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A 40th Anniversary Follow the Leader Trip with Alberto

Have you always dreamed of embarking on a truly groundbreaking expedition in an exotic, undiscovered land? Then come with MTS as we plunge into the vibrant, hidden world of Guinea. Guinea was the last African country to be colonized and the first to declare independence, and has been completely closed to tourists for decades. Our guide for this anniversary trip is legendary MTS leader Alberto Nicheli, who has spent 35 years uncovering the remote corners of West Africa. In this land of swirling colors and vibrant music, we’ll explore tiny villages and teeming markets untouched by tourism. We’ll find landscape as varied as the culture as we journey from highland forests and wide-open savannas to the sun-drenched Bijagós Archipelago off the coast. For the intrepid traveler with a flexible attitude and a taste for the unknown, this pioneering foray into hidden Guinea will be the trip of a lifetime.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Join a pioneering expedition into a country that has been closed to tourism for decades—MTS is the first to offer a trip here!
• Experience authentic cultural encounters with villagers in the Guinean highlands, an area untouched by Western tourists
• Explore the tropical, white-sand Bijagós Archipelago
• Cruise down the Niger River in a pinasse, visiting local villages along the way

"During my recent scout in Guinea I stopped in a small village in the savannas; the elders ran to me saying “Aw nitchè! Aw nitchè!“ or “Thank you! Thank you!” in the local Dioula language. I asked them why they where thanking me. The reply was that they were thanking me for coming to their village—no Westerner had been there in the last four decades! I believe that “culture” is alive and is an adventure: to experience direct contact with “different” cultures and to interact with them is an adventure of the mind, as challenging as driving out of any track, crossing high dunes or liana bridges." - Alberto Nicheli

Day 1 - Arrive in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Days 2-3 - A river and ocean journey, beginning in mangrove forest and arriving at last at the Bijagós Islands, some forty miles off the coast. We’ll camp on wild, white sand beaches and explore villages that have experienced little in the way of Western contact. (February departures have the opportunity to witness the Bissau Carnival on day 2.)

Day 4 – Return to the mainland. Walking tour of the old colonial city of Bissau.

Days 5-6 – Head south to cross out of the former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau and into Guinea. We’ll follow red clay paths deep into the heart of Fouta Djalon, then navigate river crossings by ferryboat. This is the land of the animist, mask-wearing Bassari, where we will be received by the elders and possibly take part in a festival.

Days 7-9 – Cross the Niger River and enter the spectacular mountainous region of Fouta Djalon. Visit isolated villages of the Fulani people, the greatest cattlemen of West Africa.

Days 10-11 – Rugged 4x4 journey into the nearly impenetrable forests of Ziama.

Days 12-13 – Follow the path of the warrior-King Samory as we traverse the plateaus and valleys of mountains rich with diamonds and gold. Under the shade of a kapok tree, we’ll have an audience with the chief of the Bissandougou people. Afterwards, explore the colonial architecture of Kankan, along the banks of the Milo River.

Day 14 - Cruise down the Niger River past villages made up of clay huts.

Day 15 – Depart Bamako.

Photo Credits
©Bruno Zanzottera/Parallelozero