West Africa is one of the most interesting places on the globe. The reason for this is the wide variety of cultures available here. Over the years, many different peoples have claimed this area. They had a huge impact on culture and religion. To a large extent, this is why the region has experienced so many wars and other conflicts.
For many years, West Africa was colonized by Europeans. After the Second World War, the struggle for independence began here, and in the 50-60s of the 20th century, most of the countries of the region gained independence. Unfortunately, after that the situation only worsened. In the struggle for domination, an outbreak of civil wars began, which can be called the most brutal on the planet. Different groups sought to completely destroy each other, as a result, many people died.
Currently, the countries of West Africa exist quite peacefully. Individual conflicts happen, but their scale is incomparable with the destructive wars of past years. This period of relative calm helped the region derive certain benefits from its natural resources in order to enable people to escape from poverty.
Cruises in Africa fascinate many people, and no wonder. Unfortunately, the existing realities can scare away tourists from visiting the West African region. Of course, there are a number of problems that you will encounter when traveling in this area, but they are not insurmountable. To enter each country you will need a visa, which is not so easy to obtain. This is not because West Africa does not want to accept tourists, but because of the lack of literacy of the countries of the region in these matters.
Another situation that you will encounter is the lack of tourism infrastructure. Outside the big cities you will not find a single hotel, and those that are in the cities leave much to be desired. An even bigger problem is the transport equipment: buses, which are available in most countries, are very old and unreliable. Be prepared also for the fact that people will ask you for money wherever you are. If you still decide to visit West Africa, first analyze the political situation. None of the countries in the region is fully stable, and war can begin at any time.
When traveling around the region, you can notice an interesting feature - the locals speak a huge number of languages. You may find that all of these languages are the same. But actually they are all different. It can be assumed that the first settlers spoke the same language. But since they wandered a lot, over the years there were a lot of language differences. The result was that currently in the region, many languages are used that have little in common with each other.
Despite all the difficulties, West Africa is definitely worth a visit. Firstly, you will be one of the few tourists who ventured to come here. Secondly, the trip will be a real adventure. You will be able to explore the long and fascinating history of this region, plunge into another culture, get acquainted with the friendly locals.