Mali cruise to Timbuktu holiday
Click here to enquire about or book this holiday!
Basic information
Location: Mali
Departures: January - December
Duration: 11 days
Group size: 4 - 6 people
Price: From £1855 including 7 nights hotel (double occupancy), day-room in Bamako on the final day, 3 nights camping (travelers should bring sleeping bags), 10 breakfasts (B), 3 lunches (L), 3 dinners (D), bottled mineral water is included with camping meals, private ground transportation by 4x4 vehicle, with driver and fuel, private pinnace with outboard motor, fuel and crew to sail from Mopti to Timbuktu, overnight Sahara Desert excursion to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes, experienced English-speaking guide throughout, airport transfers upon arrival and departure in Bamako, all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes, all excursion and entry fees, as per tour program.
What will I be doing on this trip?
Our 12 Days (11 Nights) Timbuktu Culture Tour offers an overview of cultural sites in Mali. We will explore Bamako City: panoramic overview of the city from Point G, the national Museum, the city market, the artisans and antiquarys’ villages where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewellers and metal workers work and display their wares. We will visit Segou and Mopti “the Venice of Mali" aswell as Djenne with home to its World famous mud made mosque.
You will also delve deeply into the Dogon culture, a mysterious population who have perplexed humanity since their discovery in the early 20th century. Finally, you will sail along one of the longest rivers in Africa, the Niger, from Mopti to the legendary city of Timbuktu, also known as 'the doorway to the desert'.
My holiday itinerary...
Note: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner
Day 1, Sunday: Arrival in Bamako, Mali.
Your international flight arrives in Bamako in the evening; airport-to-hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (Grand Hotel, or similar).
Day 2, Monday: Bamako - Mopti (640 km; ~7½hrs).
After breakfast, begin your African journey with a scenic drive through the heartland of Mali, to the port city of Mopti; sightseeing en route; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar). Includes: (B).
Location: Mali
Departures: January - December
Duration: 11 days
Group size: 4 - 6 people
Price: From £1855 including 7 nights hotel (double occupancy), day-room in Bamako on the final day, 3 nights camping (travelers should bring sleeping bags), 10 breakfasts (B), 3 lunches (L), 3 dinners (D), bottled mineral water is included with camping meals, private ground transportation by 4x4 vehicle, with driver and fuel, private pinnace with outboard motor, fuel and crew to sail from Mopti to Timbuktu, overnight Sahara Desert excursion to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes, experienced English-speaking guide throughout, airport transfers upon arrival and departure in Bamako, all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes, all excursion and entry fees, as per tour program.
What will I be doing on this trip?
Our 12 Days (11 Nights) Timbuktu Culture Tour offers an overview of cultural sites in Mali. We will explore Bamako City: panoramic overview of the city from Point G, the national Museum, the city market, the artisans and antiquarys’ villages where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewellers and metal workers work and display their wares. We will visit Segou and Mopti “the Venice of Mali" aswell as Djenne with home to its World famous mud made mosque.
You will also delve deeply into the Dogon culture, a mysterious population who have perplexed humanity since their discovery in the early 20th century. Finally, you will sail along one of the longest rivers in Africa, the Niger, from Mopti to the legendary city of Timbuktu, also known as 'the doorway to the desert'.
My holiday itinerary...
Note: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner
Day 1, Sunday: Arrival in Bamako, Mali.
Your international flight arrives in Bamako in the evening; airport-to-hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (Grand Hotel, or similar).
Day 2, Monday: Bamako - Mopti (640 km; ~7½hrs).
After breakfast, begin your African journey with a scenic drive through the heartland of Mali, to the port city of Mopti; sightseeing en route; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 3, Tuesday: Mopti / Niger River.
City tour of Mopti, sometimes called the Venice of Mali because it is surrounded by the waters of the Niger and the Bani rivers: see the beautiful Sudanese-style mosque, the fishing port, and the bustling local market; your boat crew will purchase supplies, and at mid-morning embark on your river boat and begin sailing the Niger River to Timbuktu; overnight camping on the river bank. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
City tour of Mopti, sometimes called the Venice of Mali because it is surrounded by the waters of the Niger and the Bani rivers: see the beautiful Sudanese-style mosque, the fishing port, and the bustling local market; your boat crew will purchase supplies, and at mid-morning embark on your river boat and begin sailing the Niger River to Timbuktu; overnight camping on the river bank. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 4, Wednesday: Niger river.
Full day of sailing; visit Bozo fishermen's villages and nomadic Fulani camps along the way; you will also see Mali's varied birdlife along the shore, and very likely see hippos in the river; meals and overnight camping on the riverbank. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5, Thursday: Niger river - Timbuktu.
Final day of sailing to take in the tranquil sights and sounds of the Niger River, and arrive in Timbuktu by day's end; transfer from the port to your hotel in town; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar). Includes: (B), (L).
Day 6, Friday: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert.
Visit the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert: see the ancient mosques and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Institute's archives of ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert — here, salt from the north was traded for gold and slaves from the south; in the afternoon, begin your own desert excursion by 4-wheel drive vehicle, and experience the vast majesty of the great Sahara Desert; visit a Tuareg camp; enjoy dinner and tea on the dunes, and overnight camping with your Tuareg hosts, the Princes of the Desert. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 7, Saturday: Sahara Desert - Timbuktu.
Say goodbye to your Tuareg hosts and return to Timbuktu; rest of the day at leisure to further explore this ancient city; optional Takamba (Tuareg dance) in the evening; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 8, Sunday: Timbuktu - Djenne (660 km; ~7½hrs).
Depart Timbuktu; interesting drive across the Sahel ecosystem, and onward to Timbuktu's historic sister-city Djenne, one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; overnight in Djenne (Hotel Campement, or similar). Includes: (B).
Full day of sailing; visit Bozo fishermen's villages and nomadic Fulani camps along the way; you will also see Mali's varied birdlife along the shore, and very likely see hippos in the river; meals and overnight camping on the riverbank. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5, Thursday: Niger river - Timbuktu.
Final day of sailing to take in the tranquil sights and sounds of the Niger River, and arrive in Timbuktu by day's end; transfer from the port to your hotel in town; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar). Includes: (B), (L).
Day 6, Friday: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert.
Visit the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert: see the ancient mosques and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Institute's archives of ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert — here, salt from the north was traded for gold and slaves from the south; in the afternoon, begin your own desert excursion by 4-wheel drive vehicle, and experience the vast majesty of the great Sahara Desert; visit a Tuareg camp; enjoy dinner and tea on the dunes, and overnight camping with your Tuareg hosts, the Princes of the Desert. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 7, Saturday: Sahara Desert - Timbuktu.
Say goodbye to your Tuareg hosts and return to Timbuktu; rest of the day at leisure to further explore this ancient city; optional Takamba (Tuareg dance) in the evening; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 8, Sunday: Timbuktu - Djenne (660 km; ~7½hrs).
Depart Timbuktu; interesting drive across the Sahel ecosystem, and onward to Timbuktu's historic sister-city Djenne, one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; overnight in Djenne (Hotel Campement, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 9, Monday: Djenne - Segou (335 km; ~4hrs).
Visit Djenne on its weekly market day, when Djenne is at its colorful best; see the magnificent Great Mosque, the largest mud brick architecture in the world, originally constructed in the XIIIth century; stroll through the narrow streets and alleys, and visit the tomb of the the young girl sacrificed to appease the spirits; in the afternoon, onward drive to Segou; overnight (Hotel Independance, or similar). Includes: (B).
Visit Djenne on its weekly market day, when Djenne is at its colorful best; see the magnificent Great Mosque, the largest mud brick architecture in the world, originally constructed in the XIIIth century; stroll through the narrow streets and alleys, and visit the tomb of the the young girl sacrificed to appease the spirits; in the afternoon, onward drive to Segou; overnight (Hotel Independance, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 10, Tuesday: Segou - Bamako (235 km; ~3hrs).
Visit Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial administrative center; admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture, visit the port and the pottery market; and onward to Bamako! en route, visit Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly; arrive and overnight in Bamako (Grand Hotel, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 11, Wednesday: Bamako - final departure.
Bamako city tour: get an overview of this sprawling city from Point G; visit the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village, and the fetish market for traditional medicine; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure. Includes: (B).
Tour Notes:
- 1 km ~ 0.6 mile; driving times are approximate, depending on local conditions and stops
- Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Wednesday in Bamako; there are no fixed-date scheduled departures.
Additional information
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
How to get to us: Air France is the best airline to travel to West Africa
Services: Air conditioned vehicle, air conditioned rooms with en suite bathroom, VIP tents for camping, hotels offer Europeans and Africans meals.
Family friendly: Babysitting, changing rooms and staff trained to work with children. 5% discount for babies.
How does this holiday make a difference?
Environmental responsibility
For you to have better knowledge of the trip we will provide you with accurate pre-trip information before the start of the tour. In order for you to have a good understanding of the places, the environment, and the local community we will supply you with our travellers' guidelines, which is also supplied to our staff and local suppliers. We do not produce brochures and all our messages are through email. As we know the danger that nature faces today we try to not use domestic flights in our trip, most of the travelling is done on ground.
During our trip we do lots of camping and staying in guesthouses in villages, because they have not got big hotels to waste water and some of them use solar energy.
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power and the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. As a barren country we need a lot trees for our survival. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution because our countries are deserted and planting trees will be good for the general population.
Much of the country was devastated by both man-made and natural disasters. We need to advise local people of the importance of planting trees and avoiding bushfires, which is all too common in our local community.
We also help a bee protection organization in Ségou named (GIPA). They try to advice local people not to use fire to have honey.We provide them vehicle during their trip to inform local people how they could get honey without killing bees, because in our society they use fire to kill bees and obtain their honey.
Social responsibility
This cultural trip, being tailor made express the very soul of a community of Mali, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their crafts, colourful markets, historical sites and a beautiful nature – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fabulous way to learn about the local customs and traditions and get an authentic view of the cities you are passing.
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world but by visiting and operating responsibly we are able to deliver economic benefits to a variety of local businesses. This means employing local guides in each town; using locally owned hotels, guesthouses and spreading our customers to small local restaurants and craft shops where possible. Even just stopping to buy fruit at a local market can really help supplement a family’s income.
Using local guides is also the best way to get in depth information on not only the historic and cultural aspects of villages but insider information on day to day life and learning to respect local traditions. Malians are very friendly and hospitable people and we try to find as many opportunities as possible for you to meet the people in a fun and positive way for both sides.
We support a charity project from a customer who wants to give school supplies, cow and chicken to ten villages in January 2010. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost.
Where is it?
Visit Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial administrative center; admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture, visit the port and the pottery market; and onward to Bamako! en route, visit Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly; arrive and overnight in Bamako (Grand Hotel, or similar). Includes: (B).
Day 11, Wednesday: Bamako - final departure.
Bamako city tour: get an overview of this sprawling city from Point G; visit the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village, and the fetish market for traditional medicine; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure. Includes: (B).
Tour Notes:
- 1 km ~ 0.6 mile; driving times are approximate, depending on local conditions and stops
- Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Wednesday in Bamako; there are no fixed-date scheduled departures.
Additional information
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
How to get to us: Air France is the best airline to travel to West Africa
Services: Air conditioned vehicle, air conditioned rooms with en suite bathroom, VIP tents for camping, hotels offer Europeans and Africans meals.
Family friendly: Babysitting, changing rooms and staff trained to work with children. 5% discount for babies.
How does this holiday make a difference?
Environmental responsibility
For you to have better knowledge of the trip we will provide you with accurate pre-trip information before the start of the tour. In order for you to have a good understanding of the places, the environment, and the local community we will supply you with our travellers' guidelines, which is also supplied to our staff and local suppliers. We do not produce brochures and all our messages are through email. As we know the danger that nature faces today we try to not use domestic flights in our trip, most of the travelling is done on ground.
During our trip we do lots of camping and staying in guesthouses in villages, because they have not got big hotels to waste water and some of them use solar energy.
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power and the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. As a barren country we need a lot trees for our survival. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution because our countries are deserted and planting trees will be good for the general population.
Much of the country was devastated by both man-made and natural disasters. We need to advise local people of the importance of planting trees and avoiding bushfires, which is all too common in our local community.
We also help a bee protection organization in Ségou named (GIPA). They try to advice local people not to use fire to have honey.We provide them vehicle during their trip to inform local people how they could get honey without killing bees, because in our society they use fire to kill bees and obtain their honey.
Social responsibility
This cultural trip, being tailor made express the very soul of a community of Mali, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their crafts, colourful markets, historical sites and a beautiful nature – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fabulous way to learn about the local customs and traditions and get an authentic view of the cities you are passing.
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world but by visiting and operating responsibly we are able to deliver economic benefits to a variety of local businesses. This means employing local guides in each town; using locally owned hotels, guesthouses and spreading our customers to small local restaurants and craft shops where possible. Even just stopping to buy fruit at a local market can really help supplement a family’s income.
Using local guides is also the best way to get in depth information on not only the historic and cultural aspects of villages but insider information on day to day life and learning to respect local traditions. Malians are very friendly and hospitable people and we try to find as many opportunities as possible for you to meet the people in a fun and positive way for both sides.
We support a charity project from a customer who wants to give school supplies, cow and chicken to ten villages in January 2010. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost.
Where is it?
Click here to enquire or book this holiday!
To discover other Responsible Tourism projects, click here.
To discover more about Mali, click here.
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