Five Weeks in a Balloon: Zanzibar to Senegal

Dr. Ferguson's ship anchors in the port of Zanzibar at 11 o'clock in the morning on 15 April, and the island is where the whole flight begins. The balloon, filled with hydrogen, does not rise from the town itself: at six on the morning of departure the three travellers land on the little island of Koumbeni and set off from there. Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar City, stands for the town where Verne's ship anchors.

Location precision: Verne names the town and the port but not a street; the pin marks Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar City.

Visitor guidance: Stone Town is the old part of Zanzibar City and can be explored on foot.

Kazeh is the first great trading town on the way inland. The balloon comes into sight far aloft in the sky, hovers majestically for a few moments. Merchants and slaves alike all disappear at once, and Joe is tempted to walk off with the best of the goods. In real history Swahili and Omani traders established Kazeh in the 1850s, near present-day Tabora.

Location precision: Kazeh is a historic trading settlement near present-day Tabora; the pin marks Tabora, not the old market.

This is the heart of the expedition. Ferguson sights the great lake "so long sought for", of which Captain Speke caught a glimpse on 3 August 1858. The balloon approaches the lake more to the northward, and Kennedy, carried away by his friend's enthusiasm, cries: "It is the Nile!" The source is found in chapter 18 of 43. Speke had renamed the lake after Queen Victoria.

Location precision: The lake is huge and the novel follows its shores and outflow; the pin marks the lake's centre, not the exact spot where the Nile leaves.

At about nine o'clock in the morning the travellers reach the southern shore of Lake Tchad. Verne calls it "that Caspian Sea of Africa", a lake whose existence was long consigned to the realms of fable. The doctor tries in vain to fix its precise outline on paper as the balloon drifts over it. In the 19th century the real lake still covered about 28,000 square kilometres.

Location precision: The novel describes the shore and islands in general terms; the pin marks the lake as a whole.

The "Queen of the Desert, mysterious Timbuctoo" stretches out below, a city that once, like Athens and Rome, had its schools of learned men. Ferguson checks every detail against the chart traced by the explorer Barth himself. At the top of the triangle formed by the city rises the Mosque of Sankore, with its galleries resting on arcades. Sankoré is one of three medieval mosques and centres of learning in Timbuktu. The wind of the desert drives the balloon onward.

Location precision: The travellers only fly over the city; the pin marks the Sankoré mosque that Verne names.

The last stage of the flight ends on the Senegal River. Some brave Frenchmen rush into the water and catch the three aëronauts in their arms. The doctor introduces himself quietly, "and his two friends". Freed of its passengers, the balloon speeds on and plunges, like a huge bubble, with the waters of the Senegal into the cataracts of Gouina. In real life Gouina Falls drop 16 metres on the river in Mali.

Location precision: Verne places the landing near the falls without naming the exact bank; the pin marks Gouina Falls.

Two weeks later, on 10 June, the three travellers arrive at Saint Louis, where the governor gives them a magnificent reception and they recover from their fatigue. The crossing of Africa ends on the west coast, in Senegal, with the balloon lost but the expedition complete. The town lies near the mouth of the Senegal River, and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Location precision: Verne names the town only; the pin marks Saint-Louis, Senegal.

Visitor guidance: Saint-Louis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be visited.