Bankas Travel Guide

  View from the escarpment at new Telli
by sachara
 
  • View from the escarpment at new Telli
      View from the escarpment at new Telli
    by sachara
  • Road from Bankas to the escarpment
      Road from Bankas to the escarpment
    by sachara
  • Bankas
      Bankas
    by sachara
  • Ende
      Ende
    by sachara
  • Bandiagara Escarpment
      Bandiagara Escarpment
    by sachara
 

Explore Bankas

Things to Do  

Dogon Country, on the plateau

Dogon Country, on the plateau, Bankas

 sachara Says:  From the plateau the view at the plain is really wunderfull. Near the stream down you see the many shady trees.After the climb up, the walk at the plateau to Djiguibambo at the steady rock surface is rather easy.For more infromation about the plateau see my Djiguibambo (and... 

Bandiagara Escarpment, going up...

Bandiagara Escarpment, going up..., Bankas

 sachara Says:  But at second sight you find your way to go up, climbing this part the escarpment at the southern end. There are natural footsteps.So it's easy to do for everyone, only the heat can give you some problems. 

Bandiagara Escarpment, steep wall

Bandiagara Escarpment, steep wall, Bankas

 sachara Says:  Walking up from the plain to the plateau you find after the stream a steep wall to overcome... At the first sight you think it's impossible going up. 

Bandiagara Escarpment , stream

Bandiagara Escarpment , stream, Bankas

 sachara Says:  If you make the climb from the plain to the plateau, you will see an idyllic stream. Here you can find some shade and coolness, so it's nice to take a little rest here, because the largest part of the walk and climb from the plain to the plateau is in the burning sun. 

View from the Bandiagara Escarpment.

View from the Bandiagara Escarpment., Bankas

 sachara Says:  When you climbe the escarpment at the southern end, you will have breathtaking views at the plains. To see the plains with the scattered green trees is wunderfull, with the steep cliffs your back. 

Ende, To guna

Ende, To guna, Bankas

 sachara Says:  Every Dogon village has a To Guna. This is the meeting place for men: to discuss the village matters or just to sit, have a chat, drink or smoke with the other men.The To Guna has wooden pillars representing the ancestors. The thick roof of dried millet stalks makes it a... 

Ende & escarpment Bandiagara

Ende & escarpment Bandiagara, Bankas

 sachara Says:  A little more to the north -east along the escarpment, coming from of Telli, is Ende.There is also a road directly from Bankas to Ende.Ende looks very scenic because of the big baobab trees along the road.At the background you can see the escarpment. 

View from the old village at new Telli.

View from the old village at new Telli., Bankas

 sachara Says:  From the abandoned old village of Telli at the cliffs you have a fantastic view of new Telli, built in the plain. You can see very well the pattern of the new village. It's a pity, this village is not built in the antropomorphic way ... 

Telli, the old village at the cilffs

Telli, the old village at the cilffs, Bankas

 sachara Says:  After you climbed up, it's easier to walk between the different buildings than you expected down at the plain, looking up.It's so amazing to walk around this place, it's like you walk in history, in another era. Old Telli is one of the most wonderful ''museums in open air'',... 

Telli, old village, house of the beerbrewer

Telli, old village, house of the beerbrewer, Bankas

 sachara Says:  And this was the house of the beerbrewer in old Telli. There were a lot of scales, pots and cups, just unguarded everywhere around.I wonder ...In 1989 we were that day the only visitors and could walk freely between the old buildings and artefacts....Is it still that way? Or... 

Telli, old village, house of the hunter

Telli, old village, house of the hunter, Bankas

 sachara Says:  In old Telli, the inhabited village at the cliffs af the Bandiagara escarpment, you can also recognise very well the house of the hunter. This house has many skulls of all kind of animals at the wall. 

Telli, old village, house of the chief

Telli, old village, house of the chief, Bankas

 sachara Says:  Walking around in old Telli, our guide told us how we could recognize the former house of the chief. It was a beautiful building with nicily decorated walls in wonderful geometrical patterns, painted in the colours white, black and red.To see, how this wonderful building was... 

Telli, old village at the cliffs

Telli, old village at the cliffs, Bankas

 sachara Says:  The old village Telli is not longer inhabited. When we visited in 1989, there still lives only one man of 125 year in Dogon years. Watch out, a Dogon year is only nine months instead of twelf.The houses and the granaries in the Dogon villages are laid out in a complex scheme... 

Dogon: view at the dwelligns at the escarpment.

Dogon: view at the dwelligns at the escarpment., Bankas

 sachara Says:  From Bankas we visited the Bandiagara escarpment.we arrived in new telli down on the plain. From here you have a fantastic view at the old village above at the cliffs. The buildings with the natural colours form an perfect unity with the surroundings.Breathtaking ! 

Bankas, open village

Bankas, open village, Bankas

 sachara Says:  In Bankas you can find a lot of open spaces everywhere in the village, even in the centre.At many places you have nice views at these open spaces with many scattered green trees. All this causes the very relaxed rural atmosphere of Bankas and its surroundings. 

Bankas, mosque

Bankas, mosque, Bankas

 sachara Says:  In the centre of Bankass near the marketplace is the mosque with the typical conical forms and quadrangular patterns on the walls.It's one of the nice examples of adobe-architecture you can find in the region. 

Bankas, marketplace

Bankas, marketplace, Bankas

 sachara Says:  In the centre of Bankas is a small market place. There are shelters against the burning sun of of wooden pillars with a roof of millet stalks.When we visited the marketplace, there was nobody around and no trade. The only thing we saw, were a few goats, wandering around on... 

Bankas, centre

Bankas, centre, Bankas

 sachara Says:  Bankas is a very easygoing place. It's nice to walk around, watch the daily life, like women fetching water, pounding grain or visiting the small market. Bankas has a very rural atmosphere and is very relaxed.Allthough we watched also a very exciting volleyball game. 

Local Customs  

Bankas, women pounding grain.

Bankas, women pounding grain., Bankas

 sachara Says:  Everywhere in Africa the women pound grain, fufu or other stuff in the traditonal way.Most two of them will do the job together in a fast and energetic rhytm.I always liked to look at it. It's rather difficult to do it yourself. 

Telli, weavers

Telli, weavers, Bankas

 sachara Says:  In Telli, the new village at the plain, at the foot of the Bandiagera escarpment, our guide showed the compound, where the weavers do their work. The weavers were very friendly and helpful to explain and show us, how they do their job still in the traditonal way. 

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Map of Bankas