Although René Caillié accomplished remarkable feats, his image does not immediately align with the dreamily idealized notions we typically have of significant explorers. Unlike most pioneering discoverers, Caillié came from the French lower class and had no geographical or military training. Nevertheless, through perseverance and determination, the young Frenchman succeeded in realizing the undertaking that had miserably failed for the great geographical societies of Paris and London: disguised as an Arab, he reached the legendary oasis city of Timbuktu on April 20, 1828, nearly penniless and completely on his own.