Northern Africa and the Middle East - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 146

snow-shoeing, birdwatching and star-gazing.
And when you're done? Well, you can do as the
Lebanese do and head to the slopes for some
skiing - then down to the coast for a swim.

- a pioneering association of small tourism
businesses, including craft vendors, guesthouses
and local tour operators. The association
provides a voice for these small players, helping
them to get a share of the income from the
mainly foreign-owned tourism industry. The
Gambia is the smallest mainland country in
Africa, yet it has a thriving tourism industry
dominated by large package-holiday firms. A
stay at Tumani Tenda helps benefit directly the
people who actually live here.

Need to know For a map of the trail and
information on transport, tour operators and guides,
plus accommodation, villages and facilities on the
route see W www.lebanontrail.org; T +961 5955
302. To hike the southern Lebanon sections of
the trail you'll need a security clearance from the
Lebanese Ministry of Defence, and a guide is
recommended. Spring and autumn are the most
vibrant seasons, summer sees consistent blue
skies but sweltering heat, while in winter you'll be
walking through snow.

Need to know Maximum ten guests at a time;
avoid the rainy season between May and October.
For information on Tumani Tenda village, directions,
transfers, activities, and bookings see W www.
tumanitenda.co.uk; T [phone]. For more
about ASSET-Gambia see W www.asset-gambia.com.

188 TuMAnI TEndA, THE gAMBIA

If you'd prefer to escape the resort beaches and
get an insight into traditional Gambian village
life, head to Tumani Tenda (“Tumani” is the
name of a local peanut picker, “Tenda” means
riverbank), a Jola village 25km east of Brikama
on a tributary of the Gambia River. It's a place
laden with fields of maize, millet, peanuts and
watermelons, where you can spend the day with
the local fishermen or help women to collect
oysters.
You can stay in a collection of mud huts built
by the villagers; they're rustic but comfortable
and are decorated with local handicrafts, with
meals served around a wooden table in a large
hut. Guests have a variety of cultural tours to
choose from, though birdwatching is the main
draw - Tumani Tenda is one of the few places
where you can see the brown-necked parrot
(qualified guides will take you in a dug-out canoe
to the best places on the river to see it). But if
you really want to sample local culture, go on a
farming tour and learn how the villagers process
salt from the river and harvest groundnuts
and rice. The money raised from tourism goes
towards a village development fund, which has
helped build a school and provide medicine.
Tumani Tenda is a member of ASSET-Gambia

189 TAkE THE TrAIn And fErry
To MoroCCo

On the early-morning ferry, it takes just one
hour to cross the Straits of Gibraltar from the
southern Spanish port of Algeciras to Tangier
in Morocco. Just enough time to wipe the sleep
from your eyes and pinch yourself. You're in
Africa.
Once you emerge from customs at Tangier, it's
a quick stroll into town and then a 30min walk
(or a 10-15min ride in a petit taxi for about 20
dirhams) to the Tangier Ville train station, from
where there are modern, air-conditioned trains
to Fes (4hr 20min), Casablanca (5hr 45min) and
Marrakesh (10hr 30min, via Casablanca). Leave
mainland Spain in the early morning and you
can be sipping mint tea in Marrakesh's Djemaa
El Fna square in the evening.

Need to know From Paris, take the overnight
sleeper to Madrid (see p.55) and then the train
to Algeciras ( W www.renfe.es). For prices and
timetables of ferries to Tangier see W www.
trasmediterranea.es or W www.nautas-almaghreb.
com. Information for trains in Morocco is at W www.
oncf.ma.