Exotic West Africa
We have taken two trips to West Africa, both with Mountain Travel Sobek. The first trip was called "Timbuktu & Beyond" into one of the most fascinating countries in the entire world, Mali.
Who hasn't heard of Timbuktu one of the most isolated places in the world, synonymous with being "out in nowhere" but this ancient, famous city was just a small part of this extremely unique trip. The group would start in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (pronounced "wah gah doo goo" - isn't that a great name?), heading into Mali (Dogon land), Djenne, Mopti, travel up the Niger River, Timbuktu, ending up in Bamako, Mali.
The "History Channel" just aired a two-hour special, "Sahara" the other evening. Try and watch it. Very interesting and informative including details about Tunisia - another destination we have visited. (Keep reading daily and soon you will see the articles on Tunisia - another captivating destination.)
This was not going to be an easy trip by any stretch of the imagination because of the heat, lots of camping (there are no Sheraton's in these areas) and long, hard drives into very remote areas. Oh, the Places You Can Go: Round-Trip Flights for $199+ or Less
Mountain Travel's detailed itinerary stated..."you'll be immersed in the fascination of some of the richest and best-preserved tribal culutures remaining in Africa"...and...."We'll camp in remote Dogon villages visited only by our groups (and not on any maps), perhaps witness a wild and breathtaking Dogon mask dance..." This sounded thrilling and even "ex-Marine" (husband, Steve) got excited over the sights, showing less enthusiasm about all the camping involved. (That man hates to camp...flashbacks of his old Marine days.)
There was never a thought about using another tour operator other than Mountain Travel. We've used them before and when heading out to a "god-forsaken" locale, I want a highly reputable and competent American tour operator...who will do their best to get us in and out of a country safely. But we have also traveled with Explore many times and they would have been my second choice.
Committed to the March, 2001 departure and started working on some MAJOR planning...
Cancun: Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort - 5 nights hotel & airfare from $665
