Tribes

Borneo is filled with many different ethnic groups that have traditionally lived sustainably off the forest. The Penan are one of the last groups of hunter-gatherers that reside in Borneo. Take an adventure up the Baram River and experience how the Penan live. The forest is prehistoric and the Penan are the true experts of the rainforest. Let them share their vast knowledge from medicinal value in plants to how to set up a Penan jungle camp in less than an hour. The Penan still have a strong culture and have many spiritual beliefs that are connected to the forest. Spend a few days camping in the forests, hiking to beautiful waterfalls, climbing unclimbed mountains, and absorbing insight on the forest. Do a homestay and spend time with a host family and see how they go about their daily lives. The Upper Baram is truly an untouched wilderness, with limited or no contact with the outside world.

The Dogons are mainly farmers and hunters. They have lived in isolation in the Dogon Country since sometime around the fifteen century, and until Mali's independence they mostly managed to reject outside influences, including those of Islam and Colonialism. Their religious and cultural traditions have thus survived to this day, and can still be seen in practice today. Hunting ceremonies, masked dancing and animal sacrifices to their ancestors are all part of everyday life for the Dogons – even for those who have converted to Christianity or Islam. An altogether friendly bunch, visitors should bring a considerable amount of respect for local traditions, curiosity to learn, and a lot of kola nuts to hand out as gifts of honour.

The villages of Dogon Country are a unique feature of the Dogons. Whether build by stone, on top of the escarpment, or by clay on the plains, all Dogon villages have certain, significant, buildings. Arranged into quarters inhabited by particular families the villages are structured around a number of togu na - covered meeting place for elders. They are built low, so when tempers run high anyone who was to stand up in anger will knock his head on the ceiling and immediately turn quite. Most notably for the visitor, however, are the many granaries, with their straw roofs, used to store not only millet and other foods, but also valuables such as clothes and jewellery. Placed high above the village is the house of the hogen (village king) with a sacred throne that is also used as an altar. Animals are also sacrificed in the binou shrine – an animist temple often found in the village centre. Lastly, each quarter also has a maison des femmes or menstruation house, where women have to live for five days during their menstruation period.

The fascinating Kalasha Valleys are inhabited by the ethnic Kalasha people. They are not Muslims, but have their own pagan belief (though many have converted to Islam recently). They have distinctly different facial features (as they are descendants of Alexander the Great's armies) and the women's traditional dress is particularly colorful. The beautiful valleys are narrow and shaped by the fast flowing Kalasha river. The hill sides are dotted with fields and houses built in stone and wood. There are three main villages, Bumburate (biggest one with too many guest houses), Rumbur (most traditional one), and Birir (the smallest one), all with guest houses. Even though the valleys has been visited by domestic tourists for ages, the people are still surprisingly friendly. However, it's best to explore the villages with a local guide. The journey to get here is also a bit of an adventure, since the 4x4 road is absolutely crap and single track, even though the traffic is two-way.

Beautiful, mountainous Kalinga Province is famous for its ancient warrior culture which has survived into the present. Some villages have gongs made of human jaw bones and people covered in full body tattoos that were awarded for success in headhunting raids. Although these practices have now ceased, tribal warfare is still a large part of life here, and in the remote Tanudan area people openly walk around with Uzis, M16s, pump-action shotguns and the like. Kalinga is certainly not for the faint-hearted and that goes for the drive here too. The first seven hours from Manila is a deceptively smooth ride on perfect tarmac, then the road becomes a dirt track for the next six hours and shoots off into the mountains, reaching heights of over 2250 m before descending into Bontoc. After Bontoc, only the occasional jeepney goes the last eight hours north to Kalinga but the scenery is utterly spectacular. The orangey-brown track streaks up and down mountainsides into and out of the clouds as if there were no tomorrow, millennia-old rice terraces cascading down the lush green slopes all around.

Mindoro as a tropical island travel destination really has it all. Yet, bar the trashy resort in the north, it is almost totally devoid of tourists. At villages such as Bulalacao, it's easy to find a huge, golden-sand, palm-lined beach lapped by see-through turquoise waters and have it all to yourself. What's more, on low-key beautiful Pandan Island, snorkelers regularly swim with giant turtles. A bit further out, Apo Reef has world-class diving. But that's not all. Away from Mindoro's only road, which runs around the coast, its interior is inhabited by 100,000 Mangyan people. Those nearer the coast accept visitors if brought by someone they know. Others living further inland wear only a loincloth or go completely naked, live in extreme isolation and will run away from outsiders on sight. Sablayan is a good base to visit Pandan, Apo and Mangyan villages. Nearby Bulalacao are some markets visited by the Mangyan and a few Mangyan villages. Be warned: interior Mindoro, away from the road, is highly malarial and infested with anti-government rebels.

33% of Sibuyan's surface is covered in virgin rainforest which spills in luscious green waves over the slopes of mountains rising up to and above 2,000 m. There are hundreds of endemic species including birds, reptiles, mammals and more constantly being discovered. People called the Sibuyan Mangyan Tagabukid also live in the interior. As in many parts of the rural Philippines, they have preserved a strong belief in the powers of the babaylan, or medicine man, such as the one pictured to the right performing a ritual. Tourist infrastructure on the island is limited and finding a guide to interior villages or to the Guiting-Guiting National Park for wildlife watching is difficult. There is at least one guest house in each of the main coastal towns such as Magdiwang, so start by asking there. Otherwise, just come to enjoy Sibuyan's relaxed provincial atmosphere, friendly locals and beaches that are wonderful, weather permitting. Storms here are regular and heavy, often causing passenger ships to be cancelled.

This is the last corner of far northeastern Europe before the border with Siberia and the neighbouring Yamal Peninsula. Most of it lies beyond the Arctic Circle and, though over four times as big as Switzerland, has a population of only 42,000. There is almost no road network so land transport is by river boats in summer and snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles in winter. Many of the indigenous Nenets reindeer herders here now only work three-month shifts with their reindeer, although they still live in conical reindeer-hide tents when doing so, move camp by reindeer sledge and wear reindeer fur clothing. Sadly, alcoholism is widespread and most people under forty no longer know the Nenets language. There is one nomadic Nenets community, however, that managed to completely avoid collectivisation under the Soviet Union. To this day, they do not go to school, speak Russian or have passports, living year-round nomadic existences. The Okrug is easy to get to as permits are required only for areas within 20 km of the coast or islands, such as idol-strewn Vaygach, the former Nenets "Mecca".

Nomadic reindeer herding, along with the culture of the nomads, has been extraordinarily well preserved here. The local indigenous are Nenets, Asian-looking people of whom 50% live year-round nomadic existences, travelling by reindeer sledge through the Arctic tundra with herds of up to 10,000, wearing reindeer fur clothing and sleeping in reindeer-hide conical tents. Their language is unrelated to Russian and they follow an ancient animistic religion, sacrifing reindeer to the gods of sky, sun, earth and others. Travel here is not easy - the area is completely closed to outsiders, Russian or otherwise. To gain access, there is a laborious two month procedure for getting a permit, impossible if you do not speak Russian. The second problem is that no roads lead to Yamal so you will need to organise helicopter, all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile transport. The third problem is the environment - the average felt temperature out in the Yamal tundra in winter is almost -50°C while in summer mosquitoes descend in such numbers that you constantly have to spit them out of your mouth!

Senegal's least visited region is also its most traditional. Far away from Dakar and the Islamic centre of Touba, life here moves slow between the clay-and-straw build huts and a distinct mix of Christianity and animism provide the spiritual guidance. The region is named after the Bassari people, but the villages here are inhabited by different tribes, including Bédik and Fulbe. Common for them all are a fierce independence and almost stubborn rejection of outside influences, whether this have been Islam, colonialism or globalisation. The best time to visit is May when the Bassari village of Ethiolo hosts the traditional coming of age ceremonies. Alternatively, can rituals improving the harvest be experienced throughout the rainy season in the fields outside the Bédik villages. Visits to the villages should be done with a guide who can act as translator and help buy the tributes that must be paid to the village chiefs granting visitors access. Usually these consists of a mix of groundnuts, soaps, candy or whisky – the latter only if a large party is visiting.