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From Senegal to The Gambia

Other Samples Back To Africa Teranga Tour En Francais Day One Depart JFK to Dakar, Senegal Arrive Dakar, early in the morning. Your tour guide will meet and escort you to your five-star hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. In the afternoon, tour the city of Dakar to familiarize yourself with its history and points of interest. See beautiful sand paintings, the Artisan Village along the beach and much more. Dakar is a city of contrasts where buisinessmen and tourists, European clothes and traditional dress, colonial style villas and huge modern buildings, supermarkets and small shops full of goods, new residential areas and the Medina (intriguing native quarters) are all to be found existing side by side. The beaches of Dakar are equipped for water sports, including deep-sea fishing and scuba diving. Dakar offers numerous European or African restaurants and casinos. There are always tailors available ready to make beautiful outfits for men and women. Day Two Relax and enjoy your day lounging poolside or take an optional tour to the marketplaces where our tour guides will assist you in the fine art of "bargaining" that our street vendors love. Day Three Goree Island After breakfast, take a 20-minute ferry ride to Goree Island. It was once a departure point for millions of Africans bound for the Americas to be forced into slavery. Visit the Slave House, the museum and Fort. This land mass played an important part in the early days of African-American history. Goree Island is a small 45-acre island located off the coast of Senegal. Goree Island was developed as a center of the expanding European slave trade. The first record of slave trading there dates back to 1536 and was conducted by Portuguese, the first Europeans to set foot on the island in 1444. The house of slaves was built in 1776. Built by the Dutch, it is the last slave house still standing in Goree and now serves as a museum. The island is considered as a memorial to the Black Diaspora. An estimated 20 million Africans passed through the island between the mid-1500s and the mid-1800s. Millions of West Africans were taken against their will. These Africans were brought to Goree Island, sold into slavery, and held in the holding warehouse on the island until they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean. They were sold in South America, the Caribbean, and North America to create a new world. The living conditions of the slaves were atrocious on Goree Island. From its "Door of No Return," the Fulanis, Sereres, Wolofs, Mandinkas, from Senegal, and the Bambaras from Mali were taken from their homeland to people in the Americas. Because of the French presence, Louisiana received a high number of Senegalese slaves. Enjoy the contrast with the slave museum when you take a stroll through the quaint, car-less streets and the natural beauties the island has to offer. Day Four Visit to schools and orphange. Donations of clothing, medicine for children, toys, school supplies, shoes are always appreciated. Day Five Dakar/The Gambia Depart early in the morning for a leisurely drive to The Gambia, an English-speaking country wedged into the heart of Senegal. Enjoy the countryside, miles of cultural immersion into how the Senegalese live, trade and entertain themselves. Take the ferry to Banjul, The Gambia. Day Six Spend a half-day touring and shopping in Banjul. Visit the "friendly crocodiles" who live within the heart of a Gambian village. Visit an agricultural cooperative founded and maintained by women who use the proceeds to sustain economic development within their communities. Day Seven Visit the Mama Tie and Dye Factory - an amazing selection of tye dye clothing, sheets, tablecoths and more at unbelievable prices. Spend the afternoon leisurely dining, bathing, and lounging in hammocks at the beautiful Leybato lodge located right on the Atlantic Coast. Day Eight Visit the S.O.S. orphanage in The Gambia - a unique approach to the care and education of children without parents. Day Nine Drive back to Senegal and to Saly, a wonderful beach resort by the sea. Stop for lunch along the way or have lunch upon arrival in Saly. Day 10 Take an optional tour to the Bandia forest and Wildlife Reserve. Be on the look out for giraffe, rhinos, wildebeast, antelope (impala), monkeys, ostrich, porcupine and more. Day 11 Enjoy a full leisure day at this beautiful resort, shop in the village (you can even check your email for just $1 an hour.) Day 12 This excursion takes you to the mysterious rose-colored body of water, the Pink Lake - full of minerals and salt mined by the local villagers. Like the Dead Sea, everything floats in this water, including you! Enjoy a breathtaking adventurous ride to the Atlantic Ocean over the sand dunes in a 4x4. Visit the Fulani village and experience the everyday life of the people. Savor a typical Senegalese lunch. Day 13 Depart Dakar - arrive JFK.

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