In an age of fast planes and instant connections, why not try something a little different?
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It may not be something that you’re used to, but there is something deeply freeing about travelling slowly. Even if that means letting a donkey set the pace of your journey.
Across Africa, donkey carts offer a sustainable and authentic way to explore, connect with communities and experience cultures. Here are a few donkey-cart experiences to travel through the continent in an unusual, but fulfilling way.
Botswana
In Botswana’s Kalahari villages, donkey carts are woven into daily life, serving as taxis, market haulers and family transport. Around Maun and nearby settlements, guided donkey-cart tours offer travellers a rare glimpse into rural life, taking them along dusty trails to remote waterholes and across wide-open plains. These rides are more than just transport; they are storytelling journeys led by local herders who share traditions and histories passed down for generations. Best experienced in late afternoon when the light turns golden and the air cools, rides typically last between thirty minutes and a few hours, making it an ideal way to combine scenic views with cultural immersion.
Morocco
Morocco blends ancient tradition and vivid landscapes, and donkey carts are part of its living heritage. In Marrakech’s medina, carts ferry produce, carpets and goods through alleyways too narrow for vehicles, offering a vibrant and sensory ride through the heart of the city. Out in the Sahara, donkey carts traverse soft sand to reach palm groves and small Berber villages, carrying travellers along routes that vehicles cannot follow. For visitors, this offers both novelty and authenticity. Short medina rides give a taste of Moroccan market life, while desert journeys often arranged with local guides can last several hours and come with cultural storytelling under endless skies.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia’s highlands, donkey carts are essential to rural life, carrying harvests, water and people across rugged terrain. Villages around Lalibela, Gonder and Oromia offer travellers a window into this tradition, with carts winding along dirt roads lined with stone walls and green terraces. A donkey-cart ride here is not just about movement; it is a cultural encounter. Farmers often stop to chat, children wave as you pass, and markets bustle with colour and conversation. Practical travel tips include agreeing on fares in advance, as a short ride may cost just a few dollars, and choosing mornings or late afternoons when temperatures are cooler and light is at its best.
Senegal
Senegal offers another dimension of donkey-cart travel, particularly in coastal and rural communities. In villages such as Joal-Fadiouth, carts trundle along sandy roads flanked by casuarina trees, blending scenery with cultural encounters. Donkey carts remain a primary form of transport here, carrying everything from fishing gear to baskets of produce. For travellers, rides can be arranged with local guides. It’s a chance to visit markets, meet artisans or glimpse everyday life in the villages. It is a charming way to combine culture and scenery and a reminder of how transport can be both functional and immersive.
No matter which you choose, respect for the animals, an understanding of local etiquette, and a willingness to slow down are all part of the experience.
Practical tips for travellers include dressing comfortably, wearing sun protection, carrying water, and agreeing on fares in advance. Travel in the morning or late afternoon for comfort and the best light. Above all, approach the journey with openness, as every donkey-cart ride is as much about human connection as it is about movement.
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