Salemata (pop. around 1,500), the rustic capital of Bassari country, makes the perfect base of operations, with small camps and guesthouses run by local people, and it´s a great a place to see chimpanzees in the wild in addition to experiencing the traditions and rituals of its inhabitants (including the weekly Tuesday market and crafts such as the making of palm wine), its traditional village architecture, and in general their singular lifestyle, both here and in neighbouring villages such as Ethiolo, ensconced in a paradisiacal valley. In fact, this, together with the neighbouring Bedik-Bandafassi and Fula-Dindéfello areas is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape because it's a "well-preserved multicultural landscape housing original and still vibrant local cultures" where the culture is "characterised by original traits of agro-pastoral, social, ritual and spiritual practices, which represent an original response to environmental constraints and human pressures".

Read more in our post A Visit to Senegal´s Bassari People.

Carsten ten Brink