Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, with
a Thursday arrival in Bamako; there are no fixed-date
scheduled departures.
Contact us for prices. Groups of any size are welcome. Be
sure to specify how many persons are in your party—prices
are digressive, so a better value per person for a party of
four than a party of two, etc.
Day 1
Thursday:
Arrival in Bamako, Mali
International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening,
airport-to-hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (hotel)
Day 2: Bamako - Segou (B)
Breakfast, then drive to Segou, Mali's second largest city
and former colonial administrative center; visit Segou:
admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture,
visit the port, the pottery market, traditional weavers and
mudcloth artisans; visit Sekoro village, former capital
of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly;
overnight in Segou (hotel)
Day 3: Segou - Mopti (B)
Drive to Mopti, also known as the Venice of Mali, for its
location between the Bani and the Niger rivers; visit Mopti:
the Komoguel mosque, the fishing port (see pirogues being
made), and the bustling market where many of Mali's ethnic
groups come to trade: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani,
Tuareg and Songhay; overnight in Mopti (hotel)
Day 4: Mopti - Hombori Mountains - Douentza (B)
To the Hombori Mountains; visit the Kondjo cliff and the
Hand of Fatima; overnight in Douentza (hotel)
Day 5: Douentza - Timbuktu (B)
Continue to the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the
Sahara Desert; Timbuktu city tour, including the ancient
mosques and former universities, the museum and archives of
ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the
market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from
the desert; camel ride on the dunes around Timbuktu;
overnight in Timbuktu (hotel)
Day 6: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert (B,L)
Full day's excursion into the desert by 4x4 vehicle; see
magnificent sand dunes, and visit a Tuareg camp; return to
and overnight in Timbuktu (hotel)
Day 7: Timbuktu - Mopti (B)
Return drive across the Sahel, to Mopti; enjoy a sunset
stroll on the banks of the river; overnight in Mopti (hotel)
Day 8 : Mopti / Niger River (B,L)
Full day's sailing excursion on the Niger River; visit Bozo
fishing villages and nomadic Fulani camps; observe the large
variety of Mali's birds, and perhaps see hippos in the
river; return to and overnight in Mopti (hotel)
Day 9: Mopti - Dogon country (B,L,D)
Onward to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; visit Songo
village, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision
grotto; continue to Sangha, an agglomeration of 10 Dogon
villages, some animist, some Islamic; visit Dogon seers and
see a divination ceremony; overnight in Sangha (hotel)
Day 10: Dogon country (B,L,D)
Descend the Bandiagara escarpment and visit Dogon cliff
villages Banani, Ireli, Amani (see the sanctuary of sacred
crocodiles), and Tireli; perhaps witness a traditional Dogon
mask dance; overnight in Sangha (hotel)
Day 11: Dogon country - Djenne (B,L)
Drive to the southern end of the Bandiagara escarpment to
visit Tely and Ende villages, including a visit to the Hogon,
spiritual leader of the Dogon people, in his grotto; in the
afternoon, drive to Djenne, sister-city of Timbuktu;
overnight in Djenne (hotel)
Day 12
Monday:
Djenne - Segou
(B)
Visit Djenne on its colorful weekly market day, when
villagers from miles away come to buy and sell; hundreds of
market stalls are spread before the magnificent Grand
Mosque, the world's largest mud brick architecture;
constructed in the XIIIth century, it is one of Unesco's
World Heritage sites; when the market winds down, drive to
Segou; overnight in Segou (hotel)
Day 13: Segou - Sikasso (B)
Drive to Sikasso, in Mali's green belt; visit Sikasso: see
the Mamelon (residence of the former kings of Sikasso), the
Tata (remnants of a large palisade that encircled the city
and for a time held off the French colonial army); overnight
in Sikasso (hotel)
Day 14: Sikasso - Bamako (B)
Visit the grotto of Misiri Koro, home of the protector
spirits of the Mande people, then return drive to Bamako;
overnight in Bamako (hotel)
Day 15: Bamako - final departure (B)
Tour Bamako: panoramic overview of the city from Point G;
visit the National Museum, the city market and the artisans'
village; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your
final departure
Optional Dogon mask dance in a village on Day 10.
