TRADITIONAL MEDECINE EXCLUSIVE TOUR ‘’ON THE TRACKS OF THE MEDECINE MEN’’

 

DAY 1: DAKAR

Arrival in Dakar. Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel in the capital city. Welcome drink and overnight at the hotel.

 

DAY 2: DAKAR

Breakfast in hotel. From 9:00-10:00 am, you will receive a very special briefing by a Senegalese Professor famous for his research in the field of traditional medicine and his investigations. From 10:00 am to 1:00pm, visit the markets of Dakar where the traditional herbalists will provide an initiation to the knowledge of the different plants and the various uses. Lunch will be served at a restaurant in town. In the afternoon you take the ferry from Dakar to Goree Island, often the last stop before the ships set off across the Atlantic. Goree Island carries the dark history of 300 years of slave trade in West Africa. Dinner in a Senegalese restaurant and overnight at your hotel.

 

DAY 3: DAKAR / RUFISQUE / DJILOR

Breakfast before departure for Lac Rose (Pink Lake Retba). This rare natural phenomenon will enchant you with colorful pink hues shining from the lake like a mirror in the middle of the sand dunes. In a 4x4 truck you will tour the lake, drive on the wild beach and meet the salt harvesters. Lunch at the lodge near the lake. In the afternoon, proceed to Rufisque where you will meet the female expert on Ndepp therapy, a natural therapy for mental sickness. The patient is brought to the laboratory for a trance of sound of drums beaten by specialist in a very special rhythm. You will leave for Djilor after this memorable meeting. Dinner and overnight at the lodge of Djilor on the banks of the Saloum River.

 

DAY 4: DJILOR

Breakfast at the lodge. Leave for a visit to the traditional village ofGiunka, known for its traditional healers who specialize in osteopathy and have miraculous results. You will spend the morning learning about their cures, as well as having a discussion with the community memberson the impact this medicine has on their daily lives. Return to the lodge for lunch at noon. In the afternoon by motor canoe, you will tour the Saloum River to discover its bird sanctuaries and the fishermen island villages. It is your time to meet the Niominka fishermen. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

 

DAY 5: DJILOR / TOUBACOUTA

Breakfast at the lodge before you leave for Toubacouta in the Saloum River Delta, just near the border with The Gambia. On the way you will visit the city of Fatick, known for its traditional healing center Malango. Here you will meet the Saltigues, the operating healers and soothsayers. They will tell you about the XOY.

You will set off from Fatick for Kaolack, one of the major towns in the area. Lunch in Kaolack followed by a visit to the market, full of medicinal herbs and spices. Next, you will proceed to Toubacouta visiting traditional Serer Villages along the way, which have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

 

DAY 6: TOUBACOUTA / ZIGUINCHOR

Breakfast at the lodge before you leave for the southern region of Senegal. After the picturesque crossing of the Gambia River you will arrive in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia. You will have an orientation tour of Banjul visiting the Central Market and the popular district of Serekunda. Lunch will be served in town. Next, you will continue on to Ziguinchor, visiting the villages of the Upper Casamance such as Baila, Diouloulou, Badiana along the way. You will meet village chiefs and traditional healers. Arrive in Ziguinchor in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

 

DAY 7: ZIGUINCHOR / KENIA / BIGNONA / ZIGUINCHOR

Breakfast before departure to the village of Kenia. Located in the Casamance Forest, Kenia is knownforcuring mental patients with a so-called group therapy. All mental patients remain with family members during the therapy. After Kenia, you will visit the city of Bignona and meet the area healers. After lunch you will visit traditional villages in this lush, green part of Senegal. Return to Ziguinchor at the end of the day. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

 

DAY 8: ZIGUINCHOR / NIAMONE / OUSSOUYE / CAP SKIRRING / ZIGUINCHOR

Breakfast in the hotel. During this full-day tour, youwill discover the most authentic part of the Casamance Region with its animist villages known for theirsacred woods. You will pay a visit to the King of Oussouye and meet the masters of initiation for the rites of passage. Lunch will be served at the Cap Skirring Beach Resort followed by relaxing on the beach before continuing your visits on the way back to Ziguinchor. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

 

DAY 9: ZIGUINCHOR / SALY

Breakfast at the hotel before you leaveZiguinchor forthe Saly Beach Resort. Passing on the Trans-Gambian way you will visit Fulbe villages where you will observe their unique habits, meet community members, and interact with this semi-nomadic population with a distinct healing system. Lunch will be served in Kaolack before you arrive in Saly at the end of the day. Dinner and overnight at your resort hotel in Saly.

 

DAY 10: SALY / DAKAR

Breakfast at the hotel before a fullday of beach relaxation. Lunch will be included. You will enjoy dinner at a seaside restaurant before transfer to the airport for your departing flight. Depart Senegal.

 

 

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