Archive
The masks of the Marka (a Mande subgroup) originated in the landlocked country of Mali, West Africa. Long ago masks such as the Marka were thought to be extremely powerful and had the ability to frighten away evil spirits, convey messages from the spirit world and cure illnesses. The Marka would perform ceremonies devoted to [...]
It is difficult to list a top ten African travel wonders list without leaving out a number of other superb sights. Here is my list. How many have you seen?
1. Mountain Gorillas of Central Africa
It is an indescribable experience to spend an hour visiting an habituated gorilla family in the rain forests of Central Africa. [...]
Split is the second largest city on the Adriatic Coast and also a good base or starting point if travelling to islands such as Brac or island of Hvar. Apartment rentals are a great way to enjoy a Split vacation. Split apartments and Split beachfront vacation villas can be found in all the most popular [...]
If you plan to go for a Tuaregcamp by camel make sure the ride is not too long. I’ve had a two hour ride, and it’s more than enough. Camels are very moody, and the seats are very hard. The view from these ships of the desert is very good. At two meters above [...]
Without any doubt, many of Mali’s most attractive and interesting edifices are mosques constructed in the unique Sahel style. Unfortunately, the majority of such buildings in the country are frustratingly not accessible by non-Muslims. Therefore, it was a great feeling to find out that visiting one of Timbuktu’s historic old places of worship was possible, [...]
In Bamako I had seen people have their feet henna’d for celebrations such as weddings, Tabaski and big fetes, but I had never had it done myself. I was staying in the rural village of Zebala and one day I talked to my American host, Lucia, and mentioned this. She said that she’d always wanted [...]
Gao is a small city (57.000 people), 425 kilometers east of Tombouctou. By car it will take you two days to get there from Tombouctou. After days of sand and dust, arriving in Gao is very special. Suddenly you are in a real city again with a lot of people and even fresh food. From [...]
Well, to be honest, the first couple of times I visited these markets I hated it. I thought it was hot, dirty, disorganised, and at times disorientating. I couldn’t find half the things I was looking for and assumed that everyone who offered to help was involved in a scam of some sort. There were [...]
Imagine a riot of colours and aromas. Street calls, and a jovial atmosphere. That’s Medina Coura Market. You won’t find this in the tourist books but this is the real Bamako.
You’ll also find amazing prices for wonderful fabrics. Do I sound enthusiastic? Well, believe me, this is one of my favourite places, not just [...]
Halfway the road from Mopti to Gao is Hombori. A small town on the edge of a tablemountain. Along the road is the new part of town. Basically it is a busy market place.
Above the new town, about 20 minutes walking uphill, is the old and more interesting part of town. Old Hombori is a [...]