Day 1 Starting city – Sanyang
Arrival at Banjul Airport (Yundum). Transfer to accommodations in the village of Sanyang and presentation by the guide team. Possibility of going to the Sanyang beach.
Day 2 Sanyang – Seleti – Dioulolou – Baïla
In the morning we will have breakfast to recharge and then take our first dip into African waters on a tropical beach. Next we will start our way inland to the Gambia, leave behind the commercial explosion of the coastal area to enter a more arid and traditional area. We will cross the Gambian border to enter the Casamance region of Senegal. This change of country also means a change of biogeographic area: we will move from a savannah to a subtropical jungle filled with huge kapok trees, baobabs, and mango trees. In Dioulolou we will leave the van, eat a plat du jour in a local restaurant and get ready to start our bike route, our means of transport for the rest of the trip.
Bike ride:
Dioulolou – Baïla: 32 km
Elevation change: 28 m.
Estimated time: 3:30 hr
Road: paved
Day 3 Baïla – Thionck Essyl
We will get up early, have breakfast, and do our second stage to enter the interior of the Upper Casamance region. We will start out in the village of Baïla to head to Thionck Essyl, the most important village in this region located 40 km away. We will start the journey by road but will quickly enter the forest of Diegoune, a reserve populated by sacred trees such as kopak trees and baobabs. Our guide will explain nature conservation, the importance of tradition, and some aspects of this ethnic group’s social organization. We will stop in the village of Diegoune to have a picnic before heading off to Thionck Essyl, our day’s goal. Once we arrive in Thionck Essyl you can spend the afternoon walking around and getting to know this beautiful village, its different neighborhoods, the school, the community gardens, or just to rest in our camp.
Bike ride:
Dance – Thionck Essyl: 40 km
Elevation change: 25 m.
Estimated time: 4:30 hr
Road: paved and dirt
Day 4 Thionck Essyl – Affiniam
Early in the morning we will bike through the Tendouk forest towards Affiniam, a village 24 km away. Our ride will be on a dark red dirt path in good condition during this quiet journey between small villages with animist traditions. Images of the day-to-day like the rhythmic movements of women grinding sorghum in the traditional manner and the chicks, ducks, and even geese milling about in the courtyards with the Diola families will make this journey a feast for the senses.
Bike ride:
Thionck Essyl – Affiniam: 25 km
Elevation change: 26 m.
Estimated time: 3 hr
Road: paved and dirt
Day 5 Affiniam – Ziguinchor – Oussouye
Once we have breakfast we will head to the Affiniam jetty to take a boat to Ziguinchor, the capital of Casamance. We will sail through the tributaries of the Casamance River until we reach the most emblematic city of the country for its vestiges of the French colonial era, where we can mix with the local hustle and bustle and enjoy this city’s explosion of colors and smells. We will enjoy the local cuisine in a restaurant with local food and flavor and then head towards Oussouye, 41 km by road and local paths to pass from the upper to the lower Casamance. This leg is amongst beautiful mangroves and wetlands, from the interior of the country to the coastal area.
Bike ride:
Affiniam – Oussouye: 41 km
Elevation change: 28 m.
Estimated time: 4:30 hr
Road: paved and dirt
Day 6 Oussouye – Mlomp – Kagnout – Point St. George – Egueye
We will have breakfast made from local products and rest and recharge to tackle the last stage of this trip by bike. We will leave from Oussouye, the spiritual capital of Casamance, touring animist villages pointing out the fetishes and other manifestations of animism that our guide will explain in detail. We will also visit a small textile cooperative that gives work to women with functional diversity, a meaningful and lively stop. We will follow the narrow tracks crossing mangroves, rice paddies, and farmlands until we reach the secluded village of Point St. George. There we will eat at a local home and then leave our bikes and head by boat to the island of Egueye where we will spend the afternoon enjoying the purely tropical atmosphere.
Bike ride:
Oussouye – Point St. George: 31 km
Elevation change: 20 m.
Estimated time: 3:15 hrs
Road: dirt and trails
Day 7 Egueye – Abené
First thing after breakfast we will take a guided kayak tour of the tributaries of the Casamance River on the lookout for birds and other animals from the region. We will eat in Egueye and then we will start back to the upper Casamance passing through Ziguinchor. Then we will start our journey to the coastal village of Abené where we will enjoy an afternoon of relaxation on the beach. We can walk around and visit the small fishing port.
Day 8 Abené – Kafountine – Tanji – Sanyang – Airport (Gambia)
In the morning we will walk along the Abené beach towards Kafountine, one of the most important fishing ports in Senegal. There we will learn about the fishing tradition and how canoes are made in the traditional method. We will then head back to Gambia. This leg is by road and we will head towards Kiang, in Gambia. We will pass from the ethnic Diola to the Mandinka and the Fula, and from the tropical lands of the Casamance to the arid lands of Gambia. Once we enter Gambia we will head towards Tanji, a fishing village where we will watch boats arriving on the coast to see how the fish is unloaded, how it is prepared to sell it immediately, or how it is dried or smoked to sell inland in Mali or Senegal. An explosion of colors, movement, and the well-coordinated work amidst a large crowd. Then we can rest at the Ecolodge Kajamor, in the village of Sanyang, and pack before leaving for the airport.
