Mali Festival in the Desert country tour
Click here to enquire about or book this holiday!
Basic information
Location: Mali: Bamako, Timbuktu, Mopti, Pays-Dogon, Djenne, Segou.
Departures: January 2012
Duration: 12 days
Group size: 2+ people
Price: From £1410, (double occupancy; single supplement of £220) including hotel accommodation, meals as listed, private ground transportation, flights between sites, experienced English and French-speaking guide, airport transfers upon arrival and departure, all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes, all site visits and entry fees including museums and festival. Not including international flight to Mali, travel insurance, visa fees, drinks, and gratuities.
What will I be doing on this trip?
Associated activities: Festival, music, arts, folklore, cultural visit and exchange, trekking, conferences and presentations on local and global issues, camel racing, swordfight games, mud-clothing or pottery making workshop, traditional Dogon dances and cruise on the Niger River.
Location: Mali: Bamako, Timbuktu, Mopti, Pays-Dogon, Djenne, Segou.
Departures: January 2012
Duration: 12 days
Group size: 2+ people
Price: From £1410, (double occupancy; single supplement of £220) including hotel accommodation, meals as listed, private ground transportation, flights between sites, experienced English and French-speaking guide, airport transfers upon arrival and departure, all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes, all site visits and entry fees including museums and festival. Not including international flight to Mali, travel insurance, visa fees, drinks, and gratuities.
What will I be doing on this trip?
Associated activities: Festival, music, arts, folklore, cultural visit and exchange, trekking, conferences and presentations on local and global issues, camel racing, swordfight games, mud-clothing or pottery making workshop, traditional Dogon dances and cruise on the Niger River.
Festival in the Desert is a musical and cultural event showcasing the diversity and uniqueness of Mali especially the Tuareg ethnic group. Festival in the Desert is probably the best-kept secret in terms of musical and cultural events in the world and is held in the desert oasis of Essakane on the edge of mysterious Timbuktu. Since its inception in 2000, this annual musical extravaganza has reached legendary status.
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Some of Mali’s best musicians such as Oumou Sangaré, the late Ali Farka Touré, Habib Koité, and the sensational Tuareg band Tinariwen have performed there. It is also an opportunity to interact with the Tuareg people, as it is their event, and the festivities include traditional singing, dancing, swordplay, camel races and artisan exhibits. Contact us to sign up for this years Festival in the Desert. Accommodations consist of traditional Tuareg tents and ground mats; hot meals are prepared on-site.
My holiday itinerary...
Day 1: Arrival at Bamako Airport
International flight arrives in Bamako. Guide and driver will meet and assist with hotel transfer.
Day 2: Bamako
Explore the capital city of Bamako situated on the Niger River, one of Africa's great rivers. Mali is a country of many ethnic peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is no better place to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako. Bamako has a large art and craft center where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. Visit the Great Market and spend time exploring the hundreds of stalls including a vast array of woodcarvings, fabrics, beads, brass and gold. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Bamako - Timbuktu
The terminus of the great trans-Saharan caravan route, Timbuktu became fabulously wealthy in the 16th century. Loaded with blocks of salt and other tradable goods, large caravans of camels from the north would spend weeks crossing the harsh Sahara to reach Timbuktu.
Day 1: Arrival at Bamako Airport
International flight arrives in Bamako. Guide and driver will meet and assist with hotel transfer.
Day 2: Bamako
Explore the capital city of Bamako situated on the Niger River, one of Africa's great rivers. Mali is a country of many ethnic peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is no better place to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako. Bamako has a large art and craft center where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. Visit the Great Market and spend time exploring the hundreds of stalls including a vast array of woodcarvings, fabrics, beads, brass and gold. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Bamako - Timbuktu
The terminus of the great trans-Saharan caravan route, Timbuktu became fabulously wealthy in the 16th century. Loaded with blocks of salt and other tradable goods, large caravans of camels from the north would spend weeks crossing the harsh Sahara to reach Timbuktu.
Wander the streets of Timbuktu, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djinguiraiber Mosque, the Mosque of Sankoré, and the Palace of Bouctou. Visit the houses of the various 19th century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base and see the manuscripts of 16th century scholars who studied in Timbuktu. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
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Day 4, 5, and 6: Festival in the Desert
Drive to Essakane and enjoy 3 days of great music, dancing, camel races, swordplay, and other activities. Hot meals are prepared and served on site. Experience the true desert life by living in tents. Desert temperatures in January are hot during the day (40 C 129 F), but quite cold at night (~5 C / 40 F) — Remember to bring a sleeping bag!
Day 7 Timbuktu - Mopti - Dogon Country
Catch a flight from Timbuktu to Mopti where you will travel via all terrain vehicles to Dogon Country. Your visit of the mystic Dogon Country starts here. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8, 9 Dogon CountryTour
The Dogon Country one of the most extraordinary places on earth where houses cling to the narrow edges of cliffs hundreds of feet above the ground. In the 12th century, the Dogons fled the advancing Islamic invasion coming from the north, and found shelter in one of West Africa's most inhospitable areas.
Drive to Essakane and enjoy 3 days of great music, dancing, camel races, swordplay, and other activities. Hot meals are prepared and served on site. Experience the true desert life by living in tents. Desert temperatures in January are hot during the day (40 C 129 F), but quite cold at night (~5 C / 40 F) — Remember to bring a sleeping bag!
Day 7 Timbuktu - Mopti - Dogon Country
Catch a flight from Timbuktu to Mopti where you will travel via all terrain vehicles to Dogon Country. Your visit of the mystic Dogon Country starts here. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8, 9 Dogon CountryTour
The Dogon Country one of the most extraordinary places on earth where houses cling to the narrow edges of cliffs hundreds of feet above the ground. In the 12th century, the Dogons fled the advancing Islamic invasion coming from the north, and found shelter in one of West Africa's most inhospitable areas.
UNESCO has declared Dogon Country a World Heritage site. Visit the village of Songho, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto. Experience an authentic traditional Dogon Mask Dance. On these 2 days you will be exposed to the Dogon universe by visit several villages and places of high importance to the Dogon belief system. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
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Day 10 Mopti - Djénné
Drive to Djénné, Timbuktu's twin city located on the banks of Niger River; visit Djénné’s vibrant weekly Monday market with its hustle and bustle; see the magnificent Grand Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage site), the largest mud brick edifice in the world. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 11 Djénné - Ségou
Early morning drive to Ségou, Mali's second largest city. Admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture, visit the port, the pottery market, traditional mud-cloth and basket weavers and other artisans. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 12 Ségou - Bamako
Morning drive to Bamako, visit of the city for last minute shopping, transfer to the airport for your return flight in the evening.
Drive to Djénné, Timbuktu's twin city located on the banks of Niger River; visit Djénné’s vibrant weekly Monday market with its hustle and bustle; see the magnificent Grand Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage site), the largest mud brick edifice in the world. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 11 Djénné - Ségou
Early morning drive to Ségou, Mali's second largest city. Admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture, visit the port, the pottery market, traditional mud-cloth and basket weavers and other artisans. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 12 Ségou - Bamako
Morning drive to Bamako, visit of the city for last minute shopping, transfer to the airport for your return flight in the evening.
Additional information
How to get to us: Available airlines to Mali are Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Point Afrique Voyage
Services: We stay at 3 star hotels, guest houses, or campgrounds that provide excellent services to our guests. These facilities are well-maintained and offer great amenities such as internet and long distance calls, entertainment, etc.
Family friendly: Our tours are family-friendly! We are very good at being flexible and innovative to incorporate activities for all members of the group. Whether it is by inviting local children for an informal soccer or basketball match we make sure youth in our group are as excited as their parents.
How to get to us: Available airlines to Mali are Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Point Afrique Voyage
Services: We stay at 3 star hotels, guest houses, or campgrounds that provide excellent services to our guests. These facilities are well-maintained and offer great amenities such as internet and long distance calls, entertainment, etc.
Family friendly: Our tours are family-friendly! We are very good at being flexible and innovative to incorporate activities for all members of the group. Whether it is by inviting local children for an informal soccer or basketball match we make sure youth in our group are as excited as their parents.
How does this holiday make a difference?
We provide interesting inter-cultural exchanges based on mutual respect and understanding. We provide our tours in a manner that respect s local cultures and are not invasive to people’s day-day lives.
We provide interesting inter-cultural exchanges based on mutual respect and understanding. We provide our tours in a manner that respect s local cultures and are not invasive to people’s day-day lives.
We urge all our guests to give the "gift of a lifetime" by planting at least one tree in one the communities we visit and that we set-up volunteering opportunities for our guests with organizations in need.
We invest as much as 20% of our profits to local NGO such ASE-Mali, and Village D’Enfant SOS. We bring school and medical supplies to village schools during our visits. |  |
We support community-based organizations promoting health and environmental protection such as Mali Health Organization, and Ecova-Mali.
Where is it?
Where is it?
Click here to enquire about or book this holiday!
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