Day 1:

(Monday) – Jan 2013 – ARRIVE BAMAKO

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

Overnight: (3 star Hotel)
Meals: none

Day 2:

(Tuesday) – Jan 2013 – BAMAKO to SEGOU

After breakfast drive to Segou, 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 dying mud cloth. This evening cruise to Kalabougou the pottery village and learn the art of pottery making.

Overnight: (3-star Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3:

(Wednesday) – Jan 2013 – SEGOU to MOPTI

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

Overnight: (Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4:

(Thursday) – Jan 2013– MOPTI to TIMBUKTU

After breakfast, drive to the legendary city of Timbuktu. This ancient city was the ending point 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. Picnic along the way, arriving in time to witness the magnificent sunset over the dunes

Overnight: (Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5:

(Friday) – Jan 2013 – TIMBUKTU- FESTIVAL SITE

Today visit the city of Timbuktu, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djingarey Berre Mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, and the Palace of Bouctou. Observe the houses of the various 19th century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base.
Visit the ethnological museum and Maison des Artisans. In the afternoon, travel to the site of the Festival in the Desert.  Relax before dinner then enjoy the festivities which last until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Overnight at Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6:

(Saturday) – Jan 2013– FESTIVAL SITE

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

Overnight: (Private Tent)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7:

(Sunday) – Jan 2013– 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.

Overnight: (Private Tent)
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8:

(Monday) – Jan 2013 – MOPTI to DJENNE to MOPTI

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

Overnight at Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 9:

(Tuesday) – Jan 2013 – MOPTI to DOGON

After breakfast, travel from Mopti to Dogon. Tour the Dogon villages, and experience one of the most extraordinary places on earth. In the 11th century, the advancing Arab combatants forced the Dogons to flee their homes in the north. They found shelter and adapted to one of West Africa’s most unforgiving regions. The Dogon people built their villages high up on the narrow ledges of cliffs so that they could easily see any advancing enemy from afar. This unique area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visit the village of Songo, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto.

Overnight at 3-star Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 10:

(Wednesday) – Jan 2013 – DOGON

After breakfast, descend the Bandiagara escarpment. Walk through the rocky terrain to visit the villages of Banani, Ireli, Arou and Tireli. The Dogons are known for their mythology and rituals including the worship of the spirits of nature and of the ancestors. Traditions have been preserved through the centuries, making Dogon one of the most original civilizations of West Africa. Witness a traditional Dogon Mask Dance (providing there are at least 8 travelers)

Overnight at 3-star Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 11:

(Thursday) – Jan 2013 – DOGON to SEGOU

fter breakfast, drive to Segou. The drive takes you through varying rural villages where you will observe the traditional ways of life.  On the way to Segou you will have the opportunity to stop and visit markets and other photo opportunities.

Overnight at 3-star Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 12:

(Friday) – Jan 2013 – SEGOU/BAMAKO/DEPART

After breakfast, drive to Bamako. You will explore this capital city situated on the Niger, one of Africa’s great rivers.
Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako.
Bamako has a large art and craft centre where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. One area of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicines. Here you’ll find the freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys and crocodiles, along with lizard skins and other gruesome treatments. Visit the recycling market where old steel and other metals are transformed into useful materials and tools.
This evening you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

 

Number of travellers	Price per person in US $
	Price per person, 2 per room	Single Supplement*
2	$ 2865	$ 340
3	$ 2555	$ 340
4	$ 2315	$ 340

 

Tour Price Includes:

• Hotel accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
• 2 nights camping in private tents with mats
• All ground transportation by 4×4 vehicle
• Hot meals prepared at Festival site
• Bottled water
• Tours as outlined in the program
• All other meals indicated
• One tour guide per vehicle
• Roundtrip 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
• Gratuity to driver and guide
• Festival entry pass (approximately 150 Euros)
• Sleeping bags (recommended)
• Gratuity to driver and guide

Prices are determined by the number of guests per vehicle, not including driver and guide

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