The Road to Timbuktu and the Rivers of West Africa

Timbuktu: most think of it only as a figment of the imagination. But in the Middle Ages, it was a dazzling center of scholarship and trade at the edge of the Sahara. We explore not only the faded glories of this fabled city, but also such exotic sites as the Grand Mosque of Djenné, the bustling city of Mopti, and the Dogon region, where a complex animistic cosmology reigns, inspiring mask ceremonies, vibrant rock paintings, and mystical cliff dwellings. Unlike most pilgrimages to Timbuktu, chartered plane flights transport us from Bamako to the Sahel and into Timbuktu itself, bypassing lengthy and arduous drives.

We’ll continue our journey aboard the 34-guest Callisto, an elegant private yacht hailed for its wonderful combination of superb cuisine, impeccable service, and intimate ambience, for a cruise exploring Senegal’s Saloum River and The Gambia’s River Gambia. We will navigate for more than 150 miles up the River Gambia, making the Callisto the first and only ship to explore this “undiscovered” part of West Africa. You will be surrounded by the rich wildlife of the Baobolong Wetland Reserve, Kiang West National Park, River Gambia National Park, Abuko Nature Preserve, and Makasutu Culture Forest—a completely different experience of nature than in the well-trodden safari routes of Kenya and Tanzania. Kingfishers swoop, baboons howl, dolphins swim close by, and hippos are spotted in the upper part of the River Gambia. An awe-inspiring display of bird life, with hundreds of swallow-tailed bee-eaters to great white pelicans and African spoonbills, will amaze champion and neophyte birdwatchers alike.

Call at traditional villages, take excursions to historic towns, and conclude in Dakar, the musical capital of West Africa, for a pilgrimage to Gorée Island, creating a comprehensive educational experience in the natural and cultural history of this unbelievably varied region.