NB: single supplement is applied to all unpaired travellers, for a single room at the hotels... (subject to change)

NB: minimum 8 Pax; maximum 12 Pax

Sail the Niger River to Timbuktu, then onward overland to the Festival in the Desert, Visit historic Timbuktu, plus Dogon country, Djenne, Mopti and Bamako

NB: this is a group tour

International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening (hotel check-in 2:00 PM or later); airport to hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (hotel)

Begin your jouney with a drive through the heartland of Mali; see traditional villages and the daily rural lifestyle; overnight in Sevare (hotel)

with Breakfast

Onward travel to Mopti, to begtin your three full days of sailing the beautiful Niger River: visit Bozo fishermen's villages and nomadic Fulani camps along the way; see Mali's varied birdlife along the shore, and very likely see hippos in the river (caution—do not approach the hippos); overnight camping on the riverbank

with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner on both sailing days

Final moments to take in the sights and sounds of the Niger River, and arrive in Timbuktu; transfer from port to town; city tour of Timbuktu: visit the old mosques and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Istitute's archives of ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the city market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert — historically, salt from the north was traded for gold and slaves from the south; overnight in Timbuktu (hotel)

with Breakfast

Onward drive (~2 hrs) across the dunes to Essakane and enjoy the three days of festivities: music at night, and during the daylight hours more music, dancing, sword-play, poetry, arts and crafts, camel races, and more ! overnight camping in Essakane

with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner on the three festival days

Return travel to Timbuktu, cross the Niger River by ferry, and continue to Mopti; overnight in Mopti/Sevare (hotel)

with Breakfast

Onward to Djenne; visit Timbuktu's historic sister-city on its colorful weekly market day; see the magnificent Great Mosque—originally built in the XIIIth century, it is the world's largest mud brick architecture, and one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; in the afternoon onward drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; overnight camping in a Dogon village

with Breakfast and Dinner

Visit Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment, another Unesco World Heritage site; you will see many examples of the classic traditional Dogon architecture and contemporary fetishism; visit Amani village, with its sanctuary of sacred crocodiles; visit Tireli village and witness a traditional Dogon mask dance; this spectacular ceremony is an authentic representation of one of the Dogon people's funerary rites; overnight camping in a Dogon village

with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the Dogon village Songo, renowned for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings; circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for all Dogon boys aged 9-14 years old; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon famililes; return drive to Mopti; remainder of day for relaxation at the hotel (enjoy the swimming pool!); overnight in Mopti (hotel)

with Breakfast

Visit Mopti, called the Venice of Mali because it is nestled between the Bani and the Niger rivers; Mopti is also the "melting pot" of Mali, home to many of Mali's diverse ethnic groups: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Hausa, Songhai; visit Komoguel mosque, the fishing port and the interesting local market; afternoon drive to Segou for overnight (hotel)

with Breakfast

City tour of Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial capital; stroll through the traditional pottery market on the waterfront; visit Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom, now just a sleepy village on the banks of the Bani River; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly; afternoon return travel to Bamako; overnight in Bamako (hotel)

with Breakfast

Bamako city tour: begin with a panoramic overview of this sprawling city from Point G; thenvisit the National Museum, the colorful city market, the artisans' village and the fetish market for traditional medicine; hotel day-room check-out 6:00 PM; at the appropriate time, transfer to the airport for your onward flight home (day-room)

with Breakfast

Hotel check-in 2:00 pm; check-out 12:00 noon
Day-room check-out 6:00 pm (later check-out is at the traveller's expense)

• 7 nights hotel (double occ.), including breakfast (B)
• day-room in Bamako on the last day
• 7 nights camping; bring your sleeping bags for the cold December nights, especially in the desert; tents are provided
• total 27 meals, as shown above: 14 breakfasts (B), __ lunches (L), dinners (D); excluding drinks
• bottled mineral water is included with meals while sailing
• bottled mineral water (3 liters/day/person) at the festival site
• all ground transportation by 4x4 vehicle; maximum 4 travellers per vehicle
• private river boat for 3-day sail from Mopti to Timbuktu
• festival entry pass (priced separately, but included in tour package)
• English-speaking guide for the entire tour
• airport transfers for Bamako arrival and departure (you will need to provide your Bamako arrival/departure flight details)
• all hotel taxes, local tourism taxes and site visit fees, as per tour program

• international airfare to/from Bamako... apart that you do the reservation by AFTours
• Mali visas
• non-specified meals
• drinks/bottled water
• tips
• personal expenses
• sleeping bags

Please note:

AFTours is not an organizer of the Festival in the Desert, and is not responsible for any possible changes in dates or festival entry fee. We will inform our registered participants of changes, if any, as they occur. We reserve the right to modify the tour itinerary as and if it becomes necessary in our judgment to do so. If an itinerary change becomes necessary, we will offer and provide a comparable tour itinerary, within the constraints imposed by local conditions. Registered participants will be able to opt out at this time.

End's here the: 15-day MALI Desert-Fastival Tour