Welcome To Mali Tour

Day 1: Arrive Bamako

Arrive in Bamako at any time.

You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Time permitting, enjoy a tour of Bamako, including an overview of the city, the National Museum of Bamako, the recycling market, and the handicraft center.

Overnight at Hotel Mirabeau or similar.

Meals Included: None

Day 2: Bamako – Mopti

Begin your tour with a journey to the “Venice of Mali.” Make a short stop along the way to admire Ségou city with its Sudanese architectural style. Here, learn and experience how to make Bogolan (traditional cloth) and keep your sample as a souvenir. Visit Ségou on its market day, then continue to Mopti, gaining impressions of village life along the route.

Arrive in Mopti in the late afternoon. Time permitting, enjoy a sunset sail on the Niger River in a motorized boat for photography.

Check in at Hotel Kanaga or similar and relax in preparation for the next day’s tour.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 3: Mopti – Dogon Country

This morning, travel to Sangha and begin your visit to the fascinating Dogon Country. With its dramatic, rocky Sahelian landscape, Dogon Country is considered one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.

The Dogon are a group of people living in the central plateau region of Mali, 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 distinctive architecture. The principal Dogon area is bisected by the Bandiagara Escarpment, a sandstone cliff rising up to 500 m (1,640 ft) and stretching approximately 150 km (almost 100 miles). Dogon life is centered on sacred rites and rituals that take place in the hollow cliffs on which their houses are built.

Dogon culture is surrounded by mysticism and intrigue, from an astonishing knowledge of the solar system to the unique structure of Dogon villages. En route, visit Songho, known for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto, where boys are circumcised in groups every three years. Learn about this initiation ritual that marks the passage into manhood. From the top of the cliff, enjoy a wonderful view of the Dogon village below.

Visit Niogonon, considered one of the most beautiful Dogon villages.

Arrive and check in at your hotel. Time permitting, visit Sangha, located atop the Bandiagara Escarpment. Explore the villages of Sangha, Ogols, and Bongo; see the traditional women’s house and the sacrificial altar of the Hogon (the Dogon people’s spiritual and traditional leader). Enter a compound and enjoy panoramic views over Sangha. Visit a Dogon seer.

Overnight in Sangha at the relatively basic Campement Sangha (air-conditioned rooms), the best available accommodation in the area.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 4: Dogon Country – Mopti

Following breakfast, descend the Bandiagara Escarpment and visit the village of Banani, where you will see ancient Tellem cave dwellings carved into the cliff face, along with mask carvings. Continue to the villages of Ireli and Amani, home to a sanctuary for crocodiles sacred to the Dogon people.

Climb back up to visit villages located on the edge of the Bandiagara Cliff, then drive to Mopti.

Overnight at Hotel Kanaga.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 5: Mopti – Djenné – Ségou

This morning, travel from Mopti to Mali’s architectural jewel, Djenné. Founded in the fourth century, Djenné has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages, and the atmosphere of its streets transports visitors back to medieval times.

Visit Djenné city and its magnificent Grand Mosque, the world’s largest mud-brick structure, rebuilt in 1906–1907.

After the visit, continue by road to Ségou, where you will overnight at the Independence Hotel or similar.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 6: Ségou – Bamako

After breakfast, stop in Sékoro (Old Ségou), the former capital of the Bambara Kingdom, where the founder and first king, Biton Coulibaly, is buried. Visit the village and its ancient mosque, which predates the settlement and whose builder remains unknown.

Continue to Bamako. If time permits, visit any remaining highlights of the city not covered on the first day.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Tour Price Includes:

(Price based on two travelers, double occupancy)

Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure

Round-trip airport–hotel transfers

Assistance with airport departure formalities

Accommodation in listed properties or similar

Transportation in a private 4x4 vehicle

Services of a trained English-speaking tour guide

Admission fees to all listed sites

Luggage handling

Meals as indicated (B, L, D)

Sunset sail on the Niger River

Tour Price Does Not Include:

International flights to/from Mali

Travel insurance

Visa fees

Gratuities

Personal expenses