Accra to Fes (75 Days) Trans Africa

DAY 1 - 26 ACCRA TO FREETOWN
West Africa is a road less travelled and still a largely undiscovered area of Africa for tourism. Please understand that your journey will be directly through this area of the continent and although we list our intended Itinerary below, please be aware that this is a rough guide and should be treated as such.

Oasis Overland has run a Trans Africa Expedition virtually every year since 1997, and during this time, not one Trans Africa trip has run an identical itinerary through West Africa.

This is due to many reasons, including availability of visas, road conditions, embassy and border closures, political unrest, elections and instability, disease outbreaks, changing government travel advice and adverse weather conditions, just to name a few. We also hear about new, exciting places that may only now be possible to visit, and so try to include some new places on each trip for that reason too.

Please therefore consider the itinerary shown as a guide and expect there to be some changes during your trip. This is all part of the experience of travelling through West Africa and one that makes this expedition such an epic journey that only a select few are willing to undertake.

We begin our trip in Accra and after applying for any necessary visas, we will set off on the first leg of our West Africa adventure, first going to the beaches at Cape Coast and then driving north to the city of Kumasi. Here you will find Kejetia Market, one of the biggest in West Africa and a great place to wander and soak up the atmosphere. Kumasi is also the capital of the Ashanti Region and you can visit the National Cultural Centre to learn more about Ashanti culture.

Heading back to towards the coast, Kakum National Park has a 30 metre high Canopy Walkway which you have the chance to visit on an optional excursion, giving you a different experience and view of the rainforest. Near Cape Coast we find vast beaches and can learn more about the slave trade at Elmina and Cape Coast castles.

Leaving Ghana, we enter French-speaking Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and head for the beaches of Grand-Bassam and the former capital, Abidjan, the country’s largest city. Situated on the Ebrie Lagoon, it is a modern city, home to markets and museums, art galleries and the unique Cathedrale St. Paul. It’s the former capital and still the economic hub of Cote d’Ivoire. We head inland to Yamoussoukro, designated the capital in 1983 by President Houphouet-Boigny who undertook huge building projects, designed to impress, including the enormous Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro.

The next country on our Trans Africa journey is Liberia, founded by resettled, freed slaves from America and the Caribbean in the 19th century. We make our way to the country’s vibrant capital, Monrovia, rebuilding itself after years of civil war. From here we can take a trip out to the beautiful Kpatawee waterfalls. Travelling through lush jungle to the border, we cross into Sierra Leone, sadly another country infamous for its long-running civil war. Infrastructure, including the roads we travel on, is still poor and progress can be difficult and slow going. An optional visit to Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary gives you the opportunity to search for the rare pigmy hippopotamus as well as various primates and birdlife, exploring on foot or by canoe with a knowledgeable guide.

From here we travel to the capital Freetown and its palm-fringed beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. We include a trip to the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, home to about 100 rescued chimpanzees. We take a tour of the sanctuary to learn about the species, meet the chimps and find out how this organisation is striving to protect and conserve these animals and their environment.

In Freetown we say goodbye to some of our fellow travellers and welcome any joining us as we head north on our journey towards the Sahara.

DAY 27 - 42 FREETOWN TO BANJUL
Leaving the lush jungle behind we cross the border to Guinea, known as Guinea Conakry. We cross the highlands of the Fouta Djallon mountainous region, passing steep sided hills and picturesque waterfalls. Once again, the going will be tough with difficult road conditions as we make our way to Guinea Bissau. This small country has a population of just over 2 million and is amongst the poorest in the world but we are welcomed by its inhabitants as we pass through towns and villages. We hope to stop at Parque Nacional de Cantanhez where you have the opportunity to go trekking into the rainforest to look for chimpanzees and other wildlife but this will depend on road conditions and our progress so far. As we travel through this small country, we bushcamp along the way, eventually reaching the border with Senegal. We hope to have some time at one of Senegal’s beautiful beaches before moving on to The Gambia, which is completely surrounded by Senegal apart from its coast. The capital, Banjul is situated on an island in the mouth of the Gambia River and from here you can take a boat trip upriver, explore the buzzing Albert Market or wander amongst colonial buildings in the old town.

DAY 43 - 56 BANJUL TO ATAR
We leave The Gambia and re-enter Senegal, travelling north into the Sahel region. Again, depending on our progress we may visit Dakar or take a trip out to Lake Retba more commonly known as Lac Rose, due to its pink colour. Our final destination in Senegal is the former capital St. Louis. The old town is situated on an island, reached by the Faidherbe Bridge, designed by Gustave Eiffel. We base ourselves a few miles from the city at Langue de Barbarie National Park where you can relax on the beach, go fishing or head out bird watching by a dugout canoe.

Weather and road conditions will determine which border we will cross into Mauritania, either at Diama to drive along the piste through Diawling National Park or further inland at the busy Rosso border. Either way, we enter Mauritania and make our way to the capital Nouackchott. The lush jungles of West Africa seem a distant memory as we leave Nouackchott and drive inland into the desert, passing small villages and camel herds as we make our way to Atar. From this oasis town you have the option to explore the surrounding Adrar Plateau by 4x4 vehicle.

DAY 57 - 74 ATAR TO FES
From Atar we head west towards the coast again and leave Mauritania for Western Sahara. Be prepared for desert camping with no facilities but incredible starry skies! We may meet other overlanders on their way south as we head north towards Morocco, the final country on our Cape Town to Fes overland expedition.

Our first proper stop in Morocco after driving along the coast and passing Agadir, is Essaouira on the Atlantic where you’ll find great surfing conditions to blow away the dust of the last few days as well as the UNESCO designated old town to wander around. Leaving the beach behind, we drive to one of Morocco’s most iconic cities, Marrakech. We have a few days here to give you time to experience it’s wonderful sites, explore the huge medina and soak up the atmosphere in the famous Djemâa-el-Fna square, either immersing yourself amongst the stallholders and entertainers or from above whilst sipping mint tea on a roof top café overlooking square.

Heading north, we travel via Casablanca and Rabat to the picturesque town of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains. We camp at a spot overlooking this ‘blue’ city, famous for it’s blue-washed walls and cobbled streets. The pace is a little slower here than busy Marrakech and you have time to wander the alleyways and explore the 15th century Kasbah. Nearing journey’s end, we travel to the Roman ruins at Volubilis where you can explore this huge site and learn about the Roman city that thrived here over a thousand years ago.

A short drive away is our final destination, the city of Fes. After 23 weeks of travelling across the vast African continent from South Africa to Morocco, it’s hard to believe our journey is over! We end with an included tour through the narrow streets of the vast bazaar where you can sample local fare, shop for souvenirs, observe the tanneries and dye pits at work and visit beautiful mosques before our farewell dinner.

DAY 75 FES
Your trip will finish in Fes after breakfast. Please make sure you allow a good few days after our scheduled arrival to look around Fes some more and to allow for any possible delays en-route.