Located in the remote south-east of Senegal, in the vicinity of the green hills of Fouta Djalon and 20 km from Kédougou, you will find Iwol. It is one of the most beautiful and picturesque villages in all of Senegal.
Iwol is home to the Bedik, an ethnic minority of Mandingo origin. She came from Mali and arrived in that region escaping a tribal war. Iwol with its 500 inhabitants could be considered the capital of the Bedik country.
There are 4 families
- the Keitas who are the village chief
- The Camaras and the Saouras who organize the festivities
- and the Sadiakus who keep the traditions.
From the village of Fula d’Ibel there is a steep hike to Iwol. The pretty path that climbs into the mountain offers a panoramic landscape of the entire valley and the mountains of Fouta Djalon in Guinea Conakry. Nowadays, this path is mainly used by tourists.
The Iwol Village
To visit Iwol, it is necessary to ask the village chief and pay 1,000 FCA per person. At Ibel, we were advised to buy sweets to offer once we arrived in Iwol. And sincerely on this occasion, we think it was a good thing to buy them.
Once in Iwol we found the village almost empty, most of the people were working in agricultural tasks. It was cereal season. One of the few women in the village was preparing a large pot of local beer for the next cereal harvest party.
After drinking palm wine in a calabash and visiting the rest of the village with its huge sacred baobab. It is considered one of the largest in Senegal. Under a hot sun, we went down to Ibel and took the bike back to the waterfalls of Dindefelo and enjoy the refreshing waters.
The 30 km to Dindefelo pass through a red road reserved for motorcycles and 4×4 vehicles (October). After a nice hike of 2 km inside the forest, we had already arrived from the village.
The waterfalls of Dindefelo are undoubtedly a truly extraordinary natural place. The waterfall is in a huge stony and circular wall and forms a deep pool of transparent blue water suitable for swimming where to relax and cool off.
