| Duration: | 12 Day(s) - 11 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Festival Tours |
Day 1: Mon – Arrive Bamako
Arrive at any time. You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Bamako at Azalaï Grand Hotel.
Meal(s) Included: None
Day 2: Tue – Bamako
Today, you will explore the capital city of Bamako, situated on the Niger River, Africa’s third-longest river. Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with its own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of the capital.
In the city’s craft bazaar, we shall see sculptors, weavers, leatherworkers, jewelers, and metalworkers exhibiting their wares and displaying their skills. One area of the market is entirely devoted to traditional African medicine. Here you will find freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys, and crocodiles, along with lizard skins and other traditional remedies.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3: Wed – Bamako – Ségou / Festival on the Niger
After breakfast, drive to one of Mali’s largest cities and a former colonial capital. The journey takes you through rural villages where you can observe traditional ways of life. Along the way, you will have opportunities to stop and visit local markets.
Arrive in Ségou in the late afternoon, check into your hotel, and enjoy the festival opening activities, including masks, puppets, music, and more. Overnight in Ségou.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4, 5 & 6: Thu, Fri & Sat – Festival on the Niger
Enjoy excursions to nearby cultural sites, including Kalabougou, the pottery village, and Sékoro (Old Ségou), the former capital of the Bambara Kingdom. Activities include demonstrations, exhibitions, music, and dance. Continue excursions in Ségou and the surrounding areas.
In the evenings, enjoy the festival activities.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7: Sun – Ségou – Djenné
Enjoy the final festival activities, then drive to Djenné, Timbuktu’s ancient sister city on the Bani River. En route, visit San to see the local mosque, designed as a replica of the Djenné Grand Mosque.
Founded in the fourth century, Djenné has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. As we stroll through the streets and bazaar, we will be transported back to medieval times. The evening is at leisure. Overnight at Djeno Djenné Hotel.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Mon – Djenné – Dogon Country
Today is Monday, Djenné’s weekly market day, when the city is at its most colorful. Visit the magnificent Grand Mosque, the largest mud-brick structure in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the museum, where a representative of the Mission Culturelle will accompany you to the archaeological site of Djéno Djenné, the ancient city of Djenné.
Learn about the history of this remarkable city. After the visits, drive to Dogon Country and stay overnight in Sangha at a campement.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Tue – Dogon Country
Today, we explore Dogon Country. With its fascinating rocky Sahelian landscape, Dogon Country is considered one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. Experience unique village life and marvel at ancient Tellem cave dwellings.
The Dogon people live in the central plateau south of the Niger Bend, near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. They are best known for their mythology, mask dances, wooden sculptures, and architecture.
The principal Dogon area is bisected by the Bandiagara Escarpment, a sandstone cliff rising up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) and stretching approximately 150 kilometers (almost 100 miles).
Life here is centered on sacred rites and rituals that take place in the hollow cliffs of the escarpment where Dogon houses are built. Their culture is rich in mysticism and intrigue, from their remarkable astronomical knowledge to the unique structure of Dogon villages.
Visit the Dogon village of Songho, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto, then drive to Sangha, comprised of ten distinct Dogon villages, some practicing traditional animism while others have converted to Islam. Visit the women’s house and meet the Dogon spiritual leader, the Hogon. Overnight in Sangha.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Wed – Dogon Country – Mopti
After breakfast, visit Songho village, renowned for its circumcision grotto decorated with rock paintings. Circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for Dogon boys aged 9–14. The rock paintings depict historical representations of noble Dogon families.
Continue to Mopti, the cultural melting pot of Mali. During the city tour, visit the Komoguel Mosque, the fishing port where traditional pirogues are built by hand, and the bustling market where many of Mali’s ethnic groups trade, including Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg, and Songhay.
Take the opportunity to shop for gold or silver jewelry, handmade cotton or wool blankets, or Malian wood carvings such as masks and statues. End the day with a relaxing sunset cruise on the Niger River aboard a private riverboat.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Thu – Mopti – Bamako
After breakfast, drive back to Bamako on a long but scenic journey through the heartland of Mali. Arrive in the afternoon and stay overnight in Bamako.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12: Fri – Bamako – Departure
In Bamako, decide on your activities with the assistance of your driver and guide. Later, transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Tour Price Includes:
Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure; round-trip airport-to-hotel transfers; assistance with airport departure formalities; accommodation in the listed properties or similar; transportation in private air-conditioned vehicles or microbus; trained English-speaking tour guide; admission to all listed sites; luggage transfer; meals indicated (B, L, D); and the tour as outlined, including all museum fees.
Tour Price Does Not Include:
International flights to/from Mali; travel insurance; visa fees; festival entrance fees; gratuities; and personal expenses such as souvenir shopping.
