People often think of Africa as the un-backpack-able continent–I’ve heard a bunch of it before. “There’s no hostels..”, they say. “It’s too scary.” “I saw once on TV that they have lions and war and my friend who’s been all over Europe and one time to Cambodia and studied abroad in Sydney and knows all about the world said it can’t be done. Unless you wanna get killed or something.”
Hearing things like this makes me giggle. It gives me the energy to speak.
My 2-year trip around the world started in East Africa–just me and my backpack. I wasn’t there for long though–a short 6 weeks in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda–and the biggest thing I probably learned was that I needed more. A year later, and I was back in Africa: just me, and yes, my trusty, odorous backpack.
This time around, though, it was West Africa. The Africa with more problems than not, the Africa of the French, the Africa where electricity can be more scarce than a warm shower and your 50km trip down the coast on a road more suited for a MotoX obstacle course than a car full of old women and screaming babies may take the better part of the afternoon. It’s doable though–I’ve been down here for 4 months now. It’s fascinating too. It’s far and away the most challenging, rewarding, “stranger in a strange place” traveling I’ve ever done. You will meet no more than three other backpackers a month–you will learn an incredible amount about the people and places around. You have to. The issues are so dynamic, and so right there in front of you, that the marginally inquisitive mind couldn’t help but deconstruct, discuss, and understand a great deal about the minutia of the people and places it encounters every single day. It’s fun, too, because you have to do it all yourself. There’s hardly a reliable guidebook and there’s hardly a beaten path; in fact, when I was in Sierra Leone, people didn’t really understand what a tourist was in the first place. They all thought I was there to mine diamonds or recruit Christians.
The point of this post is not to sell you on West Africa; I reckon I’ll do that in a later one, when it’s all sunk in. For this one, I assume the interest is already there, and like any good travel blogger, or so I’m told, I’m going to piece together an informative list of advice for making your trip all the more enjoyable. For the ones that want something different, for the ones who speak a bit of French, for the ones who want a challenge more than a holiday and want to explore an area of the world largely untouched by our darling backpacker community–I offer my guidance.
I just spent the last 4 months in Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire; here are Will’s Tips for Backpacking West Africa.
1. Speak French Well
I don’t really mean to dissuade anyone from traveling West Africa with Tip #1; this would be in bad form. I don’t aim to sound snobby either–I don’t wish to tell you that you aren’t worthy. The majority of West Africa–Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, and Niger–is Francophone West Africa: it was all colonized by the French, has since broken into individual sovereign nations, and while a large multitude of tribal languages are still widely spoken, French is the lingua franca. Without it, unfortunately, you’ll just have a rather tough go. Sure, English is spoken, as it is everywhere in the world, but not often enough to arrive without any French. I kind of equate it to traveling in Germany and only speaking Spanish: sure, you’ll find some people to talk with, but these people will be more of an opportune find rather than a logical anticipation. You can’t really just go up the kebab counter in Berlin and say “¿Hola, cómo estás?,” can you?
Furthermore, the real attraction of West Africa is the people, and I simply can’t imagine a trip down here without getting to know a few. For me, my whole experience could probably be summed up in one scene–eating mangoes with a few Guinean friends, drinking ginger tea with peanuts, discussing life, travel, government and history, under the mango tree–a scene I’d want all WA travelers to experience themselves. It’s not that the scene is rare, no it’s not at all, but it does assume that you have some level of French.
So, if heading to Francophone West Africa, really: take some time to learn the language. I promise you will be thankful you did.
Lastly, it is important to note that when traveling in The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria–all members of West Africa just the same–English will work just fine. In fact, very few people in these countries will speak French at all!
2. Befriend the Peace Corps
In the whole of West Africa, I think there’s about 5 real hostels–hostels like you are used to. Personally, I haven’t stayed in any. What this leaves is a marginal selection of hotels, primarily confined to capital cities, which generally command $50+ dollars a day, as well as an even more marginal selection of cheaper motels. While the latter may seem aimed for the budget crowd, it is only in price: these places often don’t have running water nor electricity, are infested with cockroaches and spiders, and sometimes, are functioning brothels with music pumping ’til sunrise.
If none of the above is to your liking, you’re really left with CouchSurfing, seducing your local chicken lady for a place to sleep, or staying with the United States Peace Corps. Throughout my travels in West Africa, I was hosted by the PC over 10 times; I’d stay with one, who’d pass me on to the next, who’d pass me onto the next. I’d usually begin a travel day without knowing where I’d spend the night, as West African bush taxis are a certifiable circus of unpredictability and fatigue, and around sunset, I’d text a PCV in the area (who I’d never met before), who would immediately offer me a place in their hut. These guys are the best–endlessly lovely and hospitable I do promise–and my trip in WA simply wouldn’t have been the same without them.
For last-minute accomodation (provided you send a nice text message), insider country tips or a great night out, make some friends in the United States Peace Corps; they’re all travelers, and they all rock. They welcome the company too: spending 27 months in a hut in the middle of nowhere isn’t exactly a party.
3. Bring a Kindle
In West Africa, you will have a lot of time to kill. Even with the most prolific vocabulary, a flurry of powerful metaphors and a megaphone on high-volume, I could hardly overstate how much time you will have to kill. Between bush taxis, waiting for food, bush taxis and waiting for the bush taxi to fill up, there will be dozens and dozens of hours when boredom and inactivity devour your mind, to the point that the only thing that can save you from self-immolation is the soothing cradle of quality literature.
You will be hard pressed to find a bookstore selling books in French, let alone in English. The fact is, books are often too expensive for most to afford, and reading is therefore not at the top of the list of priorities here in West Africa. In solution, bring a Kindle. Wherever you find Wifi, or wherever you find a Peace Corps member with a hard-drive full of .epub files, you’ll be able to refresh your stock of books.
This is possibly the most importance piece of advice, in fact. As self-immolation would end your trip rather quickly.
4. Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer
In many West African countries, and out in the bush regardless of country, toilet paper is really hard to come by: it’s just something that hasn’t quite yet caught on. Personally, I’m willing to culturally assimilate myself to just about anything, but wiping my ass by hand is where I draw the line.
When you find toilet paper, stock up, and always carry it with you. Hand sanitizer is a nice touch as well.
5. Sleeping Mat, Sleeping Bag
You’ll be sleeping on hut floors. You’ll be sleeping on beds that have seen far more action than you’d care to imagine. You’ll even be sleeping outside on a cement veranda because you arrived at the Guinean/Ivorian border after they’d closed for the day. When traveling in West Africa, sleeping situations are never predictable, and hygiene is never gauranteed: bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat, so you know you have something that’s clean, and something that let’s you sleep (relatively) comfortably on just about any surface.
West Africa isn’t exactly a paradise of personal ammenities, so with regards to sleeping, come prepared. You’ll be thanking me when you’re forced to snooze overnight at a land border.
6. Get a Cell Phone
They’re cheap, and everyone has them. Internet is generally scarce and not many use it. If you want to communicate with anyone, you’ll need to do it with a cell phone. And if you think saying “Hey, nice to meet you, let’s meet tomorrow at that street corner at 2pm” will result in anything more than frustration and a sunburn you are unfortunately mistaken.
Furthermore, Africans love to befriend the few travelers they meet; they love to invite them to weddings, to their homes, to their villages, to their funerals. To tea, to mangoes, to rice with peanut sauce. And really, without a cell phone, you’ll miss out on a whole lot of this. Cell phones are cheap and will make your life a few worlds easier. A $10 black and white non-flip phone will work just fine.
7. Bring Cash
I have two friends that did some extended West Africa travels with only an ATM card. They were fine. I think they stuck mostly to capital cities, though.
When traveling in West Africa, and venturing out of capital cities, bring cash. If there is an ATM–they are rare but steadily growing more common–there is no gaurantee that it works, nor has cash. If there is a functioning one in the area, it might be an hour-long car ride just to get there. In my 10 weeks in Guinea, I didn’t see a single one. To make life easier, bring a strong reserve of paper money. In Francophone West Africa, Euros are preferred to dollars, as the former is tied directly to the FCFA, the currency used in most countries. In Anglophone WA, dollars would be your best bet.
For carrying money, I used a money belt. No one knew it was there, and it was a complete non-issue. I recommend it highly–another thing that makes traveling in West Africa far less of a headache.
8. Bring a Med Kit
A small, basic kit will do just fine. West African pharmacies are probably stocked with more stuff than you think, but relying on this fact assumes that you’ll always be near one.
For minor issues, come prepared. A small reserve of ibuprofen, rubbing alcohol, antibiotics, antihistimines, anti-diarrheal, multi-vitamins, and maybe iodine tablet for water purification (I used these once in four months, when hiking in the Fouta Djallon; clean water is cheap and ubiquitous, in general) will more than suffice. I think bringing clean needles and syringes is a strong move as well, since, if you do have to go to a hospital to have blood drawn, you’ll at least know that the materials are clean. They are cheap, and don’t weigh anything either. Please don’t let this last piece of advice scare you–it’s just good practice.
Like your mother told you, and will probably continue to frantically tell you as you bump your way through West Africa–be prepared. There’s no reason not to be.
9. Malaria Prophylactics
Malaria is a big problem in West Africa. Take your physician-prescribed prophylactics, and you are very unlikely to have this problem. I took Malarone for my time in East and West Africa alike, and I’ve never had malaria. One pill a day keeps the fever away.
10. Have Plenty of Time
As intimated earlier, punctuality is not the shining trait of many West Africans. In fact, the concept of time, in the Western sense of the word, almost doesn’t exist whatsoever. You may pay your bush taxi ticket at 7:00am, and the car may not fill up until 1:00pm. Your 140km journey from Nzérékoré, Guinea to Man, Côte d’Ivoire may take 2 days. Your chicken sandwich–a roll with already-cooked chicken, lettuce, tomates, and fries–may command an illogically extensive 90 minutes to prepare.
When traveling in West Africa, have plenty of time. Waiting an extra hour for the bush taxi to fill is completely insignificant to a local, and you simply shouldn’t allow it to be of consequence to you either. Things take a really, really long time to happen in this area of the world, and doing your trip on a tight schedule will make each day unequivocally miserable.
Time limits don’t exist in West Africa, so please, I implore you: don’t bring any of your own along either.
11. Stand Your Ground
As a white person traveling in West Africa, you’ll command a lot of attention. It’s of an interesting flavor too: most people really, genuinely want to help, and really, genuinely want to be your friend, but can’t help but observe that you probably represent a bit more financial utility than the average local. In addition, small minutia of everyday interaction–things like level of greeting, personal space, what’s rude and what’s not, etc–are probably vastly different than what you’re used to. What this manifests itself into are situations like this:
I took a motorbike taxi out of Koidu, Sierra Leone, destined for the Guinean border. This bike only goes a few kilometers, though, before dropping me in a small village, where other drivers line up to take me to the border themselves.
When I hopped off this first motorbike, I had about 20 screaming drivers sprint towards me, grab my things, tell me they’d be the one to take me, etc. I could have been their only client all week. As you might imagine, I was not comfortable with all of the grabbing, screaming, and general invasion of personal space. So, in solution:
Will: “BACK THE F*CK UP, LET GO OF MY BAGS, AND WE CAN DISCUSS THIS LIKE ADULTS.”
To this, every driver steps back, takes a deep breath, and smiles in wry warmth. Their intial excitement derives from nothing more than the novelty of a white guy (there’s really not many around), and the prospect of making some money. Not even money in the sense of “let’s try to rip off this white guy,” but money in the sense of “I haven’t earned a dollar in five days.” They have zero ill-intentions whatsoever.
In situations like this–maybe you’ve just asked where the nearest internet cafe is, and someone grabs your arm and says “come this way”–I think it really important to stand your ground if you feel even the slightest bit of discomfort. Just because you are in a new culture, doesn’t mean you should have to tolerate the feeling of personal violation. Expletives or not, convey strongly that everyone needs to take a deep breath, step back, and proceed in a manner that you are comfortable with. Your wish will be respected, for all intents and purposes, every single time.
12. Trust in Africa
Everyone who has spent time traveling in Africa will tell you the same thing: there’s something special going on around here. The people are a whole different level of hospitable (I say this with real frankness–not just as the masked blogger painting all foreigners as wonderful just to make you want to travel), and as a backpacker, you will be looked after. You will be given the best seat in the bush taxi just because you’re a tourist. You will be shouted offers of food and tea from every which way. And sure, your car might strap down the luggage and speed off inexplicably, leaving you to wonder if someone is after your things. And yes, someone might say “O, I know where that is, get on the back of my bike and I’ll take you right there.” There is so much kindness and strangeness and things that seem shady and the rest that confuse you, but this is Africa. It’s wonderful and terrifying and challenging and illogical all at the same time. Many things you’ll want to doubt. Many things you’ll want to not believe.
Bring a strong sense of judgement, yes. But aside from that, in the grey area that seems strange and mystifying but still exists in what you judge to be the realm of general safety and “this is probably an OK idea,” man, trust me when I say: TRUST IN AFRICA. You’ll allow yourself to seep far closer to the potential of your experience–to the people, to the rolling ebb and antique cadence, to your own demons that tell you what you think the world is like and what it’s not. Trusting in Africa brings you closer to the kindness of which you think strangers capable and of that which you think they’re not, and maybe more importantly, to that draining thirst for pushing yourself forward that brought you down here in the first place.
So, when you ask the village chief if you can set up your tent on a small patch of grass and he invites you to stay in his home instead, and you don’t immediately get the vibe that he is a homicidal lunatic frothing from the ears, please, drop your gaurd and have some faith: there’s probably a comfy bed, delicious tea, a hot dinner, and yet another worthwhile learning opportunity lying ahead.
Backpacking in Africa is very possible–I know because I was there. And on the same token, there’s just nothing else like it.
Brilliantly put Will!!! Just got home an hour ago & missing it all!!!
Thanks Chloe! Was great to meet you.
Hey man… firstly nice article, some savvy stuff goin on… Right now my gf and I are about to set off overlanding towards Ghana from Faro (where we are at the moment). Pretty well travelled already and yea wahtevz.. anyhow we been looking at visa fees and requirements.. Though I am canadian and she German, we should all be pretty close in the ‘considerations’.
You mentioned Sierra Leone, and Guinea, both of these require visas before arrival… as well as Mali, and Mauritiania, Niger, Ghana as well… Please .. this is really what we need to hear . the brass tax of this visa situation… each country we go to the main city and apply for the next..?? Thanks a lot mate.. Looking forward, and waiting dearly, for your response.
Yep! Go to the main city, and apply for the next. I took Mauritanian and Guinean visas in Rabat, and Sierra Leonean and Ivorian visas in Guinea. Dakar would be a good place to take visas as well.
The process for obtaining each visa will vary by country in terms of waiting time, and perhaps even price (of course, in a perfect world, it would all be identical). Make choices based on what other travelers/blogs have said, and what your itinerary is.
Fantastic blog. I wish I had backpacked West Africa before I got long in the tooth. I cannot complain about getting old when so many others have been denied that privilege, but the cement floors and bare spring bush taxis may be a bit too much for my arthritic spine. But, hey, who knows…? Anyway, thanks for sharing, man.
Hey, just wanted to comment on that toilet paper thing in West Africa. It’s not that it hasn’t “yet caught on” as you say but it’s in fact a cultural (religious) thing. Muslims actually consider that using toilet paper is not clean enough, therefore you find water buckets in the toilets. At least this is the case in Senegal. For that reason it is forbidden to use your left hand when touching food if you are eating with your hands from the same bowl with others (which is the most common way of eating in Senegal).
Hey Ruusunen! Thanks for the reply. Honestly, I didn’t mean it in a perfectly literal sense – just as an expression. Hand-wiping certainly is cleaner than TP, as you say, but man – I still can’t bring myself to do it 🙂
Great article!! I’ve not actually been to West Africa, at least not properly, but I have travelled to many other areas of the world (Asia/Africa/C. and S.America) and I’d probably add a little caveat. Not that you were meant to; you can only blog about your own experiences and not of what you might imagine others would experience.
Anyway, I would add that as a female, there is less chance that using a commanding voice to tell people to back up and arrange things like adults will have the desired effect. Likewise, there is simply a level of discussion (of issues, government, history, etc; proper conversation) that is not easily accessible to a female traveller. Local women, if you can find one willing to talk about such issues, will be more accessible, yes, but generally it is only men with whom you can discuss these things and, as a female, you will have to battle through a considerable amount of unwelcome topics before getting anywhere, if at all. In my experience anyway. I’ve travelled solo and with male companions, and on occasions I’ve walked the same street alone and then accompanied by a male traveller the next day, and gotten totally different experiences out of it. I must admit, it frustrates me no end. But it’s part of travelling I suppose.
Excellent point, Izzie. I’ve always told girl that there’s little difference between traveling as a man and female: “we definitely both go to the same places, and do the same things.” While I still do believe this to a certain extent, I’ve learned that there’s generally more to it than that – especially in the Muslim world. Great points about being less likely to be so assertive, as well as, perhaps even more so, less privileged to the conversation under the mango tree. You’re definitely right about that one.
Love this post, Will! West Africa is a place that interests me very much, in particular Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. My French is OK, but need to brush up on it a little bit if I head to that part of the world. Anyway, great tips in general here and a useful read – I’ve bookmarked it!
Thanks for the read, Tom! Let me know if I can help with your trip in any way. Also, I see on your site that you’re doing a RTW: where at right now?
Hello,
Great article! I am planning my first trip to Africa for next year and to say I’m nervous is an understatement, but I travel to learn and explore so I can’t think of a better place. As my planning continues I may ask you a few questions, I hope you don’t mind!
Also if anyone else wants to contact me who is also planning a trip my email is etaylor347@gmail.com
Hey Will,
Amazing read. I’ve traveled in north and east Africa, but never in west Africa. I am wokring on a project with an NGO doing bicycle work in Sierra Leone for six months starting in a few weeks. After that I’ve got quite a big of time to travel. I was thinking of traveling from Sierra Leone to Ghana through Liberia and CdI. Any suggestions on places to do French lessons in Cote d’Ivoire? My French is basic at best, but I do learn language quickly. Also, suggestions on where to meet PCV in any of the aforementioned countries. Cheers, Harley
Hey Harley! Bicycle work in Sierra Leone? What’s the project?! Sounds great.
As for travel and learning French, I’d advise you to pop north into my beloved Guinea, and learn French in Kankan, where I spent 2 months living/volunteering! It’s a big university/school town (roughly 200,000) people, and it would be both a great place to spend a chunk of time and in which to learn French!
Cheers,
Will
Ha ha your post brought a smile to our faces Will! Excellent post, your opening paragraph sums up the complete, and far too often common misperceptions about the region. Unfortunately these are mainly derived from the mainstream media continually bombarding us with negative reporting on the region.
Here’s a little taster of the overland trips we run through West Africa….you may have even seen our truck when you were out there?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIo1nitTO0U
Thanks for the tips. I’ll keep them in mind when going to Africa.
My pleasure!
Hey Will! This is super useful! I’m planning to travel West Africa from June-September 2016. I’ll be going as a solo Australian backpacker but I speak French fluent (thank goodness!)
Do you have many tips on transportation? Are the buses the most reliable? Are there any cheap flight routes to be aware of?
Also, is it easy to cross borders? I’ve been looking into which countries I can get a visa on arrival or don’t need a visa for at all as I won’t be able to apply for any visas (I’ll be working in France before going so can’t send my precious passport off anywhere!) Did you have any border issues at all along the way?
Did you need a visa for Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia? My research has indicated that I would need one pre-arrival? Otherwise, how do you think it would be feasible to get from Guinea-Bissau or Senegal to Cote d’Ivoire?
Apologies for the question bombardment and no stress if you don’t have all the answers – my research and planning continues as I type!!
Take care for 2016,
Catherine
Hi Catherine!
I can’t help you but I was wondering a very similar thing about visas so I wanted to ‘bump’ this question. I will be traveling through West Africa solo as well from August-October this year. I wonder if we could cross paths/help each other out. 🙂
Best,
Jane
I just randomly stumbled onto this Blog via Google. Wow, brilliant. Very real & practical advice and quite moving to read. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Dan! Planning a trip to West Africa yourself?
Hey am going on trip to all west Africa countries am having a project on exchange student fellowship, i will love to met friend on my way or a one that can help me on my trip in any of the west Africa country thanks
This article made my day, I’m in the process of planning my trip from Morocco down to south africa then up to Egypt and reading this has given me such a better understanding. I had people try and tell me the same sorts of things about Latin America, by far the best 9 months of my life. Safe travels brother!
Awesome James! That trip should be done slowly. Like, 18 months slowly. Here is the best travel blog you’ll find on Africa from one of the best travelers there is: http://www.opendestination.ca/. Pardon the appearance. The stories are gold.
I accidentally bumped into your blog and it’s really helpful – for I am going to upper Guinea for 4 weeks (basically in villages near Kankan) , first time in Africa. Although I’ll be traveling with some friends, but we are from Europe and I’m from Asia (and I don’t travel much) ; and then men versus me (possibly the only) woman so I’m quite nervous. Glad to hear some funny and detailed perspective, and I hope I don’t have too much bloodied poop…. Oh yes! I’m absolute city girl and do you think I’d survive without a bike? Not that I can’t, but where I live a bike is a leisure activity which I really am not confident in, like at all. While on the other hand, toubabou woman on the bike, eh? I already am not sure what would the women there think of me traveling with a bunch of white men (I’m not white, but guess not much difference anyway), even truth to be told I’m very modest and conservative culturally too. If bike is our of the question, do you think I’ll lose mobility completely? And say I’d like to go to town for Internet Cafe, would I be able to find say motor taxi? Or would it be totally strange anyway for a young woman to go down to town alone?
Do you think I can charge my gadgets (mainly camera for festivities) at some point? Or I can only do that in town to some Internet Cafe (provided that the power is not out)?
Thanks for all the info! Iniké!
Hey C! Vast apologies for the late response. Congrats on your trip! A few things:
– You don’t need a bike to get around Kankan: there are plenty of motorbike taxis. Outside of Kankan there are certainly fewer, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem: general improvisation and a sense of community is effectively the basis of West African transport itself. I imagine you’ll be moving around on plenty of motorbikes/trucks with fellow villagers.
– You’ll find places to charge things, because most everyone has cell phones.
– Toubab on a bike? Heh. Kids will jump and scream as you go by. That was my experience at least.
In all, Guineans are incredibly warm and you will be well received. However, you do need a healthy dose of patience and humility in order to make the best of the experience. Have so much fun 🙂
Hi Will, I’m back and I had an amazing time! I was really looking forward to come back at the last days, but once I came back I miss the time and looking forward to go back again already. Not only kids jump and scream as I went by anywhere, everywhere I went by someone (including adults) would be shouting to me – not even toubabou, but distinctly my race because I look distinctly different from my toubabou friends. 😉 I did not get sick, I drank straight from pump water, I was very well fed, I was well looked after, only problem was infection was easy if you has a small cut around your feet.
One last question that strike me, and I didn’t get an answer is: when I was leaving the village to go back to airport and saying farewell, people insist to shake my left hand. I was quite shocked because I held my right hand in mid-air already, but they ignored and offered their left hands. Everyone even the older petits, except only one guy who was very sad and emotional. Do you have any idea/experience that they do the same to you when saying farewell? And do you know what’s the significance?
Hi Will, Im a South African who is passionate about travelling yet unfortunately have seen more of Europe and Asia and have dreamt of backpacking and travelling through West Africa. More than anything would love to go to Chad. Have you been and if so how was it?
Hey Lindiwe! West Africa is wonderful: I highly encourage you go. I haven’t been to Chad myself :/
Beautiful account, that really captures the spirit of West Africa. Thank you.
Hey Will, I really enjoyed this article! I’m thinking about doing some travelling out to West Africa because I am a drummer and I want to immerse myself in the incredible musical heritage in that part of the world – did you have some amazing musical experiences? Also, where would you recommend to learn French? I am looking at Dakar/St Louis in Senegal as options but I’m interested in some other ideas.
Thanks!
Hey Adie! No music experiences here. For French – and I take your question to be “what’s a French-speaking city that would be nice to hang out in for a few months?” – you have a ton of options. St. Louis is funky and relaxed with a strong music culture. Dakar is a bit more cosmopolitan and a major city. I’d look at cities in Morocco, Senegal (more than just St. Louis and Dakar – there are other great towns along the coast that might be to your liking), and perhaps Bamako in Mali.
Hi Will! I just found your blog since I have lately been looking for people who have been traveling to Africa. I am heading to Sénégal and want to travel across pretty much all of West Africa’s countries backpacking. I have been alone on trips before, but never for that long since I am planning to leave for a good 6-8 months. I am traveling by myself and I am a white, blue-eyed blond 20 y-o girl. My mom is kinda freaking out (ahah) and I want to reassure her that I’ll be fine, but I am not even quite sure myself ahaha! Would you say West Africa is a safe place for girls on their own? I would love to hear your feedback on this, and if you have any tips on what not to do and what to do, that would be awesome!
Thank you so much!
Chloé
Hey Chloé! I think the best thing for me to do is connect you with other women who have backpacked in West Africa. Can you send me an email at williamabrwolf@gmail.com?
In short: if take your malaria prophylactics, stay assertive and go with the flow, and yell at drivers when they start texting, you’ll be more than fine.
Funny, how you assume that all backpackers are white…
I am. Many are. No harm intended.
Great read! My husband and I are interested in doing a similar trip to this, just curious how you ended up getting in touch with peace corp people? Did you book anything ahead ever at all or was it always just landing and figuring it out as you go?
Nice article! It makes so many things clear and as an African, I feel you have expounded everything very well. Keep it coming. Sadly, I have never left Kenya 🙁
Hi Will, spot on advice my friend. As someone having lived and worked in Gambia for many years ( speaks mostly English ) but also venturing into Senegal on projects all you say is true.
Hey! I was wondering your favorite spots in Senegal and Gambia? Trying to figure out a route on my way to Mali 🙂 thanks in advance.
What are your thoughts on backpacking through Western Africa, starting with Senegal and making it down and east to Ghana?
Is it doable in three weeks?
It’s barely doable in 3 months…
Hi Will! I’m headed to Guinea to film an African Circus. I’ll be hanging out with the locals and fed and given a place to stay. (We are from Quebec, where most of the acrobats involved now live.) I am nervous about one thing. The thing I cannot afford a preventive vaccine for: R A B I E S. It still causes thousands of deaths in Guinea every year. I’m aware that the medical conditions in the Conakry hospitals are sometimes questionable (they won’t have the vaccine on time, they will have an out-dated one, or, they will administer a version of the vaccine meant for dogs into a human.Then, when you return home for the follow up vaccines, your doctors are confused and unsure of how to continue treatment) I have researched and found that Conakry has a WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION office. I assumed if I go there, in case of emergency, they would have a vaccine? Emailed them last week, and they never replied….What would have been your plan, had you been unlucky, and bitten by a dog? (I’m from Canada, which has no embassy in Guinea)
Question #2: Malaria pills. What is your experience with the pills creating depression or strange dreams?
Thanks for this post. I felt like I was already there !!!! Happy travels. -Lili
Hi Will, thanks so much for writing up this blog. I am hoping to hit do a 4/5 week trip with a mate in June, two rather well travelled females. Any suggestions on a route/must dos in this timeframe (obviously I know we wont get too far), with very average french skills?