professionals continues to be the same - the risk of travellers contracting the virus is considered very low, you need to come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of somebody showing symptoms of the virus to become infected.

Launch Of The Unite 4 West Africa Initiative

Since October 2014 we have played a key role in setting up and promoting the Unite 4 West Africa initiative, along with West Africa Discovery, Barefoot Liberia, and Another World Adventures. The aim of this collective effort is simple - to challenge the mainstream media portrayal of the affected countries in West Africa, and to raise funds for organisations working on the ground to combat the outbreak.

Nigerian Minister Of Tourism Sally Mbanefo Speaks At The Unite4WestAfrica Launch, World Travel Market 2014

Lots Of Journalists Attended The Unite4WestAfrica Launch At World Travel Market In London, 2014

The Unite 4 West Africa initiative was launched to the media at World Travel Market in October 2014. We're pleased to say it was a huge success, the room was heaving with journalists interested in hearing what we had to say!

On the panel were the Ministers of Tourism for Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria, as well as Ben Keene from Tribewanted Sierra Leone, Dr Ron Behrens from the London School of Tropical Medicine, and David Oades (Dave The Hat) from Overlanding West Africa. Everybody gave a 10 minute presentation about the situation in the region.

In addition to helping put the outbreak into perspective, Unite 4 West Africa is raising funds for organisations who are working hard in the region to help combat the spread of the virus:

• 50% of the money raised will go to Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders), who have worked tirelessly from the moment the outbreak was confirmed as ebola back in March 2014
• 40% of the money will go to 3 grass roots organisations in each of the affected countries, being TINKISSO in Guinea, KRITERION MONROVIA in Liberia, and WELT HUNGER HILFE in Sierra Leone
• 10% will be distributed to other grass roots organisations who are doing great work who might approach us for funding - if not, this 10% will instead go to the 3 organisations receiving 40% of the funds raised

All money raised will go directly to the organisations listed above. All of the time we have spent setting up and promoting Unite 4 West Africa is entirely voluntary.

David Oades, Founder Of Overlanding West Africa Speaks At The Unite4WestAfrica Launch At World Travel Market

Larissa Clark, Founder Of Another World Adventures Launches The Unite4WestAfrica Initiative

We're pleased to say we have secured the support of a large number of other travel operators and organisations who run trips and have an interest in the countries of West Africa, including Exodus Travels, G Adventures, Explore, and Intrepid Travel. We're proud to say we've raised over £4,000 since November 2014 and hope to raise much more.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations who have donated to the initiative so far, and all the individuals who have made a personal donation - thanks so much to everybody!

Please visit the Unite 4 West Africa website to learn more about the initiative, and help promote a more positive image of the countries in West Africa. There is also a Unite 4 West Africa Facebook Page and a Twitter Page where you can keep up to date with all the latest news. Please use the hashtag #Unite4WestAfrica when posting about the initiative.

Organisations Lending Their Support To The Unite4WestAfrica Initiative

With so much negative media coverage coming from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia in recent months, there is a real danger that these countries will be associated and stigmatised with this image for years to come. We all need to work together to help promote a more positive image of the affected countries and the West Africa region in general.

Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia were just starting to develop a tourist industry, something we want to see flourish once again as soon as possible.

Remember: A huge number of people throughout dozens of countries all over Africa rely upon tourism for their livelihoods, and many are now starting to struggle due to a decline in tourism. Nearly every major tour operator is saying bookings for trips all over Africa are down. Lets put this in perspective - only 3 countries have been significantly affected by the ebola outbreak to date, just 3!

Africa is a continent, NOT a country, help us put the situation into perspective!

Cheers guys, we hope you are all well, and we hope to see you on Aminah in late 2015-early 2016 for another adventure through the countries of West Africa!

Dave The Hat, Al Goodridge, and Jimmy C

Jane's Adventures Between Accra And Freetown

This is a guest post from Jane De Le Vega, a recent passenger of ours from Australia, who had a great time on our overland trip from Accra to Freetown in January 2014.

"Earlier this year I went on the Accra to Freetown trip with OWA, a six week trip from Ghana to Sierra Leone, through Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia. It was a most wonderful trip, and as I sit down to write this feedback I can only think of positives.

Kids were always fascinated by Jane's sketching; some colourful characters visiting our bush camp in Ghana.

The slow and peaceful pace gave us time to soak in the amazing landscapes and cultures we were passing through: I sketch, so a slow pace suits me. The crew had a thorough, extremely well organised and professional approach. This had been obvious from the beginning, from their comprehensive website, and prompt, clear responses to initial questions. 

It became even more apparent once we all arrived in Accra where, on meeting Al our leader, any tiny worries one may have had in relation to safety were put to rest.  Al’s experience and understanding of West Africa - its trials and tribulations, as well as its wonders and wobbles - and his quiet  passion for it all was impressive. Impressive  also was his  calm, cool persona which I liked. I felt very confident. He was the perfect leader. His offsider, Neville, was also perfect.

Sights, sounds and experiences in West Africa always keep you on your toes!

Looking at the photographs on OWA’s website says everything that needs to be said. I am sure that anyone considering travel in West Africa is doing so because they already know it is a diverse, complicated, different and sometimes difficult part of the continent, and they know that a trip there will be fascinating, intrepid and adventurous. A one-off- not tame. That was why I chose the trip, and it came up to all my expectations. Perhaps even better than I had anticipated. 

Good times on the Domes de Fabedougou in Burkina; Jane takes advantage of Valentine's day;
Niansogoni's former troglydyte settlement which we trekked to

I had asked only two questions to OWA before booking, and these may be helpful to others considering the trips.  

The first question (because I am 67 and therefore a fossil) was whether they normally had fossils on their trips, and what generally was the average age? I didn’t want to end up granny-loser-fossil-lonely-no-friends amongst 19 teeny boppers! The answer was that their groups were mostly of mixed ages, the average age being about 40, and always some fossils.  As it turned out, this was the case on my trip and, indeed, there were a few fossils.

Andy with Jane's great birthday card, which he drew

The second question I asked was which nationalities the groups were usually made up of. I  asked this question because I had noted from the website that much feedback was from Australians. Being an Australian myself, when I travel I am naturally more interested to meet people from other countries, and therefore I was hoping the group would be of mixed nationalities. This was  the case. Our group of 20 included people from Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, America, Canada, the UK, and 3 Australians of which I was one. 

West Africa's beaches are a real highlight of our trips: Bureh beach Sierra Leone;
bringing in the catch; and driving along the Ghanaian coast

So it was a wonderful mix, a wonderful trip, and it was a sad moment when we parted in Freetown at the end. After all, we had done a lot together. 

We’d rattled over endless rutted third world roads together, often at only 30 kms an hour, with Africa passing by out the truck windows; we’d sat together in the truck at tricky border posts in midday sun while Al did endless paperwork with the officials; we’d all helped fill the truck water tanks from precious village wells once Al had done the negotiations, many onlookers, tiny sleeping babies strapped to so many backs;  we’d rejoiced together as we washed our bodies and clothes in a beautiful waterfall that we found ourselves camped beside; we’d sat together at night around a fire swapping stories; stomped through fabulous local markets with our cook group in tow, looking for things to turn into dinner for that night; decamped excitedly out of our tents and into basic hotel rooms with showers when available; argued in the dark, over a steaming pot, with someone in the cook group who thought two packets of rice wasn't enough; rushed into markets and bought far too many gorgeous batik african textiles, perhaps thinking that one day, back home, we could look as beautiful as the African women who wore them so gracefully (alas no!); camped in villages at night, surrounded by 100 inquisitive locals, waking the next morning to watch daily African life- women tending babies, the stew in the pot, the grinding of grains, the water carrying, the cows being herded out to their fields.

Curtis on a the few remaining vine bridges in Guinea; chimpanzees at a rehabilitation centre in Sierra Leone, and in the wild in Guinea, close to our camp

We’d visited wildlife sanctuaries, ex-colonial coastal forts, Cote d’Ivoire’s version of the Vatican, and marveled at the quirky, crazy, pink and turquoise corrugated iron shacks in Liberia built by the freed returning slaves from America - New Orleans style!

And finally, things like just walking with a new friend along a remote and very long African beach, and coming at the end to a fishing village, with men scaling their catch beside brightly coloured fishing canoes, all painted various shades of turquoise and blue with crazy red dedications to Jesus on their hulls. Photographs, photographs!

Captivating sights and sounds at the village we stay in to witness an incredible stilt dance, in Cote d'Ivoire

So, together we all shared this really wonderful experience in West Africa. And we couldn't have done it without OWA.

Thank you very much,  OWA. You do a really excellent job.

And to anyone else... YES, DO IT!

Many thanks to Jane for taking the time to write us this great post! Looking forward to seeing you on another trip in the near future Jane!

Busy Times Preparing For The Adventure Ahead

We've had a busy few months since getting back to the UK with Aminah at the end of April. There's only a few seats left on our Southbound trips this coming season, starting in October, so now is the time to get in touch if you want to experience the magic of West Africa with us!

Al and Hatter have been busy getting Aminah spick and span for her next adventure. She's now all spruced up, safely parked up in the UK, and ready to head back down through Europe in a few months time.

We're in the process of having some videos made from all the footage taken on our recent trips. We'll be releasing these on our You Tube Channel over the next few weeks. Below is the first of the videos, showing off some of the incredible dancing and singing our Dakar to Freetown and Freetown to Dakar groups got to witness at Tendaba camp on the banks of the river Gambia....what a night, check it out!

Stay tuned for more inspirational footage highlighting the music, dancing, colourful characters, epic roads, truck life and more from our recent adventures. Many thanks to all of the passengers who provided some of the footage used in this video we really appreciate it!

We're very pleased to announce that Jason Parry will be joining Al as co-driver and mechanic for our upcoming 2014-2015 season. We know Jason well from his time working for Dragoman Overland; he has been away from overlanding for the past few years doing a 'normal' job in the real world, and is itching to be out on the road again!

Jason fixing a passing donkey cart, and taking some down time!

We’ll let Jason introduce himself:

‘Africa has been under my skin since I spent 4 months working in South Africa back in early 2000. Since then, I have travelled independently in South Africa, Kenya and Namibia,, as well as riding solo for most of my time running Encounter trips for Dragoman Overland between 2006 and 2008.

I reluctantly left the road in 2008, intending to knuckle down for a couple of years in a ‘proper job’, and secure myself some sort of financial security for my future years. My intention was always to return to overlanding, and after too many years of masquerading as a grown up, I am finally in a position to do just that. OWA approaching me earlier this year could not have been timed any better.

I know Dave & Jimmy through Dragoman, last seeing them in person just prior to their first OWA trip. Having recently met up with Al in preparation for the season ahead, I cannot wait to get back out on the road, and am looking forward to immersing myself in the diversity of cultures, customs, terrain, and of course passengers!

Jason making sure nothing goes to waste!

We have recently partnered with 'Friends of Conakry Refugee' School, where 26 staff offer an education to 500 students, provide them with a meal each day, and help with safe housing for the vulnerable. Guinea has historically received rather less NGO assistance than some of its neighbours, so it is great to see a UK organisation involved with such a valuable project.

Many of the children are orphans from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire and simply can't afford to go to school. The school is setting up small business initiatives such as catering and soap making, and running IT and English classes for the local community so it can subsidise the education of the poorest. We plan to visit the school on our Freetown to Dakar trip, bring out supplies from the UK, and make a financial donation to the project.

There is much more information about the project here on the Friends of Conakry Refugee School website.

Stay tuned for more travel videos in the next few weeks, like this short one of Al and Nev driving through the jungle in Ivory Coast, and we hope to see you onboard Aminah in West Africa later this year!

Election Fever In Bissau and Relaxing Days In Casamance and Gambia...

We left Bissau at the height of election fever. The city was heaving with activity and thankfully peaceful, with a positive mood all around.  A drive day took us to Senegal’s Casamance region, where we spent a week exploring and relaxing: Fishing trips, exploring villages and craft markets on bikes, boat trips to nearby islands, and plenty of live music and dancing.

Relaxing days by the Casamance river, Senegal

Nicky, Steve, Derek, Paula, Adrian Getting Into The Rhythm Of Senegal!

Ali Joins In With The Limbo

The fishing port we visited in northern Casamance was quieter than usual as the previous night’s fishing had been poor. Luckily we got to see the vast quantity of fish that was caught in previous days being salted, dried and smoked to be sent upcountry, an extraordinary sight!

Fish Smoke House And Fish Drying In The Sun (Sascha's Photo)

These Guys Collect The Fish That's Been Dropped As The Huge Catches Are Brought Ashore

Our stay in Abene with Simon was a real highlight of the trip. The Koumpo dance we saw started slowly, as the Koumpo is a forest spirit who needs calling to the village with drumming. Fortunately, the spirit does also have a mobile phone so he knows roughly when and where he will be called! A stilt dancer joined us as the music and dancing built up ahead of the Koumpo’s arrival.

Ash Prepares For A Cameo Appearance

The Stilt Dancer Warming Up For His Performance With The Drummer Calling The Koumpo In From Afar!

The Baby Watched The Ceremony With Bewilderment!

It's very difficult to visualise what the Koumpo is doing under all the leaves; the spike comes out of his head, and remains stationary in the ground as he rotates around it.

The Koumpo Has Arrived!

The Koumpo Whipping Up A Storm In Senegal!

Later, two dark creatures turned up for the next stage of the ceremony. The children ran away in terror too quickly for us to catch them on film!

This Creature Came On After The Koumpo And Scared The Kids Off In a Frenzy!

A Hot And Sweaty Performance From This Child-Scaring Creature In Casamance, Senegal

Ladies In Their Colourful Fabrics Singing Along To To The Performance (Photo From Passenger Liz)

The next morning we visited a giant fromagier tree, considered sacred by the locals; it's actually 6 trees fused together. We also visited the local bat colony and met the chief before some relaxing beach time.

Liz Climbing The Impressive Roots Of The Giant Fromagier Tree (Photo From Liz)

The Kora performance that the talented Gambian Griot, Hami Saho, gave us in the evening was much more subdued than the Koumpo dance the night before. He took time to explain Griot traditions, the history of Kora playing, and the meaning of each song.

Hami Saho Gives A Beautiful Performance Of Kora Music

Ben, Ash, Laura, and Adrienne, Learning About The Kora and The Life Of A Griot

A short drive saw us leave Casamance for a few days in the Gambia. We took boat trips to see birdlife on the Gambia river, and had a great evening of music and dancing around Aminah courtesy of the village.

Lazy Days By The River At Tendaba, Gambia

Dave, Liz, Kim, and Nicky Dance Around Aminah At Night, Gambia

The ferry across the Gambia river at Farafenni was as entertaining as ever; long periods of waiting around for something to happen, entertained by the many people selling colourful fabrics and cheap Viagra, punctuated by sudden frantic bursts of activity as the traffic moved onto the ferry.

Does Anyone Know Why A Drainage Culvert In Gambia Is An Irish Crossing (Photo from passenger Birgit)

Steve, Adrian, Julie, John, and Liz On The Ferry With Aminah Tucked In

Our last full drive day of the trip took us back to Senegal, for a last night of relaxing on the beach before finishing our journey in Dakar.

Derek By The Coast On Our Last Night Before Arriving Into Dakar

Cows Casually Strolling Along The Beach In Senegal (Photo From Di)

We had some excellent French food on our last night and a sample of the local nightlife. There's lots to see in and around Dakar, and many of the group headed to Ile de Goree on the last morning of the trip. 

For Aminah and Al the epic overland journey was not quite over. A 7,000 km + journey lay ahead in Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, and Europe......long days cruising across the Sahara, listing to lilting desert blues.....to be continued.....

Al, Alice, And Aminah En Route Through Western Sahara Heading For Morocco

Sierra Leone Into Guinea-Bissau And The Fouta Djalon Highlands...

A few visa applications, time on the beaches for some R&R, and we headed off to Guinea, a real contrast after several weeks in English speaking countries. A windy drive through the mountains brought us into the Fouta Djalon for a relaxed week of trekking and waterfalls.

Cooling Off On Our Drive Up To The Highlands, And Al Buys A Beautiful Piece From A Local Sculptor (Liz and John)

The GPS Struggles To Know What Road We Are On So Settles For 'Potholes'! (Photo From Liz)

BBQ Dinner At Our Sunset Bushcamp In The Guinean Highlands (Laura)

We spent a couple of nights in a small village, tucked away on top of an escarpment, with stunning views of the surrounding gorges and waterfalls. We went trekking each day, sampled the local food, enjoying relaxing evenings with beautiful sunsets, and chuckled at the great turns of phrase of our colourful host!

Exploring The Beautiful Fouta Djalon With Our Local Guide - Vine Climbing's Always a Highlight!

Derek Cooling Off In The Waterfalls And Al Taking In The Views

Passengers Exploring The Surrounding Escarpments, Waterfalls, and Canyons In The Fouta Djalon Highlands!

Steve Climbing The Vines, With Ben, Kim, and Simon Below

This set of waterfalls make a huge drop from the escarpment to the plains below, a stunning sight, and a welcome relief for the chance for a refreshing swim after an hour or so walking through the forest to get there.

Kim After A Dusty Drive As We Arrived At The Waterfalls (Photos From Liz and Laura)

John At The Waterfalls, Still Flowing In The Dry Season (Photo From John)

The road from Labe to Guinea Bissau is gradually being improved by a Chinese company, but is still a dusty, bumpy few days of old school overlanding; crossing rivers, swimming in streams, with some great bush camps under starry night skies!

A Real Overland Adventure As We Drive Through The Highlands Between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau (Liz And Laura)

The Road Between Guinea and Guinea Bissau Is Being Improved...But For The Moment Remains Bumpy And Dusty!

Into Guinea-Bissau and we reached Saltinho Falls, a lovely spot for a relaxed morning taking a swim and watching the fishermen hard at work. We then headed west to one of the worlds most relaxed capital cities, Bissau, for some great food, club nights, and wanders around the port and fading colonial-era buildings. Election fever was in full swing, but in a very hopeful and friendly fashion. Elections are due any day now!

Steve, Liz, Ali, Lindsay, and Andre Wash Away The Dust! (Photo From Liz)

Some Great Sculptures For Sale En Route In Guinea Bissau (Photo From John)

Ash Cuts His Birthday Cake At A Bush Camp In Guinea Bissau (Photo From Laura)