Ghana to Portugal

From a modest fishing port to the biggest in Ghana, Tema’s industrial activity has all but tarnished the charming, postcard scenery of the region. The neighboring white-sand beaches remain immaculate, still serving as a testimony of the rich variety of fishing birds that can be found in the area. In the way Mother Nature intended it, gannets, boobies, and kingfishers amongst other species fish in and around the cerulean waters of the coast. A light breeze tickles the inflamed, iron-filled soil of the mainland on which the railway linking Tema to Accra lures hundreds of visitors each day.

Ghana's fourth-largest city plays serene beaches against a bustling commercial center. People from around the world visit the shore, both for its beauty and to enjoy the fresh seafood served right on the sands. Frantic city life awaits a short distance inland, where an economy fueled by Ghana’s oil industry is most apparent in the maze of vendors at Market Circle.

Three hours south of Yamoussoukro, nestled in between the canals and waterways, lies Abidjan, the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. Considered the crossroads of West Africa both economically and culturally, Abidjan benefits from clement temperatures year round, reaching average highs of around 88˚ Fahrenheit, or 30˚ Celsius. Like much of West Africa, this city has cachet and soul, and enjoys a diversity of cultures, traditions, and people, notably through the French influence (Abidjan is the largest French-speaking country in West Africa).

While at sea, enjoy wine tastings, designer boutiques, language, and dance classes. Take in a matinee movie, check the market or your e-mail in the Internet Point, slip away with a novel from the library to a sunny chaise or with a movie to your suite. Or just take in the sun pool side. The choice is yours.

Tokeh, or Tokeh Town as it is also known, is a coastal resort town that relies mainly on fishing and tourism. Only twenty miles outside Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, this town is nestled in an area of beautiful scenery surrounded by mountains, forests, and beaches. The Tokeh Beach is considered one of the largest and most attractive beaches in West Arica. 

The coastal neighborhood of Aberdeen, a part of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, is located on the tip of the Aberdeen Peninsula. It was established in 1829 to provide accommodation for liberated enslaved Africans who had been left in Freetown by the British Royal Navy. Today, it is a vibrant neighborhood with several up-scale restaurants and hotels. It is also known as a good surf spot.

A British Army captain created Gambia’s capital city in 1816 as a means to stop the European and American slave trade in the area. Barracks were the first residences, but the post grew quickly. Today, the King Fahad Mosque’s twin minarets mark the large city’s skyline. Shopping at the public market is a main attraction. Banjul is also a popular base from which to head out for tropical bird watching trips. Daily life is colorful here. Expect beggars, hagglers, and lots of unsolicited hellos from "bumsters," young men who hang around tourists a little too much.

Big, crowded, and chaotic, Dakar can seem like a dirty mess not worth the effort, but relax and dig in—this is emerging Africa. The city is progressing quickly as the country develops, and already Dakar is home to many worthy restaurants and thumping nightlife. Historic sights are here, as well as nice beaches. But keep your eyes open, especially at markets, in shopping areas, and at top tourist attractions, where pickpockets, muggers, and hustlers work the streets.

Joal Fadiout is a picturesque village located southeast of Dakar in Senegal. It is an island but is connected to the mainland with a wooden foot bridge. The community living on the Fadiout Island is a mix of Christian and Muslim faiths and live traditional lifestyles based on artesian fishing. The tides are dramatic in this area and on the low tide many people can be seen out on the mangrove mudflats collecting cockles, oysters, murex snails, conch, and fishing with seine nets from their pirogues and swimming in the shallows. 

Saly is a picturesque seaside resort village on the la Petite Côte (the Little Coast), about 50 miles south of Dakar. It was originally a Portuguese trading post, but over time developed into a resort town after the first resort was built in 1984. Today, its main industry is tourism and there are several modern hotels, tea houses playing traditional Wolof music, restaurants, and shops. Its main attractions are the sandy beaches lined with coconut palm trees, idyllic climate and watersports.  

Dakhla is a fishing city located at the tip of a thin peninsula. Apart from modern fishing fleets, simple, rustic boats are clustered together along the shores, while the whitewashed buildings, chaotic streets, and fabrics woven in colorful patterns make for interesting images. Historically, this was a stronghold of Berbers and was at one time a Spanish colony named Villa Cisneros. An Old Spanish lighthouse still stands on the outskirts of town as a testament to this segment of the region’s past.

Laayoune is the largest city, and capital, of Western Sahara. It has a population of about 200,000, which is more than half the population of the territory. It is literally a city in the middle of the desert, about 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with nothing else around it for a thousand miles. The name means "the water springs" or “water source”. The Spaniards developed the city in 1938 as the administrative, military, and European center. In 1940, Spain designated it as the capital of the Spanish Sahara. Since 1976 it has been the capital of the Laâyoune province of Morocco.

Safi’s natural harbor lies on the Atlantic in western Morocco and was once used by the Roman and the Phoenicians. By the 11th century gold, slaves, and ivory were the hot commodities being traded between Marrakesh and Guinea. Evolving through the ages to cater to the popular trade of the day, the major industry here today is fishing connected to the country's sardine industry, but there is also an economy based on exported phosphates, textiles, and ceramics.

Spread over a string of seven hills north of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) estuary, Lisbon presents an intriguing variety of faces to those who negotiate its switchback streets. In the oldest neighborhoods, stepped alleys whose street pattern dates back to Moorish times are lined with pastel-color houses decked with laundry; here and there, miradouros (vantage points) afford spectacular river or city views.