Transport Adventures – West Africa

Yes, back to West Africa again. Transport in West Africa is possibly THE reason to go if you’re seriously into adventure. I say this because every journey in West Africa is a major adventure. From tro-tros to share-taxis to buses and even the occasional train, West Africa is not for the feint-hearted who like smooth …

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The Incredible Churches of Lalibela

Somewhere in the mountains, north of the capital Addis Ababa, is a very special town called Lalibela. As a traveller to Ethiopia, you’re probably going to put this town on your itinerary. Why? Because it has 11 of the most amazing churches you are likely to see, built/created/carved in the late 12th and 13th centuries. …

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Little Places – Ouahigouyah

Border town. (well, actually still a wee bit from the border) Dry. Dusty. Hot. The last town in Burkina Faso before I moved on to Mali over ten years ago now. I don’t remember much, perhaps because there wasn’t much to remember, but I do remember that the streets were wide, and I didn’t see …

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Small Places – Djenne, Mali

Djenne is a pretty special place. A small town on the less-populated side of the Niger River. As I wrote in my recent post on Mopti (Sunday Spotlight – Mopti) I visited on a longish day-trip from Mopti. Actually, half the fun of the day was the amazing journey from Mopti to Djenne and back, …

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Little Places – Ganvie, Benin

One of Benin’s most visited attractions is the stilted-village of Ganvie. It really is a bit of a tourist trap in some respects I guess, it’s on the Lake of Nokoue, and that is a short ride from Benin’s main (but not capital) city of Cotonou. If you are visiting this West African nation, well, …

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Benin – Through My Lens

Hi folks! Time to turn the clock back a decade plus to my time in the West African country of Benin. A country with a history linked to the slave trade to the Americas, it has it's own beauty and despite the fact I only had five nights there, I appreciated visiting. Apart from the …

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Sunday Spotlight – Mopti, Mali

Today I’m stretching my memory back to the time I went to Mali, 2007, one country in West Africa which really has a lot to see and do. From the Dogon country, to the incredible mosque at Djenne, Mali is a real surprise packet in West Africa, but sadly is not really safe for travel …

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Burkina Faso – Through My Lens

The country that is the subject of this week's 'Through My Lens' is the dusty, land locked country in West Africa Burkina Faso. I visited twice, now ten years ago. The cities/towns seemed to have fields or basically wilderness in the middle. It's a wild sort of place, and ever so hot - most days …

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