Ask an old African hand and you’ll be told: “Go to East Africa for the animals and West Africa for the people.” And, we might add, for the music, the crafts and the food.
Culturally and historically rich Mali — once at the center of the sub-Saharan trade route — is today the largest country in West Africa. From legendary Timbuktu to the dramatic Bandiagara escarpment, Mali’s melting pot of cultures also includes the Dogons, world renowned for their artwork and their traditional cliff-side villages.
Vibrant cities such as portside Dakar share quarters with quaint tribal villages in Senegal. Strategically important as a fortress and outpost on the trade route, Senegal’s Gorée Island was the primary point of departure for slaves taken to the Americas. Years of power struggles changed the fl ag from Dutch to British to French to Senegalese, but this vibrant heritage all contributed to the spice of the country, evident in Senegal’s exotic cultural mix.
