Day 1 Hometown–Banjul
Nighttime arrival to Banjul Airport (Yundum). Transfer to accommodations in the fishing village of Sanyang where the team will welcome you.
Day 2 Sanyang – Thionck Essyl
In the morning we will enjoy a real African breakfast, made with local products at a place on the beach, where we can enjoy the setting and relax. The forests of Boulouf before reaching Thionck Essyl, a Diola village. Upon arrival, we will eat in the Diatta family house, which welcomes us with a traditional meal, followed by a good Senegalese-style tea, which will introduce us to the local culture. We will spend the afternoon getting to know Thionck Essyl, a town that despite the changes maintains its customs and has decided to maintain them. We will visit the different neighborhoods and projects in the town, such as the Regional Hospital, built and equipped with material by a Catalan NGO, the market, the school…
2 hr walk to go Thionck Essyl.
Day 3 Thionck Essyl
We will spend the day walking through the forest of Tendouk, where we will discover local life among a landscape of rice paddies and communal gardens, until you reach the village of Dianki where we will be waiting to enjoy a traditional meal. We then drive back to Thionck Essyl, enjoying a beautiful tour of the banks of the river. Once we arrive at camp, we will take a trip to discover some of the most special places in Thionck Essyl, a traditional bridge and a dip and a very special sunset.
11 km (3 hr) hike through Tendouk Forest to the village of Dianki. An interesting route where we will identify the traditional architecture and way of life of this region of West Africa. The return trip to Thionck Essyl will be by car (walking optional).
2 hr trip from the camp to the traditional bridge (mangrove trip) possibility of swimming.
Day 4 Thionck Essyl –Niomoune
Once we have breakfast, we will begin a boat trip along a tributary of the Casamance River, an area with f mangroves, identifying the region’s fauna and flora, to reach the island of Niomoune. A small village located in a unique place that maintains its customs. We will have lunch in the rural camp of Niomoune, an ecotourism project that follows sustainable tourism criteria, and then take a guided tour of the city. This visit will allow us to discover the Diola animist culture through its rites, fetishes, and sacred places. At the same time, we will be surprised by the remnants of the colonial era, like the Great Christian Church still in use. We will have dinner at the Niomoune camp and bask in an unforgettable sunset.
Guided tour of the village 2 hr.
Day 5 Niomoune–Karabane–Egueye
Early in the morning we will leave the boat to Karabane, leave the Boulouf region to go to the region of Lower Casamance. We will take an interesting trip along the river where we will discover an unspoiled landscape amongst mangroves and Diola animist villages on the banks of the river. We’ll arrive at the island of Karabane where we will have lunch and enjoy the tropical atmosphere, among mangoes and palm trees. Then we will go to the island of Egueye, where we wait for a local guide to take a walk to get to know this small island and its most characteristic flora and fauna. Then we will enjoy the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of the small fort on an island in the Casamance River to rest and prepare for the next day’s hike.
Egueye Island walk (2 hr)
Day 6 Egueye – Point Saint George – Mlomp – Oussouye
We will leave early by boat to Point Saint George and go on a walking tour through the rice fields, deagers and mangoes for small paths surrounded by mangrove forests to reach the Mlomp village famous for its remarkable architecture and two-story mud houses. Then we will visit a cooperative that works for the empowerment of women with functional diversity. We will continue our walk to Oussouye.
Point Saint George walk to Oussouye 15 km (3 ½ hr)
Day 7 Oussouye –Ediongou–Oussouye
Once we have breakfast, we will go to the Kalamisso women’s team empowerment project, a group of artisan women who work palm leaf in the traditional manner. There, the women will show us some of the decorations they make (dishes, bowls). This is a traditional technique, a true exchange marked by the hospitality of the city. After the activity, we will enjoy a traditional meal.
We will spend the afternoon walking around some of the small villages in the region, a walk among rice paddies and palm trees. This trip, with no hills, will allow us to share and enjoy nature at the pace of the Diola people, learn more about how they work with cashews, and your importance for the local economy. In the evening, we will have a small party with a special dinner to the rhythm of Diola music in the company of a group of local musicians where we will enjoy the sounds of griots in the Cassamance region.
Oussouye to Ediongou walking tour (10 km) (approximately 3 hr)
Day 8 Oussouye – Ziguinchor–Tanji– Airport (Gambia)
We will have breakfast and make our way back to Gambia. This route by road crosses the Casamance River and heads to the lands of Kiang, Gambia. The passage from the Diolas to lasysétniesman dingues and Fula, and from the tropical lands of the Casamance to the arid lands of Gambia. Once we enter Gambia we will go to Tanji, a fishing village and watch the hustle and bustle of the boats that reach the coast, see how the fish are unloaded, and how the vender prepares or dries it or smokes it to sell inland. Once we’re done, we’ll go to the accommodations, pack our bags, have dinner and say goodbye to the trip. Then we head to the airport.
