Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: All Day: Arrive into Bamako Senou Airport – your guide or driver will have a sign with your names on it and transfer you to your hotel – Karen will meet and greet, answer any questions and provide a money changing service. We will spend the rest of the day visiting Bamako which will include the National Museum and recycling market – if it is a clear day, we will drive up to Point G for a panoramic view of Bamako and the Niger River. Stay the night in Bamako at Grand Hotel 4*.
Day 2: Morning depart after breakfast for a 3-hour drive to Segou (240 km) – 13 km before Ségou, we will stop to visit Segou-Koro, ancient capital of the Bambara Empire, where we can see the cemetery of Biton Coulibaly who was the first Bambara King of Segou-Koro and 2 ancient mosques; one mosque is older than the town of Segou-Koro and built by an unknown person and the other mosque was built by the King and given as a gift to his mother when she converted to Islam. After lunch, we will visit Espace Bajidala to see the special exhibit of masques and marionettes and a small tour of the town to visit the port, colonial buildings and pottery market. Stay the night in Segou at Hotel Djoliba.
Day 3: After breakfast, we will visit Boubacar Doumbia’s atelier – Boubacar is the leading Bogolon (mud cloth) artist in Mali. He or one of his staff will give a demonstration on how mud cloth is made from start to finish and then you can have your own hands-on experience of making a sample piece that you can keep as a souvenir. We will depart no later than 10h00 for a 4-hr drive to Mopti (400 km), stopping to have lunch in San enroute. After we check into our hotel, we will have a tour of Mopti to visit its bustling harbor, marketplace, old town and mosque. Mopti is known for its port linking all of Mali’s towns and villages along the Niger. Here we will see the big slabs of salt that come from the salt mines of Taoudenni, the farthest town north in Mali’s Sahara desert, carried 750 km to Timbuktu by Tuareg camel caravans where they are loaded onto pinasses to sail down the river Niger to Mopti where they are bought and sold. There are many different faces of Mali selling and buying in the marketplace: Peul, Bozo, Fulani, Dogon, Moors, Tuareg and Songhai and a quartier where we can see the famous Fulani women who wear the huge gold earrings (they are featured on Mali’s national postage stamps and posters all over Mali). Stay the night in Hotel Kanaga.
Days 4 & 5: Depart Mopti early for a 3-day Niger River excursion to Timbuktu in a traditional pinasse. We will see many different species of birds and perhaps some hippos along the way and stop to visit a couple Fulani and Bozo river villages. Camp along the banks of the Niger River under star-filled Sahara skies.
Day 6: Arrive at the port of Korioume (12 km from Timbuktu) where our 4x4 desert vehicle will be waiting to transfer us to the hotel – we recommend dinner at Amanar Restaurant, situated on the edge of the Sahara desert. Stay the night at Hotel La Maison.
Day 7: We will have a morning tour of Timbuktu visiting the 3 oldest mosques in West Africa, (the university is the Sankore Mosque, Djingareber* and Sidi Yehia mosques), the explorers’ homes, Timbuktu museum, marketplace where one can still buy salt, the Ahmed Baba Center and Haidara Library to see the ancient manuscripts that have survived since the 13-14th centuries. Late afternoon we will depart by camel for a sunset camel ride into the desert to visit a Tuareg Campement (3 km). We will have an opportunity to mingle and drink tea with the nomad Tauregs and be entertained by their traditional singing, drumming and dancing with sabres before returning to Timbuktu for the night. Stay the night in Timbuktu at Hotel La Maison.
Day 8: Depart early in the morning for an all day desert drive from Timbuktu to Djenne (approx 550 km), sister of Timbuktu and one of the oldest towns in West Africa. It is built on an island in the Niger River Delta and we must cross on a ferry to reach it. Stay the night at the Djenne Campement.
Day 9: Monday is market day and we will wake up to a quite different Djenne full of people and activity! We will spend the day visiting Djenne’s colorful market, local artisans and visit the mission culturale which houses the plan of Djenne-Djeno, the ancient settlement of Djenne, dating back to 250 B.C. and the artifacts that have been excavated. We will have a walking tour to see the famous mosque (built in 1280 when the 26th king “Djenne Were” koi Komboro converted to Islam) and walk through the narrow, winding streets to see the beautiful architecture of the clay houses that make Djenne such an original and beautiful “city” Depart Djenne for our return drive to Mopti. Stay the night in Mopti at Hotel Kanaga.
Day 10: Depart Mopti after breakfast for a 2-hour drive (100 km) to Dourou. Pays Dogon has been declared a World UNESCO Heritage site for its natural and cultural significance where vibrant people still live as they have for centuries along 200 km of escarpment and continue to be studied by anthropologists around the world – our first stop will be to visit the village of Songo, famous for its picturesque setting and rock paintings at the site of circumcision. After lunch in Dourou and a visit of the village, we will begin our trek down the Bandiagara escarpment through a breathtaking gorge to the village of Nombori (1.5 hr walk – 5 km) where we will spend the night. Stay the night in Nombori on the rooftops of the chief’s compound.
Day 11: An early wake up at the crack of dawn by roosters and donkeys. It’s part of the Dogon experience! The light of the sunrise on the escarpment is beautiful. After breakfast, we will visit the village of Nombori and trek 2.5 km to Idjeli where we will have lunch. After lunch, we will visit the springs and the Hogon in Indjeli Gotagna - late afternoon, after the heat of the day subsides, we will trek for 1.5 hours to the village of Tireli where we will spend the night. Stay the night in Tireli on the rooftops of the chief’s compound.
Day 12: After breakfast, we will see a spectacular Dogon Masked Dance Ceremony in the morning light and visit the village of Tireli – we will then trek 4 km to Amani (1 hour). We will have lunch in Amani and visit the crocodile pond – late afternoon, we will trek 1 hour to Ireli. Here we can see the best-preserved habitats of the Tellum and Dogon peoples. Stay the night in Ireli on the rooftops of the chief’s compound.
Day 13: After a visit of Ireli, we will walk back up the escarpment through a beautiful valley with many Tellum houses to Sangha where we will have lunch at the Campement Afternoon: Depart for an afternoon drive to Ouagadougou (approx 750 km; 7-8 hr drive). Stay the night in Ouagadougou at Hotel Silmande (4*).
Day 14: Depart after breakfast for a day trip to Tiebele, famous for its colorful and fortress-like windowless traditional houses. These are decorated by women who work with guinea-fowl feathers in geometrical patterns of red, black and white, which offer an antidote to the to the monochrome mud-brick villages found elsewhere in Burkina Faso. We can also go another 10 km to the border village of Boungou, famous for its potters. Depart for our return drive to Ouagadougou. Stay the night in Ouagadougou at Hotel Silmande.
Day 15: After breakfast, we will depart for an all day visit to Gaoua, an area that’s culturally distinct. We will visit the Musée De Poni devoted to Lobi culture. There’s a vital Sunday market and if you like your music traditional and untainted, Gaoua has plenty of great boites with live music. Stay the night in Gaoua at Hotel Hala
Day 16: After breakfast depart 39 km to Loropeni, the site of some ancient ruins whose origins remain unknown. The local Gan people call the complex La Maison de Refuge. The structures themselves are far from overwhelming; their interest lies in their being among the very few stone remains in West Africa. We will then continue 8 km northwest of Loropeni to the village of Obire and the Sanctuaire de Roi Gan – the remains of a sanctuary of the Gan kings which includes 12 statues representing the long-dead monarch. Stay the night in Gaoua at Hotel Hala.
Day 17: We will depart after breakfast to Banfora, a dusty, sleepy little town in one of the more beautiful areas in Burkina Faso. It serves a good base for exploring the lush green surrounding countryside. In Banfora, the perimeter of the market with its women fruit and vegetable traders is more interesting than the actual market. We will then depart 15 km northwest of Banfora to the Karfiguela Waterfalls. After from the water falls, we will walk or ride 2 km to the Domes de Fabedougou, an escarpment-type formation, good for rock climbing. After lunch, we will depart 7 km to the West of Banfora on a good dirt road to the Tengrela Lake (a 100 hectare Lake) you’ll see fisher folk, a variety of birdlife and if you’re lucky you’ll see some hippos too. Stay the night in Banfora at Hotel La Canne Sucre.
Day 18: Depart after breakfast to Bobo-Dioulasso (which means the Home of the Bobo Dioulas). Bobo-Dioulasso`s centerpiece, the expansive Grand Marché, is hugely enjoyable and atmospheric, and a wonderful place to experience a typical African city market. The markets outer rim, impossibly narrow and labyrinthine lanes and makeshift stalls stock household wares and an excellent selection of African cotton prints – as well as reasonably priced tailors who can make clothing from them in a flash. There’s a small choice of masks, drums and objects in bronze and gold among the stalls in the southeastern quarter. We will then visit the Grande Mosque, built in 1893. It’s an outstanding example of Sahel-style mud architecture with conical towers and wooden struts. Although entry is forbidden fro non-Muslims, it’s the exterior that is so captivating, especially at sunset when the façade turns golden. Stay the night in Bobo-Dioulasso at Hotel L`Auberge or Similar.
Day 19: After breakfast, just across the street to the east of the mosque is the District of Kibidwe, the oldest part of the town. Here you’ll see blacksmiths, potters, weavers and Sya, the house of the ancestors, traditionally the oldest building in Bobo. After lunch we will have a short visit of the Koumi village (15 km) which has some fine ochre two-storey adobe houses, typical of the area. Stay the night in Bobo-Dioulasso at Hotel L`Auberge or Similar.
Day 20: Depart after an early breakfast for an all day drive back to Bamako, stopping for an early lunch in Sikasso, the last Malian town to resist French colonialism, and King Babemba Traoré who chose to kill himself rather than surrender - then continue to Bamako (5-hr drive). Stay the night in Hotel Rabelais.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Airport transfers
- One air-conditioned chauffeur driven 4x4 for the whole trip (includes fuel/mileage)
- One English speaking lead guide the whole trip
- 16 nights hotel in rooms with air-con and private douche to include petit dejeuner (buffet breakfast when available) and hotel tax
* Price based on double room hotel occupancy, B&B.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Mali
Burkina Faso
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
Desert Expeditions
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