/countries/show/guinea/1.rss en-us Leaving Dalaba and Labé in our tracks, we drove the dusty road to Doucki, our final destination of a three-day retreat into the heart of Fouta Djalon. While East Africa draws tourists looking for wild animals, it is said that West Africa is celebrated for its people, and the Fouta are no exception with a vibrant and natural culture. We were on our way to leaving the world behind us and immersing ourselves in some of life's simple pleasures. The Fouta Djalon is a mountain range covering about one third of Guinea, an ancient French colony in West Africa. These highlands are sometimes called the “watershed” of West Africa, as several major rivers spring up there, like the Niger, the Senegal and the Gambia. We were going to shed our conventions and routine! The journey to Doucki village is stunning, with vast mountains mirrored by massive sandstone gorges over 80 meters deep. Thousands of years of erosion have sculpted these breathtaking cliffs filled with life by pulsing rivers that cut through the plateaus with ease. Upon our arrival in the small village of Doucki we found our lodging for the next few days, a traditional Fula hut owned by a lovely local couple with bunk beds, straw mattresses and lots of creepy crawlies! Our accommodations were modest at most. The shower a few steps away from our hut, was a shoulder-high screen with a cup and bucket of cold water that a village man would fill at our request. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the curtain. The lack of clutter was apparent and presented a simpler outlook that we learned to adopt during our time in the Fouta Djalon. We spent our time in Doucki exploring the surrounding gorge and cliff areas, crisscrossing rivers deep enough for diving or taking a in bath, a welcomed treat in the afternoon sun. Returning in the evenings we would gather around a large shared tin plate placed in the middle of a table in one of the huts, and would devour the most wonderful meals, typically chicken with rice or fonio and vegetables. On our second day we got up early to start a 9-hour hike down through Doucki’s Grand Canyon, on a steep trail along a fall. The outlook on the lowlands is unimpeded: a few open fields, but mostly forests and the occasional isolated rock piercing through the trees. We stopped to enjoy lunch by the Kokoulo River, where shy, yet curious kids stared at us from behind banana trees. We tried to keep quiet in the hope of catching a glimpse of a green monkey, but without any luck. Sadly, local hunters have depleted the Fouta Djalon of most of its fauna. We trailed on following the foot of the cliff until we reached a series of nine ladders made of bamboo sticks tied together and placed inside a crack in the rock. Climbing the ladders back to Doucki was quite an experience; some ladders were over ten meters high and very slippery from water running along the rock face. It can become quite arduous to get a firm hold on the wet bamboo after an exhaustive hike. Following our final ascent, a light cooling rain thankfully met us. On the final expedition during our time in Fouta Djalon, we ventured to an area splayed with impressive rock structures, endearingly called the Indiana Jones Forest. Groping through the jungle, weaving through rock crevices and trailing down narrow passages, this was off-road trekking at its best. Under the dim light, a sunbeam poured through a small crack over a wall above us, changing our tunnel-like surroundings into a primitive cathedral painted in different shades of green and adorned with garlands of leaves. There was no better way to end our trip to the Fouta Djalon, withdrawn from civilization and engrossed in an unknown world. Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:16:17 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/fouta-djalon http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/fouta-djalon