Why this ride
It goes by way of Bédik Bandafassi, Peul Dindéfello and back through Bédik Bandafassi.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Bassari Salémata and Peul Dindéfello
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 254 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 09
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bassari Salémata
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.
Read the complete Bassari Salémata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bassari Salémata is where the day begins. Next is Bédik Bandafassi.
2. Bédik Bandafassi
In the hills of south-eastern Senegal, near the border with Guinea, the Bedik people live in villages perched on rocky hilltops, reached by steep paths through the bush. Their round huts with tall conical thatched roofs, clustered closely together, and their traditions of masks, initiation and seasonal festivals have survived because of their isolation. The Bedik country around Bandafassi is part of the Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes, listed by UNESCO in 2012, along with the lands of their Bassari and Fula neighbours.
Read the complete Bédik Bandafassi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bédik Bandafassi comes up about 69 km into the recorded legs. Next is Peul Dindéfello.
3. Peul Dindéfello
Dindéfello is where the Sahel finally gives up and the Fouta Djallon begins. The village sits in southeastern Senegal, tucked against the border with Guinea, and the plateau behind it drops away in a red cliff that feeds a waterfall of about a hundred metres. After the rains the fall is a proper white rope hanging off the rock. In the dry season it thins to a veil, but the pool beneath is still deep enough for a cool plunge and the walk through the gorge in the shade is worth the heat.
Read the complete Peul Dindéfello write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach Peul Dindéfello. Next is back through Bédik Bandafassi.
4. back through Bédik Bandafassi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bédik Bandafassi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bédik Bandafassi, late in the day. Next is Bassari Salémata.
5. Bassari Salémata
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bassari Salémata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Bassari Salémata. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Bassari Salémata to Bédik Bandafassi
Bassari Salémata → Bédik Bandafassi is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bédik Bandafassi to Peul Dindéfello
Bédik Bandafassi → Peul Dindéfello is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Peul Dindéfello to back through Bédik Bandafassi
Peul Dindéfello → back through Bédik Bandafassi is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bédik Bandafassi to Bassari Salémata
back through Bédik Bandafassi → Bassari Salémata is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.