The fh2T Blog

We offer trips to the Serengeti that go beyond the expected, taking travellers closer to the beating heart of the region. Many trips to Tanzania focus solely on the animals which, glorious though the wildlife is, do not form the entire picture. On our Rift Valley Safari Trip we venture far off the beaten track, around the very edges of the park to where the Maasai live. Thus the travellers on our trip also come to see the Serengeti in its human context.

“It is here that the pristine natural world of the Serengeti begins to co-exist with the pastoralist world of the Maasai and the hunter-gather Hadzabe bushmen. This dynamic goes back thousands and thousands of years.”

“Tell me” said Mufta as we are discussing , “we the Tuareg are a God fearing people. We live for our desert, our camels and goats, our families and our music. All we need is milk, meat and water - we don’t even need houses!” he laughs. “Our rebellions have been about development, about having a hospital, schools, perhaps a tarmac road in the north of Mali would be nice. But we have no allies and no friends in the world for our cause. Why does the world hate us”.

I pause. There is a complicated answer and a simple answer to this. I opt for the latter.

“The world doesn’t hate you, it just doesn’t care. It is nothing personal. It is not about who you are but where you are. I’m afraid you are in the middle of some very powerful interests.”

Mufta sits back in his cane chair and looks out from his home in exile towards the sahelian bush and the rising moon, full deep and orange. He is not satisfied. Having taken me through his Kel Ansari family history he wants more from me.

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Daily life as a refugee is not as bad as you might assume. At least
not here at MENTAO Central, Djibo Burkina Faso where I have come to
stay with my Tuareg friends.

Mali’s crisis does not follow the patterns of most of the continent’s
wars. The active combatants on the ground are predominantly foreigners
for a start when most wars in Africa are civil; most  refugees flee
warring forces seeking to control the government, these ones flee
their own national army, the defenders of the peace left behind by the
liberating French forces.

As the French and Chadian armies sweep the AQMI mafia groups back to their adopted home in the Tuareg heartland of the Adar Des Iforas, the Malian army are inexplicably being left behind by the French campaign to reassert its own control, pretty much unmonitored over the liberated regions.

This is the military that crumbled before the MNLA rebellion that kick started the crisis, the military that enacted the coup d’etat that allowed the MNLA take over of the north and the islamist invasion, the military who recently had a pop at each other in Bamako, and the military who have over the course of Mali’s history committed atrocities against the northern population.

Now the international games of charades and musical chairs, of Al Qaeda, coup d’etats and islamist ideology, of acronym wars, of AQMI, MUJAO and Ansar Dine are coming to an end. Now we are back to square one. Mali and the Tuareg, north and south, black and white.

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The lyrics are old and have long been written in the country’s national slogan: “Un Peuple, Un But, Un Foi” - One People, One Goal, One Faith. Before, this slogan was repeated with a plea for unity in this historically divided country. Today there is something sinister in the cry, a tone that suggests “One Scape Goat” should be added to the slogan.

Although Malians in the south saw their army and political class wither away without a fight against the MNLA rebellion; although they openly acknowledge that their popular President ATT handed over his seat of power out of expediency and thus enabled the coup d’etat and the subsequent division of the country; and although they then all looked on exasperated as the unknown coup leader Captain Sanago, the weak remnants of government and a divided and demoralised military did nothing, and so permitted, the mafia terrorist (AQMI) allies of their former President, with his homemade militia (MUJAO), to take over the north from the secular separatists (MNLA) and threaten sharia law and the making of an Afghanistan of Mali, for the Bamakois there is only one culprit for their nation’s year of charades.

The griots of the Fulani people, as with many west African peoples, are historically the keepers of the peoples’ most important stories and family histories in West African culture. Their knowledge has been passed down through the ages as part of the oral tradition of story-telling, the sharing of poetry and music.

Griots have been in existence in the region for thousands of years. Masters of the spoken word as well as of sound and rhythm, they occupy a unique place in West African culture.

Join us this February for an unforgettable Caribbean experience. More than just a trip to catch some winter sun, our fantastic break takes in the best of the Trinidad Carnival and a Water Safari to boot.

From 6th to 20th February we are leading a trip to Trinidad and Tobago, a stunning destination, beautiful all year round, but particularly outstanding during Carnival. This is Carnival at its best, where the island goes topsy turvy for a little while and carries on the tradition of letting one’s hair right down before the dry days of Lent.

It really is impossible not to love Mali. However bad things seem to get here on the uber political level where acronyms play charades on CNN and BBC, talking of AQMI, MUJAO and UNHCR, things on the ground remain reassuringly human business as usual.

We lead trips in Senegal lasting 8 to 14 days, where you can cruise on a comfortable river boat from the Atlantic to the edge of the Sahara.

A full 6 days can be spent cruising, following France’s colonial route into Africa, with the options of time spent in Saint Louis the “Manhattan of Africa”, up to 3 nights in Dakar and up to 3 nights on La Petite Côte. Essentially, the trip will be organised for you on a tailor-made basis, to suit your particular travel wish-list for the trip.

The charming river cruiser, which has been operating for over 60 years, is well-appointed and full of character.

Let me hook you up with my brother who is a a wildlife vet in the Serengeti National Park. He lives on the slopes of Mount Meru. Together we will send you on an off-the-beaten-track journey through the Great Rift Valley.

This is more than just a wildlife safari. Your journey will take you through the Massai and Hadzabe region of the rift valley where the pristine natural world of the Serengeti meets the human world of pastoralists and hunter gathers, a dynamic that goes back to the beginning of time.

You will be at a loss to know which takes your breath away more, the majestic landscapes and endless skies, the fascinating cultures or the humbling chance to get up close to my own guaranteed “Big Five”:

As 2012 wound up and Malian's contemplated the worst year in their independent history, the UN announced its imaginative new strategy for dealing with the country's crisis: nothing until September 2013. Prior to this Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, described the French plan for intervention in Mali as "crap".

At this point the spectre of another Somalia or Africa's Afghanistan looked like a horrifyingly realistic prospect as the international community turned its back on the black hole that Mali was becoming.

At the outset of the Mali crisis I felt that the worst possible scenario was France getting involved on its own. Being the former colonial power it has complicated relations with the different parties, and their intersts in the resources of the region worried me. But now I find myself in a strangely upbeat mood. At last someone is doing something.

In consultation with the Burkina Faso government, the organisers of the Festival In the Desert have announced that the Festival In the Desert in Exile slot on the Caravan of Peace, 20-22 February 2013, has been moved to a location close to Ouagadougou to better guarantee the security of the festival.

The festival was to be held at Orsi in the north of Burkina Faso. 

While the islamists hold the region in Mali north of the Burkina border, an incursion into Burkina Faso for an attack on the festival itself is unlikely (see below). However, Orsi was felt to be too close to the border with Mali for comfort and so to safeguard the security of the festival it has been moved to a site close to the capital.

This is a good move. Of all the sites of the caravan, Orsi was the closest to islamist territory. This keeps the route of the caravan from Bamako to Segou and down to Burkina Faso for the Festival itself very secure all over.

On Monday night, as he was about to leave for Paris, Cheikh Modibo Diarra, Mali's interim Prime Minister was arrested at his home in Bamako, bundled into a car and driven off to face Captain Sanago and his junta. Someone didn't want Mr Diarra to get to Paris.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning - sweating, shocked and tired - Diarra addressed the nation on TV: 

"Our country is living through a period of crisis. Men and women who are worried about the future of our nation are hoping for peace. It's for this reason that I, Cheikh Modibo Diarra, am resigning along with my entire government on this day, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. I apologize before the entire population of Mali."

Mali suffered its second bloodless coup this year, just as the glimmer of hope of dialogue between the Malian government, MNLA and Ansar Dine seemed to be appearing on the horizon. 

It is hard to see who gains from Diarra's removal, especially if you are looking at this from the perspective of searching for a solution.

A trip to Morocco with us takes you into the heart of all that is most enticing about this country. Amongst Westerners it may be viewed as a gateway to the orient, one that lies a convenient stone’s throw from Europe. However, where it becomes the Sahara it is undeniably African, alluring in its combination of desert, mountains and ancient cities.

The great advantage of visiting Morocco with us is that we are capable of creating a trip that is entirely unique to you. The Sahara Overland trip goes through Morocco in November/December and we can arrange for you to explore the country as you wish with a driver and guide. Here are some key Moroccan places to highlight:

Sometimes we all long to immerse ourselves in the bustle and surprise of somewhere other, somewhere truly exotic and unique. With Morocco, we in Europe have the orient just a couple of hours flight away.

Morocco has long been the trading post between Europe and Africa. The great Saharan caravans brought gold across the desert from the south and traded with produce from the silk route, Europe and Morocco itself.

The two great citadels of trade were Marrakech and Fes.

The Berbers are a proud race with one of the longest histories on earth. They called North Africa their home long before the arrival of the Arabs. Their culture is believed to date back more than 4,000 years and ancient Berber states called Mauritania and Numidia existed in classical times.

Between the 11th and 13th centuries, two great Berber dynasties – the Almoravids and the Almohads – much of north-west Africa and parts of Spain. Today, there are substantial Berber populations in Morocco and Algeria, plus smaller numbers in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

Security for the Festival In the Desert and Caravan of Peace trip. 

Below is a response I gave to Ethical Travel Magazine's questions about security for my forth coming trip to Festival in The Desert and The Carvan Of Peace.  

1) Safety, specifically my precautions.

Safety, when it comes to traveling the road less travelled, lies PRIMARILY with local knowledge and experience. 

Take health. If you are seriously injured when travelling your best chance of survival lies in finding a local solution quickly. You need the people looking after you knowing how to care for you, find a local doctor and if possible organise your transport. Only in the most extreme of circumstances would your first port of call be the insurance company. Of course you need the insurance in extremis, and no one should travel without full personal travel insurance, but when you travel, wherever you are going beit to the USA, the UK or Cameroon, but especially when you are off the beaten track, your first line of defence is local.  Only if all local options are impossible or too risky would you consider the medical evacuation option.

Things are speeding up so fast in Mali it is hard to keep up. Recent events have perhaps now made an article I was working on meaningless. I publish it below to indicate how serious the consequences may be in the region.

On the 16th of November the MNLA clashed with AQMI/MUJAO at Ansongo and Fata towards Menaka, a remaining MNLA stronghold. First reports from Gao were of many AQIM/MUJAO dead and wounded coming back into town. I had heard that the MNLA had stood their ground, but now I hear they have been badly hit too, and that Menaka has fallen to AQIM/MUJAO.

Reports too of Mali military fighting AQMI near Lere west of Timbuktu.

Timbuktu is an evocative name. For over a millenium it has conjured travel, mystery and adventure, salt, gold and knowledge. It is a town located where the Niger River flows northward into the desert. Timbuktu was founded by the Tuareg Imashagan in the 11th century and thanks to its unique geographical position, it became a natural meeting point for Tuareg, Songhai, Wangara, Fulani and Arabs.  From the 11th century onwards, Timbuktu became an important port where goods from West Africa and North Africa were traded. Timbuktu is also the crossroads “where the camel meets the canoe," a place of traders and middle-men. Timbuktuians say of their history: gold came from the south, salt from the north, and Divine Knowledge, from within.

Dear Mr President,

These boys are from Mali.

You see their like throughout Africa -  the continent of your ancestors, indeed of all our original ancestors.