Guerba (0845 130 1770; ) has 20 years of experience in organising African tours. It currently offers three trips in this region: the Trans Saharan Adventure, a five-week overland journey starting in Morocco and passing through Mauritania and Senegal (£865 plus flights); the West Africa Special, also five weeks, which takes in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana (£935 plus flights); and the three-week Ashanti, Dogon and Timbuktu trip through Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali (£700-£725 plus flights). The tours depart two or three times a year, and Guerba can book your flights if required.Next summer, Travelbag Adventures (01420 541007, ) will be offering 16-day escorted trips in Mali from £1,399 per person, plus a local payment of £90. The itinerary will include visiting Bamako, Djenn?the island city of Mopti and Timbuktu. The price includes flights, accommodation, some meals and all transport.Encounter Overland (01728 862 222; ) also offers a 14-week West Africa Explored tour from Europe to Africa, which ventures through Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Togo (£1,850, plus a kitty of around £450, and flights).

Dragoman (01728 861 133) offers a number of tours, including the Nomadic West Africa tour, a five-week journey from Senegal, through Mali, Burkina Faso, C?d’Ivoire (route may change because of political unrest) and Ghana (£1,140 plus a kitty of £270, plus flights). Many French West African countries are safer to walk around than urban Britain. However, it is always worth checking with the Foreign Office website ( ) before planning your trip. Certain areas should be approached with caution, for example, avoid Guinea’s borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia.C?d’Ivoire remains unstable following the uprising and attempted coup of 19 September, involving around 750 dissident troops who objected to being forced out of the military. Neighbouring regions, in particular Burkina Faso, may be affected if the unrest continues. The Foreign Office is currently recommending that visitors do not travel to C?d’Ivoire until the situation is resolved and says “British nationals currently in Cote d’Ivoire should consider leaving by commercial carrier or by road to Ghana as soon as reasonably possible”.

British travellers will need to arrange a visa, apart from visits of under 90 days to C?d’Ivoire and Senegal. A new Tourist Visa Agreement (VTE), valid for one month, allows you access to any two of the following: Benin, C?d’Ivoire, Niger, Togo. Many countries also require a yellow-fever vaccination certificate, and some require cholera certificates. You will need to get all your jabs up to date and sort out malaria pills. Much of FWA is in the CFA zone – the Communaut?inanci? Africaine franc (around 900 to the £1) – the exceptions are Guinea (GNF) and Mauritania (Ouguiya) You cannot buy CFA in the UK. Best to take traveller’s cheques in euros (and don’t forget the receipt, you will need it to cash them in). Take a credit card, but you may find you only use it for drawing out money in banks: hard cash is mostly favoured.