Guinea

Entering Guinea overland through the Kandika border crossing was a bit frustrating because of the surly border guards. They were furious that our tour leader, Chloe, couldn’t speak French and upset that none of us had two copies of our electronic visa (apparently one copy wasn’t enough!). Thankfully,  one of the guards eventually took pity…Continue reading Guinea

Bolivia – Copacabana, Salt Flats of Uyuni & Modesto Omiste

We almost skipped Bolivia entirely because of its elections. Held on 20 October, the elections resulted in massive protests as the sitting president, Evo Morales, declared victory with only 47% of the vote. Deadly unrest gripped Bolivia in the aftermath, and La Paz and Potosi were immediately struck from our itinerary. However, Oasis thought we…Continue reading Bolivia – Copacabana, Salt Flats of Uyuni & Modesto Omiste

Peru – Punta Sal, Trujillo, Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca

Peru is a diverse and fascinating country, and despite spending nearly a month here, we were never bored. Our first stop was Punta Sal, just north of Mancora. It was whale watching season and we got up close and personal with several humpback whales. Next up was Trujillo, home to the Chan Chan and Huaca…Continue reading Peru – Punta Sal, Trujillo, Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca

Mali

Unluckily for us, the FCO was advising against travel to two of Mali’s highlights (the Dogon cliffs and Djenne’s Grande Mosquee), so we adapted our original plan. Since taking the main (and well paved) road linking Kayes to Bamako was now out of the question, we had to take a secondary road to the capital,…Continue reading Mali