Highlights of West Africa Overland

Below are some of the major travel highlights for West Africa Overland. For more in-depth attractions of each country on this route, click on the country names below or select a route to see the highlights on this section of the journey. Click on the icons below to focus on specific types of features (click again to return to all).

In-depth highlights: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo


Natural	History	Wildlife	Trekking	Cities	Religious Monument	Boat Journey	Rail Journey	Diving	Cultural	Adrenaline	UNESCO WHS

Natural attractions of West Africa Overland

Cliff of Bandiagara
Bandiagara is a 135 kilometre long escarpment of cliffs and sandy plateaus. It has been inhabited by the Dogon people for over 600 years when they fled here to escape Islamic persecutors. The Dogon still live a very traditional lifestyle in villages with some beautiful architecture, such as flat-roofed huts, tapering granaries, clifftop cemeteries and communal meeting places (Togu Na). The Dogon are famous for their elaborate masked dances and ceremonies which are integral to their traditional beliefs. This region is an excellent area for trekking - along, up and down the escarpment as you travel between the Dogon villages. UNESCO World Heritage Site: Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons)

Cliff of Bandiagara

Bandiagara is a 135 kilometre long escarpment of cliffs and sandy plateaus. It has been inhabited by the Dogon people for over 600 years when they fled here to escape Islamic persecutors. The Dogon still live a very traditional lifestyle in villages with some beautiful architecture, such as flat-roofed huts, tapering granaries, clifftop cemeteries and communal meeting places (Togu Na). The Dogon are famous for their elaborate masked dances and ceremonies which are integral to their traditional beliefs. This region is an excellent area for trekking - along, up and down the escarpment as you travel between the Dogon villages.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons)

Niger River Cruise
The Niger River is the third longest river in Africa and is a major thoroughfare in Mali connecting Mopti to Timbuktu. A quintessential experience of travelling in Mali is to take a river cruise to Timbuktu aboard a pinasse - traditional wooden boats powered by engines. On the way you can visit riverside villages such as those belonging to the Bozo, a tribe of nomadic fishermen, view the wildlife of the river including hippos and bird species such as egrets, herons, sandpipers and hammerkops and camp at night on the river's edge. The real highlight however is simply watching the scenes of life on the river - Fulani herdsmen taking their cattle into the river for watering, boats carrying goods, livestock and passengers down the river and women lining the banks washing clothes.

Niger River Cruise

The Niger River is the third longest river in Africa and is a major thoroughfare in Mali connecting Mopti to Timbuktu. A quintessential experience of travelling in Mali is to take a river cruise to Timbuktu aboard a pinasse - traditional wooden boats powered by engines. On the way you can visit riverside villages such as those belonging to the Bozo, a tribe of nomadic fishermen, view the wildlife of the river including hippos and bird species such as egrets, herons, sandpipers and hammerkops and camp at night on the river's edge. The real highlight however is simply watching the scenes of life on the river - Fulani herdsmen taking their cattle into the river for watering, boats carrying goods, livestock and passengers down the river and women lining the banks washing clothes.

Lake Togo
Lake Togo lies east of the capital Lome and covers some 13 km². Travelling on pirogue, the traditional dugout canoe used by local fishermen, you can visit various towns and villages along the lakes edge such as Agbodrafo and Togoville, which are centres for voodoo culture. The historic town of Togoville contains a royal palace and German colonial church from the early 20th century as well as numerous voodoo shrines and fetish stalls.

Lake Togo

Lake Togo lies east of the capital Lome and covers some 13 km². Travelling on pirogue, the traditional dugout canoe used by local fishermen, you can visit various towns and villages along the lakes edge such as Agbodrafo and Togoville, which are centres for voodoo culture. The historic town of Togoville contains a royal palace and German colonial church from the early 20th century as well as numerous voodoo shrines and fetish stalls.

Kakum National Park
The rainforest at Kakum National Park can be explored by walking along a 40 metre high canopy walkway which runs through the park allowing a unique perspective of the rainforest. The park covers 360 km² and is home to monkeys, elephants, antelope, warthogs and buffalo.