Festival In The Desert Tour ( Overland )

Day 1: ARRIVE BAMAKO

Your international flight arrives in Bamako. You will be met, assisted, and transferred to your hotel.

Meals: None
Overnight: 3-star hotel

Day 2: BAMAKO to SÉGOU

After breakfast, drive to Ségou, 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 dyeing mud cloth. In the evening, enjoy a cruise to Kalabougou, the pottery village, and learn the art of pottery making.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: 3-star hotel

Day 3: SÉGOU to MOPTI

Drive to Mopti. Tour Mopti and experience the fascinating mix of Malian cultures: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg, Songhai, 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. In the evening, enjoy a sunset sail on the Niger River in a motorized pinasse.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel

Day 4: MOPTI to TIMBUKTU

After breakfast, drive to the legendary city of Timbuktu. This ancient city was the endpoint 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. Enjoy a picnic along the way, arriving in time to witness the magnificent sunset over the dunes.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel

Day 5: TIMBUKTU – FESTIVAL SITE

Today, visit the city of Timbuktu, admiring magnificent mud-brick structures such as the Djingarey Berre Mosque, the Sankore Mosque, and the Palace of Bouctou. Observe the houses of various 19th-century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base.

Visit the ethnological museum and the Maison des Artisans. In the afternoon, travel to the Festival in the Desert site. Relax before dinner, then enjoy the festivities, which last until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: Hotel

Day 6: FESTIVAL SITE

Activities at the festival site continue. Enjoy the music festival finale, which lasts all night long.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Private tent

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.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Private tent

Day 8: MOPTI – DJENNÉ – MOPTI

Drive to Djenné, Timbuktu’s ancient sister city on the Niger River. Visit Djenné on its weekly Monday market day. Wander through the market and streets of Djenné, where you will be transported back to medieval times. Observe the Grand Mosque, the largest mud-brick structure in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening, return to Mopti for an overnight.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel

Day 9: MOPTI to DOGON COUNTRY

After breakfast, travel from Mopti to Dogon Country. Tour the Dogon villages and experience one of the most extraordinary places on earth. In the 11th century, advancing Arab combatants forced the Dogon people to flee their northern homelands. They found shelter and adapted to one of West Africa’s most unforgiving regions.

The Dogon built their villages high on narrow cliff ledges to easily spot approaching enemies from afar. This unique area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the village of Songo, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: 3-star hotel

Day 10: DOGON COUNTRY

After breakfast, descend the Bandiagara Escarpment. Walk through rocky terrain to visit the villages of Banani, Ireli, Arou, and Tireli. The Dogon are known for their mythology and rituals, including the worship of nature spirits and ancestors. Their traditions have been preserved for centuries, making Dogon one of the most original civilizations in West Africa. Witness a traditional Dogon Mask Dance (provided there are at least eight travelers).

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: 3-star hotel

Day 11: DOGON to SÉGOU

After breakfast, drive to Ségou. The journey passes through rural villages where you will observe traditional ways of life. Along the way, enjoy opportunities to stop at local markets and scenic photo spots.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: 3-star hotel

Day 12: SÉGOU – BAMAKO – DEPARTURE

After breakfast, drive to Bamako. Explore the capital city situated on the Niger River, one of Africa’s great waterways.

Mali is home to many tribal groups, each with its own vibrant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is no better place to experience this diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako.

Visit the large art and craft center, where sculptors, weavers, leatherworkers, jewelers, and metalworkers display their wares. One section of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicine, featuring dried animal parts, lizard skins, and other traditional remedies. Visit the recycling market, where old steel and other metals are transformed into useful tools and products.

In the evening, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast

Tour Price Includes:

Hotel accommodation as indicated in the itinerary

Two nights of camping in private tents with mats

All ground transportation by a 4×4 vehicle

Hot meals prepared at the festival site

Bottled water

Tours as outlined in the program

All meals are indicated in the itinerary

One tour guide per vehicle

Round-trip airport-to-hotel transfers

All taxes and admission fees to included sites

Tour Price Does Not Include:

Travel insurance

International airfare to Mali

Meals not listed

Visa fees

Festival entry pass

Sleeping bags (recommended)

Gratuities for driver and guide

Prices are determined by the number of guests per vehicle, excluding the driver and guide.