NIOKOLOKOBA NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH OF GAMBIA, DINDEFELO WATER FALLS AND SOUTH SENEGAL ( 6 days )

This is an excursion that brings breathtaking culture, nature and scenery of the amazing nature of southern senegal. Its an all packaged trip. Once this trip is completed,maximum satisfaction is achieved as far as culture, nature and scenery are concerned.
The nature of this trip is such that,70% is paid upfront and the balance completed once the trip ends. This is just to indicate to you all that Arch-Tours believes this new collection of beautiful scenery will not but leave an impressive story to tell.

DAY 1 :The  tour starts at 7:00am from the lobby of your hotel and after perfectly packing our luggages,we drive off right away as we prepare for a trip like no other.
We drive on the senegambia highway passing so many villages and hamlets as we sit nonchalantly to view the beauty of countrysides.After about 3 hours of driving,we will have our first stop at Farafenni to have some fruits and snacks.
Farafenni is a big commercial centre in the NBR(North Bank Region) just south of the border with Senegal.We will have a 20 minutes walk in the market to see and experience real local market life in The Gambia.Afterwards,we will have a 15 minutes donkey/horse riding around the market to experience the local mode of transportation in the North Bank Region.
From Farafenni,we will drive to the stone circle which is a historic center in The Gambia.The stone circles were burial mounds for kings and high ranking chiefs.The history of the stones will be explained and how they were brought there.A visit to the cultural museum will follow .Cultural artifacts and tools will be explained as we stroll around.From the Wassu Stones Circle,we will head to Kairoh Gardens in Kuntaur for an overnight stay.Shortly after lunch at Kairoh Gardens,we will have a boat trip in the river Gambia to spot hippos in their natural habitat.A stop at the chimpanzee rehabilitation center to see chimps as we sit back and watch them being fed by rangers.From there,we cruise back to the lodge.Shortly after dinner,we will head off to bed to be fully prepared for Day 2.

DAY 2:We will get up as early as 7:00am to have  our breakfast.After breakfast,we will drive to a ferry crossing point,take a ferry to get to Georgetown.Georgetown is a former slave trading post and a colonial administrative center.The history of slavery and slave trade will be vividly explained as remains of slavery and colonial structures are still there.
From Georgetown,we will drive for about 2 hours to Alunhari,a typical village in Basse Santu su,known for pottery.We will have a village walk and stop at one of the families to see exactly how they go about with pottery.From alunahari,we will have a stop at Basse town,one of the largest commercial cities in The Gambia for lunch before heading to the border.
After encountering The Gambia office of immigration and sorting out our details,we will proceed to the Senegalese office for the same thing.
Shortly after,we will find ourselves in Velingara,a business town in southern senegal.A brief history of the town will be explained and we head to tambacounda,a big state in Senegal.we will stop at one of their exquisite resorts,for a pool relaxation and proper lunch.From there,we will have a stop in one of the typical villages of south senegal.This villages are like no other.Just basic and unsophisticated.It depicts Africa as it was and not Africa as it is now.We will have a stop in one of the local families and see exactly how they live.Their ways of life will be explained too.
From there,we will head off to CAMPEMENT HOTEL DE WASSADU (Wassadu Camp) as the evening lurks.WASSADU CAMP is a stunning eco lodge  an is 25 minutes drive away from Niokolokoba forest.
On arrival at there,you will each be shown your room.After refreshment and short relaxation, we will meet at the bar area for some entertainment and after which dinner will be served.
A short time to relax and off to bed as we prepare for one of the main highlights of the trip;thé niokolokoba safari and visit to the dindefelo water falls.

DAY 3 :We will wake up as early as 6:30am to have our breakfast as the early morning is the best time to do the safari in our bid to spot most of the animals and enjoy   the early morning beauty of the Niokolokoba forest.
The WASSADU lodge will offer a safari Jeep and a guide who know the forest very well.A 20 minutes drive will get us to the entrance of the forest where a toilet can be used once more before getting in.
We will have about 5 hours drive in what is widely considered the most natural and protected home for fauna and flora in the senegambia region.Niokolo-Koba National Park is located in a well-watered area along the banks of river senegal and  Gambia river.The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba National Park have a very rich fauna, among them are Derby elands (largest of the antelopes), chimpanzees, lions, leopards and a large population of elephants, as well as many birds, reptiles and amphibians including all three types of African crocodiles and duding hippos.It measures about 9,132 square kilometers with a very comfortable and undisturbed wildness and thus serve as the best place for remnants of wildlife in west Africa and is almost the size of The Gambia.
Impressively,it has about 355 species of birds and about 1,500 important plant species .The forest contains all the unique ecosystems of the Sudanese bioclimatic zone such as major waterways (the Gambia, Sereko, Niokolo, Koulountou), gallery-forests, herbaceous savanna floodplains, ponds, dry forests -- dense or with clearings-- rocky slopes and hills and barren Bowés.It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1981 as a UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve.
It’s an exceptional safari.Somewhere in the forest,we will have a much needed break and lunch at Campement du Lion.
After the completion of the safari,we head off to the dindefelo water falls which forms part of the larger Niokolo-Koba National Park.It is located just a few miles from the Guinean border. The falls are about 100 meters high.The view around is just scintillating and irresistible.We will have enough time to bath and swim,look around and see locals as they  come over to wash the golds they mined.Mining is very common in KÉDOUGOU REGION.
After saying goodbye to the beautiful waterfall,we will drive back to WASSADU LODGE.On our way back home,we will stop by one of most rich-cultured tribe in Senegal called the bassari tribe.A close study of their history and origin then a close interaction will follow.After this,we will drive back to lodge at WASSADU CAMP.

DAY 4:Get up and have our breakfast at around 7:00am.Park out and embark on a long drive to Kolda.At kolda,we will stop at le firdou hotel for lunch and take a pool shower for refreshments.From le firdou hotel in ,we will drive for 2 hours to Hotel palmeraie in sedhiou for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 5:Wake up at around 7:00am and have our breakfast and set out for Mlomp.Mlomp is inarguably one of the most intriguing villages in the Cassamance region.A rainforest village with visible unique features.A walk in the village to see the highly regarded and unique tall castle built up of clay and trees that have been in existence for almost a thousand years.From there,we will visit the fishing center to experience busy fishing activities in cassamance.Lunch will follow .
From there,we will visit a nearby jola village for proper cultural entertainment and be ready to dance when your turn is up.After drying our sweats off,we will drive to cap skirring ,a popular seaside resort with Europeans and has an airport and a golf course.We will lodge in one of their many exquisite hotels.

DAY 6:After breakfast,We will take a walk down the cap skirring beach widely seen as one of the most beautiful beaches in West Africa.From there we will embark on an amazing boat trip for more sightseeing as the nature around is alluring.After the boat trip,we will have our lunch and drive back to The Gambia through thé interesting smugglers route,have our border check ups and finally back to your hotels at around 5:00pm  in the evening.