West Africa

More than 40 cultures thrive in West Africa. Walk the streets, and you'll likely hear a mix of French, English, Arabic, and tribal languages (some 70 African languages are spoken). Don't miss the slave forts in Ghana and on Île de Gorée, off Dakar, Senegal, which tell a fascinating history, or a motor caravan adventure in the Sahara Desert to see dinosaur fossils, rock paintings, and relief sculptures that date back more than 4,000 years. Two other must-sees in Ghana: 1690s relics from the Ashanti Kingdom and the home where American Pan-Africanist W.E.B. Du Bois died in 1963. In the Gambia, take a riverboat tour to see colonial fortresses, trading posts, monkeys, and crocodiles. Visit Mali for its interesting mosques made of mud and storied pink sandstone villages.

Related Web Resources:

Senegal Tourism Office
Attractions, accommodations, history, and more.

Lonely Planet—Senegal
Hotels, restaurants, practical information, and more.

Lonely Planet—Ghana
Events guide, currency, tips for getting around, and more.

Lonely Planet—The Gambia
Attractions, restaurants, hotels, culture, and history.

Lonely Planet—Niger
Hotels, restaurants, attractions, history, culture, and more.

Abidjan International Airport
Flight schedules and routes to and from Côte d'Ivoire.

Lonely Planet—Côte d'Ivoire
Money, attractions, recommended reading, and more.

Lonely Planet—Mali
Attractions, restaurants, hotels, culture, history, and languages.

West Africa News
Current events and news articles about West Africa.

AllAfrica.com
Headline news and more.

Africa Resource Center
Publications that serve West Africa, including the West Africa Review.

Global Gourmet
An online guide to West African cuisine.

Recommended Reading:

Africa: Biography of a Continent, by John Reader (Vintage Books, 1999)
Photojournalist John Reader chronicles the evolution of African man, animal, and plant.

Malaria Dreams: An African Adventure, by Stuart Stevens (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1990)
A humorous tale of a road trip across several West and East African countries and cities, including a bizarre search for a functional set of springs in Timbuktu.

The Best of African Folklore, by Phyllis Savory (BHB International, 1997)
A collection of well-crafted African folktales.

Africa—A Continent Revealed, by Rene Gordon (State Mutual Book and Periodical Service, 1988)
Striking photographs that illustrate the need to increase conservation efforts in Africa.

Check out more books on Africa in our Travel Library.