Dear Colorado College alumni and friends,

I am delighted to invite you to join Colorado College Professor Danielle Sanchez on a voyage along the Atlantic shores of West Africa, from Dakar to Casablanca, April 29 - May 8, 2026. This program, designed to attend to both natural and cultural history, offers an opportunity to explore a fascinating part of the world that has been shaped both by the natural forces of geology and climate and by human forces.

We begin in the cosmopolitan city of Dakar, where museums and markets teem with African arts and crafts, and where the somber legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is memorialized at the UNESCO Heritage Site of Gorée Island. Sailing northward, we call in two cities on the seldom-visited coast of Mauritania, where Arab, Berber, and Sub-Saharan cultures mingle in fascinating ways, and then we set sail for Lanzarote in the Canaries, where the geography created by ancient volcanoes continues to dominate life on the island.

Returning to the mainland, we devote two days to the cities of central Morocco. We begin with a day in the 16th-century walled town of Taroudant, nestled between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas Mountains, followed by a day exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Essaouira. The voyage comes to an end in fabled Casablanca.

We hope you will be able to join Professor Sanchez and fellow Colorado College alumni/ae and friends as we travel on this Passage from Dakar to Casablanca: A Voyage Exploring Senegal, Mauritania & Morocco. 

Sincerely,

Cindy Hyman ‘82

Associate Vice President for Engagement

Colorado College Faculty Leader

Danielle Sanchez is a historian of Africa who specializes in social histories of war in French- and Portuguese-speaking Africa. 

Employed at Colorado College, Dr. Sanchez engages with students in courses that examine transformations in global and local histories in Africa, from the Bantu migration (approximately 4000 years ago) to the present. She teaches a wide range of courses including the history of healing and medicine in Africa, colonialism and decolonization, Star Wars and anti-colonial resistance movements, and Africa and the Atlantic world.

Sanchez has conducted extensive research throughout the world. She is currently leading the 2025 Moskowitz/ Rafalowicz International Research Workshop at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which focuses on the limitations of neutrality during the Holocaust. Her research has appeared in The Washington Post, History in Africa, The Journal of African Military History, The Routledge Handbook of French History, The World History Bulletin, and Sports in African History, Politics, and Identity Formation.

Tour Prices

Double occupancy staterooms range from $9590-$14,990

See brochure for single occupant pricing

Details about the 192-guest expedition cruise ship Diana are available in the brochure.

Itinerary

Wednesday, April 29, 2026: Depart home

Thursday, April 30: Arrive in Dakar, Senegal | Transfer to hotel | Welcome dinner

Friday, May 1: Ferry ride to Gorée, a UNESCO World Heritage Site | Théodore Monod Museum of African Art | Soumbédioune artisan market | Embark on Diana  and sale

Saturday, May 2: Nouakchott, Mauritania |Explore the city |National Museum | Artisanal Center market | Fish Market

Sunday, May 3: Nouadhibou | Grand Mosque | browse nearby souks

Monday, May 4: At Sea | lectures by Professor Sanchez | relax!

Tuesday, May 5: Arrecife, Lanzarote Island, Canary Islands, Spain | Timanfaya National park |Cueva de los Naturalistas, an underground lava cave | Lunch | walking tour through the Old Town

Wednesday, May 6: Agadir, Morocco | historic walled city of Taroudant | Kasbah district

Thursday, May 7: Safi/Essaouira | UNESCO World Heritage Site of Essaouira | Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah Museum | Skala de la Ville | Portuguese quarter

Friday, May 8: Casablanca | Disembark | Transfer to airport for flights home

 

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Optional Post-tour Extension:

Explore Marrakech

May 8-10, 2026 (2 days)

Spend two additional days in the fabled Imperial city of Marrakech. Included:

• 2 nights hotel accommodation at the Sofitel imperial & Spa Hotel (or similar)
• Tours that visit the city’s most important landmark sites such as the Djemaa el-Fna, Koutoubia Mosque, Saadian Tombs and Bahia Palace
• 2 lunches and 2 dinners
• Transportation from Casablanca to Marrakech
• Hotel/airport transfer.

Cost: $1,295/person, double occupancy; single supplement $495.