author
René Caillié
1799–1838
Drawn to stories of African exploration from a young age, he became the first European known to leave Timbuktu alive and return to tell the tale. His hard journey across West Africa led to one of the most famous travel accounts of the 19th century.
3 Audiobooks
Travels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo; and across the Great Desert, to Morocco, performed in the years 1824-1828, Vol. 1 (of 2)
by René Caillié
Travels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo; and across the Great Desert, to Morocco, performed in the years 1824-1828, Vol. 2 (of 2)
by René Caillié, M. (Edmé-François) Jomard
About the author
Born in 1799 in western France, René Caillié grew up in difficult circumstances and was fascinated early on by books about travel and discovery. As a young man he made his way to Senegal more than once, learning from experience and preparing himself for a much larger goal: reaching Timbuktu, a city that had captured the European imagination.
To improve his chances, he studied Arabic and Islamic customs and traveled in disguise. In 1827–1828 he reached Timbuktu and, unlike earlier European visitors, survived the journey out, continuing across the Sahara to Morocco before returning to France. That achievement brought him wide attention and a prize from the Paris-based Société de Géographie.
Caillié later published an account of his travels, offering European readers a detailed picture of places that were still little known to them. He died in 1838 at just 38, but his name remains closely linked with the history of African exploration and with one of the era's most remarkable travel journeys.