Take On Africa

You are browsing the archives of Faranah.

Day 14: 19th Feb 2010
Fast rapids – Boat unload – Stuck! – Decision to quit in Kouroussa
It was a successful start to the day, with calm open water which Joliba II glided over with considerable ease.
Boosted by our progress and steady rhythmic paddling, when we heard the distinctive white water ahead and then saw the [...]

Day 1: 6th Feb 2010
Departure – 3 beers – Boh’s helping hand – will we make it to Bamako?
It’s Saturday in Faranah; our boat is built and afloat on the river, our belongings have been wrapped and packaged in plastic bags ready for the trip, we have cycled into town for breakfast and bought [...]

(Joliba Fila - Joliba meaning ‘Great River’ and Fila meaning ‘2′ in Manding)
Travels down the Niger River – 350km, Faranah to Kouroussa (Guinea)
6th - 22nd February 2010
The Idea
The idea of a boat trip came about during discussions with Lars, way back in the early days of cycling through the Western Sahara. Several long days riding [...]

Some views of the Niger River; photos taken during the two week paddle from Faranah to Kouroussa in Guinea…

We expected it to take 10-14 days to paddle down the Niger River from Faranah to Kouroussa in Guinea. It took 15 long days. It was hard work and tough at times but great fun too and an amazing experience.
I will of course be writing a full update, but for now, here are some pictures [...]

Having spent nearly a week in the small but friendly town of Faranah in Guinea, we managed to get built a river-worthy wooden pirogue and buy suplies to keep us sustained for the two weeks it was expected to take to get to Kouroussa, the next place along the river…

Leaving Freetown
We had arrived in Freetown on the bustling streets of Kissy Road in the East End lined with stalls selling everything from second-hand shoes to fake Sony radios; and had navigated our way through the commercial district centred around the towering cotton tree, down along Congo Road and across the poor shanty district of [...]