Mali – December 24-January 4, 2012

Dear Ousmane,

Thank you for your kind wishes – I am feeling much better now. As you know I did unfortunately become ill on the trip; however I was able to get to two good doctors in Sangha and Timbuktu who helped me get well. I am much improved and glad that I continued the tour. My driver Sidi and my guide Sory were excellent, not only as a driver and guide, but they helped me a lot by taking me to the hospital and translating the doctor's French for me.  They also stayed with me until late at night helping me get the medical treatment and went to the pharmacy to buy the medicine I needed.

Sidi is a very safe driver and one with a lot of humor, especially when we had car trouble on the last day.  Sory is an excellent guide and he has extremely good knowledge of all the tribes we visited. His English is very good and I had no problem understanding him. Mohammed Ali in Timbuktu was also a very good and he is quite knowledgeable about Timbuktu with a great sense of humor.

Despite my medical problems, I enjoyed the trip very much.  It was comforting to know that you monitored the situation and you were willing to assist me in any way you could, including getting me home in case I decided to end the tour.  I am very glad that I stayed to complete the tour. 

I told my travel agent Nancy that I was very happy with your company, the guides, and driver, with everything – and would not hesitate to recommend Continent Tours to anyone interested in visiting that part of Africa.

Thank you for everything, and please convey my good wishes and thanks to Sidi, Sory, and Mohammed Ali.

I wish you all good luck for the New Year.

It is a shame that tourists are afraid to come and thereby miss out on a great country and experience.

Brad Stolz

Los Angeles, California

********

Guinea Bissau—October 28 to November 5, 2011

Continent Tours,

Our trip to Bissau were very impressive. First of all we can recommend the Fisherman’s Lodge which  has a very  friendly staff. Your  representative had the good idea  to change reduce our stay in the first lodge to  only one  night because although it is comfortable the a/c was  not working  in the  hot and humid climate. To summarize we were  very satisfied with our holiday in Guinea -Bissau and we thank you for the good organization and for your  care of us.

We hope in the future to  travel again with Continent tours.

Kind regards,

Harold Külling and Urs Kalberer,

Wohlen, Switzerland

********

Mali – October 2011

I knew that I would be arriving in Mali in the middle of the night – without a visa, having never been to Bamako before and not speaking much French! – and so I contacted Continent Tours to help with the logistics on my arrival.  Right from the start, I was impressed by Continent Tours’ professionalism and responsiveness.  They were quick to respond to my e-mails, spoke good English, and took away much of the stress of my first trip to West Africa.  It was great to have a friendly face looking out for me when I stepped off the plane late at night after a long trip, and to have someone who knew the city well to help with the visa and get me to my hotel.  Mamadou also didn’t hesitate to go the extra mile – when it turned out that my baggage had been misplaced on the flight, he immediately took responsibility for contacting the airport to get the bag back, and then sending it 600km to deliver it to me in my hotel in Mopti, so that I wouldn’t have to delay my holiday in Bamako waiting for the bag to be found.  I’m so glad that I had Mamadou and Continent Tours there to help and would definitely recommend them.

Jonathan Richard Witts

Hong Kong

 *******

Mali and Burkina Faso, August 2011

Dear Ousmane,

Sorry for the late reply. The trip was so good. Both the guide Sory and the driver Sidi were so kind. Please share the attached photo with Sory and Sidi.

Thanks a lot,  

Masaki Obana

Tokyo, Japan

*******

Sao Tome and Cape Verde,   June 26 – July 17, 2011

Dear Mr. Mamadou Goita,

Once again your Norwegian friends have taken advantage of your helpful assistance cooperating in our Cabo Verde and Sao Tome exploration. We have had 3 wonderful weeks in two very interesting former Portuguese colonies in the Atlantic Ocean. The once a week flight from Cabo Verde to Sao Tome and return allowed this interesting combination. Your reliable local representatives in both countries assisted us in the perfect combination of exploring tourism, culture and plain relaxation.  In Cabo Verde we visited the islands of Santiago (Cidudad Velha, Praia and Tarrafal), St. Vicente, St. Antao and Maio. This is the third time we were travelling in Africa with your assistance (in the past we traveled to the Mali Festival de Desert in January 2007 and the three countries of Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Bissau in January 2011). We are very pleased with you and your company’s assistance with our globetrotting. Many thanks again.  We hope to come back with another request. Best regards also to your family.

Best wishes,

Per Urdahl & Bente Grindrud

Klinikksjef medisinsk klinikk, Sykehuset Telemark HF Norway

*******

Nigeria, June 30 – July 5, 2011

I would highly recommend Continent Tours in West Africa. Their representative in Nigeria is a real professional, accompanied me to all my meetings, and added valuable insight to my research project. His detailed knowledge of Nigeria helped me put a lot of things into perspective. Although we had a horrific 3 ½ hour drive in the Lagos traffic back to the airport including blinding rain, lightning and accidents all over the place, our expert driver TJ kept us safe.  The Toyota was very comfortable and I was happy not to have chosen the luxury vehicle which would have drawn unwanted attention. A high point for me was the walk to the market by the Marina. Lagos was a huge positive surprise on many levels, I will be back. I would be happy to recommend Continent Tours to anyone who asks.

Melissa Cook,

New York

*******

MALI, FEBRUARY 18 – 25, 2011

Dear Continent Tours,

We are back from our trip, and I am writing to thank you for the excellent organization of the trip. Both our guide, Malik, and our driver, Dramane, have been competent, professional and very kind to us. The itinerary was well designed, and we found the whole trip very interesting and enjoyable. Thank you very much for your service.

Best regards,

Alberto Gabbai and Persico Silvia Newton,

Massachusetts, USA

*******

MALI – December 2010/January 2011

Good day Continent Tours! We want to give a very positive feed-back on our trip in Mali.

Guide, driver (and vehicle ) have been excellent, very flexible and supportive. All the accommodation have been good and they reflected our expectations. One area that could be improved–mention the driving distances between locations so guests will know how long they will be on the road.

Marsili Guido and Luisa Vecchi,

Milano, Italy

*******

SENEGAL – THE GAMBIA – GUINEA BISSAU-December2010/ January 2011

Hello Continent Tours,

We would like to thank you for a very pleasant itinerary (Senegal – The Gambia – Guinea Bissau 16 days) and a fantastic driver and guide. We had a great time together getting the ultimate experience of our Holiday. You may also use us as references if needed.

Best wishes,

Per Urdahl

Klinikksjef medisinsk klinikk Sykehuset Telemark HF,

Norway

*******

SENEGAL – CAPE VERDE – MAURITANIA – GUINEA – MALI – NIGER – THE GAMBIA – GUINEA BISSAU, 18 days- NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2010

Dear Continent Tours,

Hope you are all doing Okay. It has been 4 days since I returned home and now I am Okay. As you know 8 countries in 18 days, I was tired a little bit. It was a very interesting trip for the group and for  me. Thank you again for everything.

CJ  Kwon (Ms) Group Tour Leader Marketing and Planning Manager

Seoul, South Korea

*******

Cote d’ Ivoire – November 2010

Dear Mr. Mamadou,

Thank you for your mail and concern. Everything went fine during the trip in Cote D’Ivoire. We had a wonderful time in a wonderful country. Thanks to your local representatives and especially Mr. Daniel who guided our trip, we had every wish fulfilled and every detail provided resulting in a journey truly unforgettable. With this I would like to thank you for your efforts and also I would like to ask you to pass my best regards to Mr. Daniel along with my deepest thanks for his sincere work.

Regards,

 Athanasios Maloukosa and Petros Kipouros

 Athens, Greece

*******

Mali – July 2010

From the moment we stepped off the plane, we felt safe and were spoiled by the kind attention and professional care of Ousmane who immediately took care of our visas, Lamine, our amazing driver and Moussa, our wonderful guide. Mali is the most incredible country full of beautiful people and sights. There is so much to see and learn and we saw so many sights we would not have seen without Moussa’s inside knowledge. Mamadou had patiently helped me tailor-make a tour that included  Bamako, Segou, Mopti, Dogon Country and a Niger River pinasse cruise, but we got more than was promised: we gained an insight into a fascinating culture all  made possible by  the expert knowledge of Continent Tours..and we will be back.

M. Mapstone Greenwich,

Connecticut, USA

*******

Ghana – June 2010

Our trip was amazing! We really appreciated all the hard work you did to make this trip enjoyable! Please pass along that we were EXTREMELY pleased with Continent Tours, especially our tour guide, Mr. George Odoi!”

Thanks,

M. Basler, United States Air Force Academy

Colorado, USA

*******

SENEGAL-THE GAMBIA – MALI 2010

Dear Mr. Mamadou Goita,

Continent Tours We have just completed our tour in West Africa and come back to Turkey. We had extremely fruitful days in Senegal, The Gambia and Mali. Our group of 22 members belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage Travelers Club had seen 9 sites during this trip. First of all, the itinerary you prepared to cover these places was very well programmed. And you and your partners followed and carried out the itinerary very successfully. We all were very happy with the bus, with our guides (Mr. Balla in Senegal – The Gambia part and Mr. Sory in the Mali part), from the hotels you chose, restaurant and the food. No one in our group during those 22 days had any health problems, not even diarrhea. I recommend you and your company to every agency which wants to arrange a West Africa tour. You are a very reliable person and you do your job very meticulously. Thanks again for everything you have done for us.

All the best, Atila Ege, Tour Leader and author of “World Heritage” book

*******

MALI 13-Day  December 2009 – January 2010

From: Penny O’Hara To: Panorama Tours regarding my Mali trip with Continent Tours My guide, in all but Timbuktu, had very good English (he was taught by a US Peace Corps volunteer). He was flexible about making adjustments when I didn’t want to do something (trek the sheer cliffs in a Dogon Village). The driver was excellent. My guide in Timbuktu also had good English. The hotel was very nice – new but built on the lines of a traditional home. The chef was very good cooking Western food. My guide took my passport to the post office as soon as I arrived to have it stamped Timbuktu which was fun. I really enjoyed the 7 hours on the Niger. Overall the hotels were fine. Mali is a very, very interesting country but I also felt a difficult place to visit given the hard lives of most people. I think the agent you used was very good and concerned that all went well and that I was happy. All services happened on time. Thank you for your help putting this trip together. If you have any other questions please let me know.

 Ms. Penny O’Hara

USA

*******

MALI 15-day Tour 2008

Dear Goita,

Thank you for organizing and arranging such an enjoyable tour of Mali for us from the 24th of July to the 8th of August 2008. Your company Continent Tours organized a very comprehensive and interesting 2 week tour for us. Although days and travel were necessarily long we managed to see many of Mali’s highlights in this time. We particularly enjoyed the opportunities to interact and meet with the local people, Dogon Villages, Tuareg camp site, Timbuktu, village markets, Teriya Bugu and places of interest in the larger centres. These were only made possible by the high standard of service offered by the driver and guide. Lamine was safe, considerate and reliable at all times. His sense of humour, cheerful personality and African music tapes added to the experience. Mr. Sory had a wide knowledge of the peoples and places visited and acted as an able interpreter when accompanied by local guides. His English vocabulary was extensive and was able to make himself clearly understood. The Land Rover was a suitable means of transport and the hotel, though often basic, were satisfactory for our overnight needs. Variable menus were often available. We knew very little on the country of Mali before our visit, but our experiences have broadened our knowledge to include an appreciation of the history, life styles and aspirations of this incredibly interesting nation. Thanks go to You, Mr. Sory and Larmine for this unforgettable experience. We will certainly recommend Mali to other travelers who are looking for a novel experience.

Yours,

Lois and Graham Allen

Australia

*******

BURKINA FASO – MALI 2008

Dear Mamadou Goita,

I have now returned from my trip to West Africa and want to thank you for my experiences in Burkina Faso and Mali. The high points were the feeding of live chickens to the sacred crocodiles in Burkina. I would like to return to this area in the future.

Best regards,

Larry Leventhal

New York, USA

*******

Mali-Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania JULY-AUGUST 2007

Hi Continent Tours,

I’d just like to give you some information on my trip. Continent Tours in Mali was almost perfect. Mamadou Goita was an excellent tour guide, highly recommendable. The Niger part you organized through Süleyman in Agadez was great as well; unfortunately the excursion to the Air Massif had to be canceled due to political problems with the local Tuaregs. We visited Zinder instead, which really was worth visiting. It was a magnificent trip.

Thank you,

Bernd W Hamburg,

Germany