IMPORTANT TIPS FOR TRAVELERS TO WEST AFRICA
FOR LONGER TERM TRAVELERS to West Africa one important thing to consider in traveling independently is your arrival point as any excessive amount of overland travel can be tiring. If what you really want to do or see is located on the coast or inland, and you want to travel around overland as well, then buy a one-way ticket closest to your inland or coastal priority destination. When you apply for a visa at your country of destination's embassy include a zerox copy of your one-way ticket and explain in a letter that you will be traveling overland and flying out of an alternative stated city and country. Overland travel is the norm in Africa.
You may also buy an open jaw ticket (flying out of a different city than you flew into) with the return portion to be used later when your overland journeying is done. Then after arriving at your original priority destination, experience it and begin to travel inward or outward overland, ending your travel in a different area where you can then re-group, use the open-jaw return portion, or buy your one-way ticket back home at a much cheaper price than in Europe or the USA. In this way you can travel more extensively and efficiently by avoiding excess fatigue without having to retrace your steps back to your arrival point. Overland travel in Africa is tremendously rewarding and one way to fully experience its true authenticity, yet it is for the adventurous and hardy as it also takes a lot of physical time and energy whether by train, bus, foot, camel or bush taxi.
LARGEST OPEN AIR GALLERY IN THE WORLD TRUST FOR AFRICAN ROCK ART
GETTING TO AND FROM WEST AFRICA is expensive so buy your ticket off the web or from a consolidator, an agency that buys tickets in bulk and sells them at a good price. SAA/SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS at 1 800 722 9675-6 sells a one year, Q class, round trip economy ticket JFK to DAKAR, SENEGAL for $1282, taxes included. Changing the return date will cost $125. For reliable service and good prices on the web check out BEST TRAVEL. They offer a one-way JFK or SFO to ACCRA, GHANA via Frankford on Lufthansa for which you can accrue miles with United. Likewise with SAA, 50% mileage in Q, S, or T class, 100% mileage in more expensive classes.
FLYING OUT OF NEW YORK OR PARIS ROYAL AIR MAROC at 1 800 344 6726 sells a Q class, round trip economy ticket JFK via CASABLANCA to NIAMEY, NIGER for 3 mo. at $1393. or 6 mo. at $1535. You can also include a stopover in Morocco for about $110. more. Any ticket Includes 1 free change after departure but a second change will cost you $250.
The best one-way or round trip ticket purchase out of PARIS is with POINT AFRIQUE who fly from Paris or Marseille to 12 different destinations throughout North and West Africa. A one-way fare PARIS to NIAMEY, NIGER fluctuates between $281 and $605. If you can fly in and out of France this is a good opportunity for longer term overland travelers, as Point-Afrique has an office in each of their destinations where you can then purchase a one-way ticket to return.
Also out of 11 cities in West Africa is AFRIQIYAH via Tripoli to 5 European destinations. If/when returning to Paris always be sure to check which airport you arrive in, either ORLY-outside Paris, or CDG-within Paris. This will save you alot of time and hassle when you arrive.
BUYING A RETURN IN DAKAR OR BAMAKO Check out AIR SENEGAL INTERNATIONAL flying to Paris, Lyon or Marseille, as well as between various destinations within West Africa. In Bamako I paid Euro 247/$363 for a one-way from Bamako, Mali, via Dakar, Senegal to Paris and Air Senegal's service was truly great! I'll never forget that trip because I met Ali Farka Toure in Bamako airport and sat with his son all the way to Dakar! If you need to buy a ticket in Bamako, go to Tam Voyages at Patrice Lumumba Square across the street from Air France. They offer the best service in town and take credit cards whereas other agencies do not.
GETTING MONEY IN WEST AFRICA | FULL UNIVERSAL CURRENCY CONVERTER
TRAVELING BY TRAIN from Dakar, Senegal to Bamako, Mali & back. It's a long haul but worth it! DAKAR TO BAMAKO FARES/SCHEDULE Take a first class seat, not a 2nd or sleeper as sleepers are hot with no air circulation. A first class seat is your best value and large enough to curl up in. OR if you're traveling in Ghana, there is a day or night train linking Accra the capital, to Kumasi in central Ghana to Sekondi-Takaradi on the Atlantic coast. Taking a night train in any direction would be far safer than traveling the road at night. Although in Niger, bus and road conditions have always been good. However, the most recent news is that since February of 2007, it is prohibited to travel anywhere in the north of Niger due to the MNJ or the anti-government Movement for Justice in Niger also referred to as the Second Tuareg Rebellion.
IF YOU WANT TO BE INFORMED ABOUT TROPICAL DISEASES, their risks to your health and are looking for an alternative to vaccinations, then read The World Traveller's Manual of Homeopathy by Colin B. Lessel, ISBN 0 85207 330 5. It is the most straight forward book I have ever read on the subject. Read it at least 2 months before you depart. Also the Handbook of Homeopathic Alternatives to Immunization by Susan Curtis, Winter Press, UK., ISBN 1 874581 029. Also Lonely Planet's West Africa 4th edition, pgs 102-110 on Health is very practical and informative. For one of the most educational reads I have ever seen on MALARIA, see the July 2007 National Geographic featured article Bedlam In The Blood. However, if you do not want to ingest malaria tablets, then absolutely do not forget this one very important item: a travel mosquito tent at only $89 and another very important item: a good portable water purifier at about $50 from REI. Packing these 2 high quality products could save your life.
HEALTH AND TRAVEL ALERTS For the latest news concerning health or political issues please check individual African countries at ALL AFRICA NEWS.COM or IRIN NEWS.ORG
SAFETY AND SECURITY
AS OF MAY 17, 2007, THE U.S. EMBASSY IN NIAMEY, NIGER prohibits official personnel from traveling into areas of Niger to the north of Abalack. All American citizens are strongly urged to follow the same guidelines due to a recent escalation of violence by the political movement, Movement for Justice in Niger or MNJ. Northern Niger, particularly in and around the cities of Iferouane, Arlit, and Agadez, is affected by MNJ activities. In July 2007, MNJ ambushed a convoy in the Agadez region, kidnapping a Chinese citizen and holding him for ten days. Futhermore, landmines have been placed in the region and several have exploded killing military and civilian personnel. Several international organizations, including private and nongovernmental groups, have temporarily relocated personnel from these areas.
Foreigners who elect to travel in northern Niger despite the current security situation must submit an approved travel plan through the office of the Governor of Agadez. Travelers should first contact the Syndicat de Tourisme in Agadez (telephone: 96 98 78 81) to enlist the services of a registered tour operator, who will formally coordinate with Nigerien government and security officials on tourist safety and security in the North and who can facilitate the submission of the required itinerary and intended route.
For travel in any remote area of the country, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to use registered guides, to travel with a minimum of two vehicles equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) and satellite phones. Travelers are advised to avoid restricted military areas and to consult local police authorities regarding their itinerary and security arrangements.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affair's Internet site at www.travel.state.gov, where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, including the Worldwide Caution Travel Alert, can be found.
THE U.S. EMBASSY IN BAMAKO, MALI advises American citizens to avoid travel to Mali's northern regions beyond the cities of Timbuktu and Gao, and to exercise caution when traveling in any isolated areas within Mali or to areas north of the Niger River. Some of the towns included in this requirement are Kidal, Tessalit, Lere, Goundam, Essakane, and Menaka, it does not include Gao.
Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), is known to have a presence in northern Mali. The GSPC began as a terrorist group seeking the overthrow of the Algerian government and has been designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union. The group has declared its intention to attack Algerian, French and American targets.
On December 24, 2007, bandits, possibly connected to Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb, killed four French tourists outside of Aleg, Mauritania. Several days later, four Mauritanian soldiers were killed by suspected terrorists near El Ghallawiya, Mauritania.
On January 3, 2008, four Italians were robbed at gunpoint near Araouane, 150 miles north of Timbuktu by assailants whose affiliation is unknown. This recent activity and the porous nature of Mali's northern borders reinforce long-standing concern about security for travel in northern Mali. The Department of State strongly urges citizens to reconsider traveling to Northern Mali, including Timbuktu and Essakane.
In February 2003, a GSPC faction moved into Mali's far north with 15 European hostages; one hostage died and 14 were subsequently released to Malian authorities. The GSPC publicly announced its affiliation with Al-Qaeda on September 11, 2006 and declared the name change to AQIM in January of 2007. More recently, AQIM claimed responsibility for recent deadly attacks in neighboring Algeria, including an attack on a U.S. business convoy in December 2006 and an attack on the Algerian Prime Minister's office in April 2007. The presence of AQIM and other armed criminal groups in the north present potential dangers to travelers.
Northern Mali hosts several annual music festivals in the desert. Americans planning travel to the northern regions of Mali despite this Travel Alert, including those planning to attend music festivals like the Festival in the Desert in Essakane or Sahara Nights Festival at Essouk, as well as Americans residing or traveling in Mali, are urged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel registration website: www.travelregistration.state.gov
By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali is located at ACI 2000 at Rue 243, Porte 297. The Embassy's mailing address is B.P. 34, Bamako , Mali . The telephone number is (223) 270-2300. The consular fax number is (223) 270-2340. The greatest caution should be used in any decision to attend these music festivals, given their remote location within regions where the GSPC has operated.
WEST AFRICA - WHERE THE EMPIRE WILL COME TO RUIN
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