I left Liberia at an age which did not allow me to explore my country as much as I would have liked. One of my regrets was not experiencing life outside of Monrovia. Thus, one of my goals before embarking on my practicum was to experience life outside the city in the various countries I explore, I am glad I had the opportunity to discover the beauty of living outside of Dakar, during the process learning about the preservation of our environment. It was pleasant to see others making an effort to decrease their eco footprint.
From Dakar, it will take about six hours to get to Keur Bambong. You can take a bus from a station called “Station Pompier” in Dakar. From there the bus will take you directly to Toubacouta. If you take the bus, to and from Keur Bamboung the fare is no less than 10,00cfa roundtrip. Once in Toubacouta, you can choose to stay the night for 6000cfa. If not you can go directly to the Keur Bamboung, which is located in an area call Sine Saloume, a three day weekend at Keur Bamboung is 17,000cfa, which include breakfast and dinner. If you chose to stay in Toubacouta for the night, I recommend you stay at the hostel below. The facilities are nice and the host is great!
The only means of getting to Keur Bamboung is to take a pirogue from Toubacouta (30mins). Keur Bamboung( 221775108013/2215548456) is an Ecolodge, located in a little village call Sine Solume, it is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in my life. The owners were organized, and cognizant of their guests' needs. The Eco lodge is set up as a communal entity, therefore, the proceeds benefit the villagers (owners) and use to maintain the rich prosperity of the environment.
The camp is built to give guests a sense of village life, but they have modern amenities to ease your worries. Once on the ground, you are able to experience the best nature and the locals have to offer. In accordance with their message of preserving the environment, a donkey transports guests’ belongings from the shore to the camp. All activities are planned according to the guests’ agenda. If you chose not to partake in activities during your stay you won’t be bothered. However, I encourage all to partake in the activities, as it is crucial to understanding the message of the camp. For activities, the cahasave the option of birds watching, canoeing g, tour of the village, etc. The food is amazing (hhhhhmmmmmm)!!!!! However, if you are not a big eater, request that your main course for diner a be downside. It’s a lot of food.
Be aware, on the weekend it is difficult to get a bus directly from Toubacouta back to Dakar. Therefore you can take a bus to Karang or Kalack from Toubacouta, and than take a bus directly to Dakar. Traveling by bus from one city to another requires patience. As the rule is, the bus does not leave until it is full or passengers are willing to pay for the empty seat(s). Although we had to wait for three hours in Karang for the bus to get full it was well worth it!!!! It was a great opportunity to talk to the locals and get to know more about the area, especially if you speak Wolof.
My journey to Keur Bamboung and the recent conferences regarding protecting the environment in Africa prompted me to start thinking about how I can decrease my eco footprint. It seems that those who are taking precautionary steps to cause less harm to the environment, have less capital. Living in a world dominated by capitalists I understand why the preservation of the environment does not seem important, especially when it means acquiring more capital. Given how fast the earth is depleting, I hope we come to the realization that money is not the only thing that makes the world go round. If those with the least resources are trying to conserve and protect the earth, is it fair for those with the most resources to keep destroying mother earth?
