The Bassari people live in the hills of southeastern Senegal and northern Guinea, in a country of rocky outcrops, savannah and deep, lush valleys that run down from the Fouta Djallon plateau. Salemata is one of their main centres, a small town in the Kedougou region of Senegal, and the Bassari, with their neighbours the Bedik and the Fula, make up the cultural landscape of Bassari Country, listed by UNESCO in 2012. The Bassari have kept their traditions with great determination. Young men go through initiation rites in the forest, lasting weeks and ending with masked dances and ceremonies in which the whole village takes part. Dancers wear costumes of leaves and fibres, and the Bedik have their own, different, masks.
The landscape is attractive and dramatic, with low mountains, orange earth, tall baobabs and the dry-season haze known as the harmattan. Villages stand in the hills, built of mud and thatch, sometimes perched on ridges for defence, as they were in earlier centuries when slave raiders came. The Fula people live on the high plateau and have their own culture, with dances, song, and cattle herding. Further along, at Dindefello, a waterfall tumbles into a gorge, and chimpanzees live in the forests nearby.
Honest advice is needed on access. Roads in this corner of Africa are rough, and many are dirt tracks, which can become impassable in the rainy season, from June to October. Border areas can be unpredictable, and travellers should check the security situation with foreign office guidance before going. The nearest large settlement in the list, Youkounkoun, is more than thirty kilometres away, and services between are minimal. A properly prepared adventure bike with good tyres, spare fuel, a tool kit, water and a support plan is the only sensible approach. Fuel is best taken in the bigger towns, and Kedougou, the regional capital, is the place to stock up.
Visitors should behave carefully. Ask permission before taking photographs, particularly at ceremonies, and respect local rules about sacred places, which may be off limits. It is courteous to greet the village chief and explain your purpose. The dry season, from November to April, is the best time, though the heat builds towards May.