Day 1:
ARRIVE BAMAKO
International flight arrives in Bamako. You will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2:
BAMAKO to SEGOU
After breakfast drive to Segou, Mali’s second largest city and former colonial administrative center. Admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture. Visit the pottery market, traditional weavers and other artisans, visit the Bogolan workshop where you may practice the technique of dying mud cloth. This evening cruise to Kalabougou the pottery village and learn the art of pottery making.
Day 3:
SEGOU to MOPTI
Drive to Mopti. Tour of Mopti and see the fascinating mix of Malian cultures: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg, Songhaï and Hausa. Visit the main mosque and the fishing port. Shop for gold or silver jewelry, Tuareg leatherwork, and Fulani cotton or wool blankets at the bustling market. This evening enjoy a sunset sail on the Niger River in a motorized pinasse.
Day 4:
MOPTI to TIMBUKTU
After breakfast, drive to the legendary city of Timbuktu. This ancient city was the ending point of the great trans-Saharan caravan route. Timbuktu was extremely wealthy in the 16th century as convoys of camels carrying goods for trade spent weeks crossing the unforgiving Sahara to arrive in this famous metropolis. Picnic along the way, arriving in time to witness the magnificent sunset over the dunes
Day 5:
TIMBUKTU- FESTIVAL SITE
Today visit the city of Timbuktu, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djingarey Berre Mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, and the Palace of Bouctou. Observe the houses of the various 19th century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base.
Visit the ethnological museum and Maison des Artisans. In the afternoon, travel to the site of the Festival in the Desert. Relax before dinner then enjoy the festivities which last until the early hours of Saturday morning.
Day 6:
FESTIVAL SITE
Activities at the festival site continue. Enjoy the music festival finale, which lasts all night long.
Day 7:
FESTIVAL SITE – TIMBUKTU – MOPTI
In the morning, return to Timbuktu then continue to Mopti, where the Niger and Bani rivers meet. Mopti is Mali’s most important port city.
Day 8:
MOPTI to DJENNE to MOPTI
Drive to Djenne, Timbuktu’s ancient sister-city on the Niger. Visit Djenne on its weekly Monday market day. Wander through the market and in the streets of Djenne where you will be transported back to medieval times. Observe the Grand Mosque, the largest mud brick architecture in the world and a UNESCO’S World Heritage site. This evening return to Mopti for overnight.
Day 9:
MOPTI to DOGON
After breakfast, travel from Mopti to Dogon. Tour the Dogon villages, and experience one of the most extraordinary places on earth. In the 11th century, the advancing Arab combatants forced the Dogons to flee their homes in the north. They found shelter and adapted to one of West Africa’s most unforgiving regions. The Dogon people built their villages high up on the narrow ledges of cliffs so that they could easily see any advancing enemy from afar. This unique area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visit the village of Songo, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto.
Day 10:
DOGON
After breakfast, descend the Bandiagara escarpment. Walk through the rocky terrain to visit the villages of Banani, Ireli, Arou and Tireli. The Dogons are known for their mythology and rituals including the worship of the spirits of nature and of the ancestors. Traditions have been preserved through the centuries, making Dogon one of the most original civilizations of West Africa. Witness a traditional Dogon Mask Dance (providing there are at least 8 travelers)
Day 11:
DOGON to SEGOU
fter breakfast, drive to Segou. The drive takes you through varying rural villages where you will observe the traditional ways of life. On the way to Segou you will have the opportunity to stop and visit markets and other photo opportunities.
Day 12:
SEGOU/BAMAKO/DEPART
After breakfast, drive to Bamako. You will explore this capital city situated on the Niger, one of Africa’s great rivers.
Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako.
Bamako has a large art and craft centre where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. One area of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicines. Here you’ll find the freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys and crocodiles, along with lizard skins and other gruesome treatments. Visit the recycling market where old steel and other metals are transformed into useful materials and tools.
This evening you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.