Day 1: Bamako (Wednesday, January 4)
Evening arrival at the Bamako International airport. Transfer to Hotel Mandé.
Day 2: Bamako – Ségou (Thursday, January 5)
We will visit the National Museum of Bamako, the Great Mosque and the Cathedral.
After a meal of traditional food at a restaurant we will depart towards Ségou, a 3 hours ride by car.
We will spend the night in Hotel L’Esplanade.
Day 3: Ségou – Djenné (Friday, January 6)
We can visit the "bogolan"(cotton fabrics dyed with organic pigments over designs outlined in mud of various colors) and bambara pottery workshops.
Later in the day we will leave for Djenne (4 hours by car).
We will spend the night in Hotel Le Campement.
Day 4: Djenné (Saturday, January 7)
We will visit the city of Djenne: the Komboro Mosque, the largest adobe mud mosque in the world, built by King Komboro at the end of the XIIIth century and rebuild in 1905; the tomb of Tapama Djenepo, a girl sacrificed for the prosperity of the city; the colorful Great Market; Koranic schools where children write the Koran on wooden tablets; the archeological site of Djenne Djeno and the Cultural Museum.
Lodging in the same hotel.
Day 5: Djenné – Mopti (Sunday, January 8)
We leave in the morning for the drive to Mopti (2 hours by car). Check into the Hotel Y a pas de probleme upon arrival and then visit the city.
City located at the confluence of the Niger and Bani Rivers, Mopti contains a busy and animated river port crowded with boats arriving and leaving, carrying all kinds of products. Here we will visit workshops where the river boats called "pinasses" are built and repaired.
We will also visit the craft market, the old city (Komoguel), where the Sougouni Market and Great Mosque dating from 1935 are located.
Day 6: Mopti – Niger River (Monday, January 9)
On the way we will see interesting landscapes, beautiful sunsets, a variety of birds and take advantage of the cooling breezes.
The pinasse has a roof providing protection from the sun as well as serving as a place from which to better appreciate the passing scenery. It is also equipped with a small kitchen and toilet facilities.
The pinasse will remain docked for the evening, permitting us to sleep in tents and take advantage of the quiet surroundings and starlite skies.
We will occasionally stop at villages along the Niger.
Day 8: Niger River – Timbuktu (Wednesday, January 11)
Arrival in Timbuktu in the afternoon and check into the Hotel La Colombe.
Day 9: Timbuktu - Festival (Thursday, January 12)
We will visit Timbuktu, legendary and mythical city, known the world over for its splendid past and for many years accessible only to Moslems.
This city, located at the edge of the Sahara Desert and designated as a UNESCO protected site, has long been a market place for merchants dealing in salt and gold.
Traditional houses contain Arab-style sculpted wooden windows and doorways decorated with forged iron.
Places to visit include: The Djingareiber Mosque, Ahmed Baba Cultural Centre, the houses of early explorers, the city wall, the Tuareg Museum and craft market, the Sankore Mosque, the first Islamic university and the Sidi Yahia Mosque.
In the afternoon, we head towards the desert at Essakane, 2 hours car ride.
Day 10: Festival (Friday, January 13)
In this magical spot in the Sahara, we will experience an exceptional event: one of the best music festivals in all of Africa. Each year musicians assemble here from the four corners of the globe to celebrate their traditions. In addition to wonderful music, there is Tuareg dancing, hand made jewelry and crafts, camel racing, etc.
Day 11: Festival (Saturday, January 14)
Day 12: Festival – Timbuktu (Sunday, January 15)
We will spend the day at Timbuktu, visiting some markets.
Day 13: Timbuktu – Dogon Country (Monday, January 16)
We go to the Dogon Region by car stopping in Douentza for lunch.
We visit the villages of Bamba, Yenda and finally Yendouma, where we will camp for the night.
We will see Dogon houses whose wooden doors and windows contain symbolic sculptures. Their multiple rooms are arranged around a central courtyard where daily tasks take place. Men and women keep their wealth in separate granaries, mud buildings having thatched conical roofs.
Other typical village buildings include: the "house for speech or debate" (the toguna) built with a low ceiling so that calm discussions are encouraged, place where the elders meet to make decisions affecting the village; the "house for menstruating women", where women live during their menstrual period; the "house of the Tellems", houses of the former inhabitants, constructed on the face of the cliff and used today as burial sites and the house of the hogon, the tribal chief in charge of transmitting his knowledge to his successor.
We will visit Banani, Ireli, Tireli and Nombori. We will spend the night in Sanga at the Hotel Le Campement.
Day 15: Dogon Country – Ségou (Wednesday, January 18)
In the morning we depart towards Ségou, stopping in San for lunch. The journey lasts approximately 8 hours.
We will spend the night in the Hotel L'Esplanade.
Day 16: Ségou – Bamako (Thursday, January 19)
We will depart towards Bamako, a 3 hours ride.
While in Bamako we will visit the Great Market, the crafts market, the market of traditional medicine or fetishes, and the Medina market, where we will see how are made the tools for agriculture.
This trip includes:
-Eight nights of hotel lodging, including room use prior to departure flight, and seven nights of camping.
-Breakfast each day. In the Dogon Country, while on the pinasse and at the Festival, lunch and dinner are also included (drinks are excluded with the exception of bottled water).
-Travel by all terrain vehicle with air-conditioned system, including driver and gas.
-Experienced guide for all visits.
-Private pinasse.
-Airport to hotel and hotel to airport transfers.
-Hotel and local visitor taxes.
-Entrance fees to the Festival in the Desert.
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