This rusting artillery is a relic of Vichy France's influence in West Africa.

This abandoned bunker looks out over the Atlantic from its clifftop perch.

This park was designated by UNESCO as an Endangered World Heritage site.

A smoky doorway in Dakar leads to one of the city’s great communal eating experiences.

A tree seems to grow from the ocean floor on this strange strip of sand slowly being overtaken by the sea.

An island made out of shells, including a cemetery.

Dakar is home to one of the oldest African art institutions in West Africa.

This giant statue is the product of a mixture of corruption, Stalinist architecture, and North Korean manpower.

Over 4,700 miles of trees being planted to hold back the desert.

Despite a fraught and controversial history this African island holds a powerful monument to the tragedy of the slave trade.

This deceptively salty lake looks like blushing pink lemonade.

Muammar Gaddafi's well-intentioned investment in his favorite city turned out to be a nightmare.

These mysterious 1,000-year-old walls have revealed little about their past.

The souls of the dead have made these Ghanese crocodiles shockingly docile.

In this African village, the walls of the chief's compound are painted with beautiful traditional designs.

The central mosque of this Mali town is entirely built from mud.

Annual rush for a sacred desert lake's fish stock.

At Ghana's largest wildlife refuge you feel like you're right in the animals' backyard.

Hidden dwellings in the cliffsides of North Togo used by local Moba tribes to evade 18th-century slave traders.

The most important and best preserved remnant of West Africa's powerful Songhai Empire.

Ancient Manuscripts showcase the civilization of West Africans during the Middle Ages.

Topless shrine of northern Ghana.

Thousands of narrow alleyways in an ancient medieval city make up what's believed to be the world's largest car-free urban zone.

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment.