Mali Festival in the Desert - Tuareg cultural experience
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Basic information
Location: Mali
Date: 24th December 2010
Duration: 20 days
Group size: 2 - 10 people
Price: From £2210 - £2518
Including all accommodation (except Bamako), meals in the Dogon Country, on the River Niger and at the Festival. All transfers.
Excluding flights, visas and single supplements.
Location: Mali
Date: 24th December 2010
Duration: 20 days
Group size: 2 - 10 people
Price: From £2210 - £2518
Including all accommodation (except Bamako), meals in the Dogon Country, on the River Niger and at the Festival. All transfers.
Excluding flights, visas and single supplements.
What will I be doing on this trip?
This trip takes you 1000 miles along the Niger River and through the Inland River Niger Delta to Timbuktu.
From Bamako we pass through Bambara, Dogon, Fulani , Songhai and Tuareg cultures before celebrating their music beyond the fabled city of Timbuktu at the Festival In The Desert.
En route we pass by Djenne, a beautiful World Heritage island city with the largest mud building in the world - The Grand Mosque. This tranquil, timeless city will erupt in the morning with the cacophony of sounds, colours and smells of one of west Africa’s largest and most vibrant markets.
From Djenne to the Dogon country and 3 days of leisurely trekking between the villages of the Dogon escarpment. A journey into the Dogon country with its distinctive architecture, animist culture and the strangely beautiful barren landscape is like stepping onto another planet. We camp on their open roofs beneath the extraordinary stars which are so important to the Dogon belief system.
We then return to the Niger river for a 3 day river boat trip through the Inland River Niger Delta to Timbuktu. Here flat wetlands and lakes give out great bird life and spits of land on which perch fishing villages and towns which will host us at night. After the market at Dire we pass the hippos who announce that we are approaching Timbuktu.
Timbuktu - the name reverberates with mystery, myth and journey and any description would be giving away the plot! Suffice to say you will have a day either side of the Festival to explore the city.
From Timbuktu we take a journey into the desert for the ultimate destination of this trip: Essakane and the spectacular Festival In The Desert.
This trip takes you 1000 miles along the Niger River and through the Inland River Niger Delta to Timbuktu.
From Bamako we pass through Bambara, Dogon, Fulani , Songhai and Tuareg cultures before celebrating their music beyond the fabled city of Timbuktu at the Festival In The Desert.
En route we pass by Djenne, a beautiful World Heritage island city with the largest mud building in the world - The Grand Mosque. This tranquil, timeless city will erupt in the morning with the cacophony of sounds, colours and smells of one of west Africa’s largest and most vibrant markets.
From Djenne to the Dogon country and 3 days of leisurely trekking between the villages of the Dogon escarpment. A journey into the Dogon country with its distinctive architecture, animist culture and the strangely beautiful barren landscape is like stepping onto another planet. We camp on their open roofs beneath the extraordinary stars which are so important to the Dogon belief system.
We then return to the Niger river for a 3 day river boat trip through the Inland River Niger Delta to Timbuktu. Here flat wetlands and lakes give out great bird life and spits of land on which perch fishing villages and towns which will host us at night. After the market at Dire we pass the hippos who announce that we are approaching Timbuktu.
Timbuktu - the name reverberates with mystery, myth and journey and any description would be giving away the plot! Suffice to say you will have a day either side of the Festival to explore the city.
From Timbuktu we take a journey into the desert for the ultimate destination of this trip: Essakane and the spectacular Festival In The Desert.
My holiday itinerary...
Day 1 -Dec 24: Arrive Bamako.
This is a day to acclimatise to the heat. You will be taken to a museum then have the afternoon free to relax. In the evening we will go to a local venue to experience live music. (This day is not included in the trip price)
Day 1 -Dec 24: Arrive Bamako.
This is a day to acclimatise to the heat. You will be taken to a museum then have the afternoon free to relax. In the evening we will go to a local venue to experience live music. (This day is not included in the trip price)
Day 2: Bamako to Segou.
Segou is the former capital of the Malian empire, a pleasant town on the banks of the River Niger. You will arrive by lunchtime. You may like to take a pinasse boat out onto the river for sunset or just stroll around the town. A relaxing evening.
Day 3: Segou to Djenne.
After crossing the Bani river you arrive in one of Mali’s most interesting towns, Djenne. Built entirely of mud, dominated by the famous Grand Mosque, Djenne has World Heritage status for its important historical and cultural significance. You will arrive about lunchtime. In the later afternoon you will have a guided tour of the town.
Day 4: Djenne market day.
One of West Africa’s largest and liveliest markets. Free day to lose yourself in a feast of colour, smell, sound and taste. Wander the narrow intimate streets of this fascinating town and explore the mud cloth and pottery houses, the jewelry makers.
Day 5: Leave Djenne and transfer to the Dogon Country.
The 200km Dogon escarpment and the villages of the animist Dogon have, again, World Heritage status. A unique, strange and other-worldly landscape is home to a fascinating people who miraculously are able to live as they have done for centuries. Each day we trek between the villages and there is some escarpment climbing requiring reasonable fitness.
Segou is the former capital of the Malian empire, a pleasant town on the banks of the River Niger. You will arrive by lunchtime. You may like to take a pinasse boat out onto the river for sunset or just stroll around the town. A relaxing evening.
Day 3: Segou to Djenne.
After crossing the Bani river you arrive in one of Mali’s most interesting towns, Djenne. Built entirely of mud, dominated by the famous Grand Mosque, Djenne has World Heritage status for its important historical and cultural significance. You will arrive about lunchtime. In the later afternoon you will have a guided tour of the town.
Day 4: Djenne market day.
One of West Africa’s largest and liveliest markets. Free day to lose yourself in a feast of colour, smell, sound and taste. Wander the narrow intimate streets of this fascinating town and explore the mud cloth and pottery houses, the jewelry makers.
Day 5: Leave Djenne and transfer to the Dogon Country.
The 200km Dogon escarpment and the villages of the animist Dogon have, again, World Heritage status. A unique, strange and other-worldly landscape is home to a fascinating people who miraculously are able to live as they have done for centuries. Each day we trek between the villages and there is some escarpment climbing requiring reasonable fitness.
We camp in gite-type accommodation in the villages, sleeping on the roof beneath the incredible Dogon night sky which is so important to their belief system.
Day 6 - 8: Dogon Country Trek continues
Day 9: Dogon Country to Mopti
Day 9: Dogon Country to Mopti
Day 10: River boat trip.
Begin the pinasse boat trip down the Niger River and across the Inland River Niger Delta, the source of the wealth and means of transport for the empires that have come and gone in the region over the centuries. This is a chance to relax and watch the heterogenous world of southern Mali pass you by: the Bozo fishermen bringing in their nets at sunset; the Fulani herding their cattle to water; the Songhai agriculturalists working the fields - all living harmoniously together in the outstanding natural beauty of the landscape, its serenity the inspiration behind Ali Farka Touré’s music.
The delta has had great historical and cultural significance to west African and Saharan civilisations over the ages. We stop in the Fulani and Bozo villages, visit the mud Mosques and camp the night on the banks of the river. On this day we cross Lake Debo before making camp.
Day 11: Pinasse towards Niafunke.
From Lake Debo we continue to Niafunke, home and inspiration to Ali Farka Toure, the Godfather of Malian blues. We visit the town. We camp on the sand dunes which mark the changing landscape as we approach the desert. Perhaps a chance for a swim. Camp on the dunes.
Day 12: Pinasse to Dire.
We take a Pinasse boat for the weekly market and on past hippos on our way to Timbuktu in the late afternoon.
Begin the pinasse boat trip down the Niger River and across the Inland River Niger Delta, the source of the wealth and means of transport for the empires that have come and gone in the region over the centuries. This is a chance to relax and watch the heterogenous world of southern Mali pass you by: the Bozo fishermen bringing in their nets at sunset; the Fulani herding their cattle to water; the Songhai agriculturalists working the fields - all living harmoniously together in the outstanding natural beauty of the landscape, its serenity the inspiration behind Ali Farka Touré’s music.
The delta has had great historical and cultural significance to west African and Saharan civilisations over the ages. We stop in the Fulani and Bozo villages, visit the mud Mosques and camp the night on the banks of the river. On this day we cross Lake Debo before making camp.
Day 11: Pinasse towards Niafunke.
From Lake Debo we continue to Niafunke, home and inspiration to Ali Farka Toure, the Godfather of Malian blues. We visit the town. We camp on the sand dunes which mark the changing landscape as we approach the desert. Perhaps a chance for a swim. Camp on the dunes.
Day 12: Pinasse to Dire.
We take a Pinasse boat for the weekly market and on past hippos on our way to Timbuktu in the late afternoon.
Day 13: Timbuktu.
We leave this to the imagination! In the morning, take a guided tour of the old town of Timbuktu. In the evening, indulge in a camel ride out to a Tuareg village to stay the night camping out in the open desert.
We leave this to the imagination! In the morning, take a guided tour of the old town of Timbuktu. In the evening, indulge in a camel ride out to a Tuareg village to stay the night camping out in the open desert.
Day 14 - 16: Festival in the Desert.
Travel to Essakane, site of the Festival Au Desert. At the festival we have our own camp with traditional goat skin Tuareg tents. You can sleep 3 or 4 to a tent.
Day 17: Transfer back to Timbuktu. Free day.
There is an option to fly back to Bamako on this day. (+€150)
Day 18: Timbuktu to Mopti, an all day drive.
Day 19: Day in Mopti - the “Venice of Mali”.
I like the unintended irony in this tourist board description. But it is a fun bustling town with a good daily market and lots to watch on the river.
Day 20 (12 Jan): Mopti to Bamako.
End of TripParagraph.
Travel to Essakane, site of the Festival Au Desert. At the festival we have our own camp with traditional goat skin Tuareg tents. You can sleep 3 or 4 to a tent.
Day 17: Transfer back to Timbuktu. Free day.
There is an option to fly back to Bamako on this day. (+€150)
Day 18: Timbuktu to Mopti, an all day drive.
Day 19: Day in Mopti - the “Venice of Mali”.
I like the unintended irony in this tourist board description. But it is a fun bustling town with a good daily market and lots to watch on the river.
Day 20 (12 Jan): Mopti to Bamako.
End of TripParagraph.
How to get to us...
By Air: Royal Air Maroc or Air France.
By Car: With the company – on our Uk to Timbuktu trip!
Additional information
Services: All you need to survive. Accommodation is in 3* hotels and there is a lot of camping/roof terrace sleeping in the Dogon Villages, on the River Niger and the Festival.
By Air: Royal Air Maroc or Air France.
By Car: With the company – on our Uk to Timbuktu trip!
Additional information
Services: All you need to survive. Accommodation is in 3* hotels and there is a lot of camping/roof terrace sleeping in the Dogon Villages, on the River Niger and the Festival.
How does this holiday make a difference?
This small group tour (8-12 people) is operated by a registered company from Timbuktu. This company is owned by a dynamic young man and supports his large extended family.
This small group tour (8-12 people) is operated by a registered company from Timbuktu. This company is owned by a dynamic young man and supports his large extended family.
All accommodation costs from the hotels in the towns and cities to the guest houses and camping in villages and in the desert go directly to local establishments or families.
In the Dogon country each village gets a tax for people passing through and an additional local guide is hired. All accommodation food and water costs go directly into the community. Well managed tourism in the Dogon country has helped to preserve this fascinating culture bringing in valuable income to a people living in fine balance in a difficult environment.
By supporting the Festival In The Desert you are helping to promote the quality and diversity of Malian music to an international audience.
In the Dogon country each village gets a tax for people passing through and an additional local guide is hired. All accommodation food and water costs go directly into the community. Well managed tourism in the Dogon country has helped to preserve this fascinating culture bringing in valuable income to a people living in fine balance in a difficult environment.
By supporting the Festival In The Desert you are helping to promote the quality and diversity of Malian music to an international audience.
Company ethos
This company aims to dispel a few myths and to show you a modern, vibrant, open, safe and progressing west Africa and to ensure that your trip has a positive impact on the communities which host you. Too often tourism in Africa centers around the amazing wildlife and stunning scenery whilst the most vibrant, colourful and fascinating aspect of Africa - its people - pass by the window of the 4x4. We try to reverse the focus by taking you out into some of the amazing communities which we have befriended over our 20 years of traveling this vast and extraordinary continent.
The landscape is merely the background to the colour music, vibrancy and hospitality of the people of west Africa. Throughout the trip food and water is bought en route and as locally as possible.
Before your trip you will be sent our Responsible Travel guidelines, and en route you will be advised about changing cultural sensitivities.
This trip minimizes waste by advising clients to follow the African example and recycle everything. You will see how a system that provides no waste disposal produces very little waste.
We encourage you not to bring anything that we in the west count as disposable such as razors or wet wipes etc because in Africa they are not disposable.
Our company aims to minimize its environmental impact by:
As an alternative to carbon offsetting we offer you the opportunity to support these projects and thereby support communities which will be most affected by climate change.
Where is it?
This company aims to dispel a few myths and to show you a modern, vibrant, open, safe and progressing west Africa and to ensure that your trip has a positive impact on the communities which host you. Too often tourism in Africa centers around the amazing wildlife and stunning scenery whilst the most vibrant, colourful and fascinating aspect of Africa - its people - pass by the window of the 4x4. We try to reverse the focus by taking you out into some of the amazing communities which we have befriended over our 20 years of traveling this vast and extraordinary continent.
The landscape is merely the background to the colour music, vibrancy and hospitality of the people of west Africa. Throughout the trip food and water is bought en route and as locally as possible.
Before your trip you will be sent our Responsible Travel guidelines, and en route you will be advised about changing cultural sensitivities.
This trip minimizes waste by advising clients to follow the African example and recycle everything. You will see how a system that provides no waste disposal produces very little waste.
We encourage you not to bring anything that we in the west count as disposable such as razors or wet wipes etc because in Africa they are not disposable.
Our company aims to minimize its environmental impact by:
- Only flying one way for our season of tours in west Africa. For our outward journey we drive to Timbuktu – and you may too!
- Not having an office and our only paper based marketing product is a flyer.
- Having no brochures and doing most mailing by email.
As an alternative to carbon offsetting we offer you the opportunity to support these projects and thereby support communities which will be most affected by climate change.
Where is it?
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