MALI IN 12 DAYS, 7 NIGHTS HOTEL LODGING AND 4 NIGHTS CAMPING

Day 1: Bamako

Morning arrival at the Bamako International airport. Transfer to Hotel Tamana.

Day 2: Bamako - Ségou

We will visit the capital of Mali: the National Museum of Bamako, the Great Market, the artisan market, the market of traditional medicines and fetiches, the market of Medina, where they make tools to work the land, 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

We shall visit the former capital of the Bambaro Kingdom, a quiet city, that invites to stroll along the Niger River under the shade of the balanzanes or “butter trees” so abundant in this area. Adobe houses alternate with colonial style buildings.

We will get to know the market and get acquainted with the making of Bambara pottery and of the bogolán (colored cotton fabric of exquisite design made with a combination of natural dyes and different colours of mud).

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.

Spending the night at hotel Le Maafir.

Day 4: Djenné - Mopti

We will depart towards Mopti (2 hours by car). Accommodation at Hotel Y a pas de probleme.

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" (long wooden boat driven by outboard engine) 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 5: Mopti - Niger River

We take advantage of the landscape, cool breezes, superb sunsets and view a wide variety of birdlife along the river.

The pinasses are covered by a roof that provides protection from the sun while also serving as a viewing platform from which one can take maximum advantage of the beauty of the landscape. In addition, these boats are equipped with a small kitchen and restroom facility.

Day 6: Niger River

We will stop at various villages found en route.

The pinasse will tie up for the night so that we can sleep in tents in order to take advantage of the quiet and the stars.

Day 7: Niger River – Timbuktu

Arrival in Timbuktu in the afternoon and check into the Hotel La Colombe.

Day 8: Timbuktu

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.

We will have lunch at the hotel and then take a camel ride to a Touareg encampment.

Spend the night in the hotel or camp in the desert.

Day 9: Timbuktu – Dogon Country

We visit the villages of Bamba, Yenda and finally Yendouma, where we will camp for the night.

Day 10: Dogon Country

Overnight at the Hotel Falaise.

We will explore the spectacular countryside of the Bandiagara escarpement. We will visit the Dogon villages inhabited since the XIVth century where this unique culture has been preserved thanks to the oral traditions of their people and little outside influence.

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.

Day 11: Dogon Country - Bamako

Return to Bamako, 8 hours car drive. Acomodation at Hotel Tamana.

Day 12: Bamako – Siby

We will enjoy the magnificent view from a natural rock formation called the Kamandjan Arch.

In addition, we can watch the processing of cosmetics using fruit from the "karité" tree.

Included in this trip:

-Seven nights lodging in hotels, including the use of a room prior to departure flight, and four nights of camping.

-Breakfasts. In the Dogon Region and on the pinasse, lunch and dinner are included (drinks are excluded except for bottled water).

-Travel by all terrain vehicle with air-conditioned system, including driver and gas.

-Experienced guide for all visits.

-Private pinasse.

-Transfers to and from the airport.

-Hotel and local tourist taxes.