West Africa tour, Burkina Faso, Mali & Senegal
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Location: Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso
Date: Departures can be arranged between June and April
Duration: 20 days
Group size: 2+ people
Price: From £2690 (20 days) excluding flights. Price includes 19 breakfasts, 20 dinners, English speaking local guide, all camping equipment, trekking in Dogon Country, permits and entry fees, private vehicle transport, private boat on Niger River, hotel accommodation.
Date: Departures can be arranged between June and April
Duration: 20 days
Group size: 2+ people
Price: From £2690 (20 days) excluding flights. Price includes 19 breakfasts, 20 dinners, English speaking local guide, all camping equipment, trekking in Dogon Country, permits and entry fees, private vehicle transport, private boat on Niger River, hotel accommodation.
The trip...
Travelers and explorers alike have been inspired by tales of the fabled cities of Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. This is a demanding journey through the exotic crossroads of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal where influences from West Africa come together.
You will discover the diverse cultures of this land- the Mossi in Burkina Faso, the Dogon, the Touareg, the Bobo and Fulani in Mali and the Wolof and Fulani in Senegal. The industrious farming and elaborate art of the Dogon people is revealed as we trek across the great sandstone escarpment of the Falaise de Bandiagara and the discovery of Gorée Island where slaves were taken to America in Senegal. To complete the cultural experience, we will visit the national museum and the big market in Dakar. |  |
"Three days on a pinasse to Timbuktu, camping on the river bank was a cruise with a real difference. Trekking in the Dogon country is amazing, and the chance to experience so much of life there so close is wonderful."
The Itinerary...
Day 1: Ouagadougou
Upon arrival at Ouagadougou airport, you will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2: Ouagadougou city tour
Visit the national museum, the market, the craft village and a Mossi village.
Day 3: Ouagadougou – Bobo. Dioulasso
Visit the second biggest city, and many villages in the area.
Day 4: Bobo - Dioulasso
Tour of Bobo city: the museum, the market, the old district of Bobo etc. Drive to visit the hippopotamus pool toward Banfora.
Day 5: Bobo – Mopti
Depart to cross the border of Mali and reach Mopti, the venice of Mali.
Day 6: Mopti – Timbuktu
Early in the morning depart to Timbuktu via Douentzan. Arrive Timbuktu and then visit the city: the mosque the old city, the explorers houses, the manuscripts etc. Lunch in Timbuktu. Camel ride to visit Tuareg camp.
Day 7: Timbuktu – Mopti
Drive back to Mopti
Day 8: Mopti - Kona Mopti
Cruise in a traditional motorized pirogue named pinasse to Konna, a Fulani village located at 55 km from Mopti. This highlight will enable you to visit Fulani, Songhaï, bozo villages on the river shore.
Day 9: Mopti - Dogon country
Breakfast then Mopti city tour: the big mosque, the bustling market, the fishing port where pirogues are made etc… After lunch in Mopti drive to the fascinating Dogon country, stop in Songho, a Dogon village known for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto.
Day 10: Dogon country – Djenné
This morning, we travel to Djenné, Mali's architectural city. Upon arrival you will discover this city: the big mosque, the Qu'ranic schools, etc.
Day 11: Djenné – Ségou
Visit Djenné on its weekly market day, have lunch in Djenné or stop and have lunch when driving to Ségou via San.
Day 12: Ségou – Bamako
Ségou city tour: the local brewery, the colonial Sudanese style houses, the old district of Ségou named Sekoro.
Day 13: Bamako – Kita
Bamako city tour: the national museum the craft centre, the overview from Point G, the market. After lunch drive to Kita, Malinké ethnic group city located at 120 Km from Bamako.
Day 14: Kita – Kaye
Depart in the morning to Kayes, lunch en route.
Day 15: Kaye
Kayes city tour: the colonial buildings, the market… Drive to visit the waterfall of Felou
Day 16: Kaye – Matan
This morning you will be heading for Senegal, have lunch en route. Upon arrival in Matan, a Senegalese city
Day 17: Matan - Saint Louis
Drive to Saint Louis, have a picnic lunch en route.
Day 18: Saint Louis – Dakar
Tour of the city and drive to Dakar; have lunch en route heading for Dakar.
Day 19: Dakar – Gorée – Dakar
Depart in the morning to Island of Gorée where slaves were regroupped and embarked to the Americas.
Day 20: Dakar
Tour of Dakar city: the museum, the market, the craft center and have your lunch in town.
Upon arrival at Ouagadougou airport, you will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2: Ouagadougou city tour
Visit the national museum, the market, the craft village and a Mossi village.
Day 3: Ouagadougou – Bobo. Dioulasso
Visit the second biggest city, and many villages in the area.
Day 4: Bobo - Dioulasso
Tour of Bobo city: the museum, the market, the old district of Bobo etc. Drive to visit the hippopotamus pool toward Banfora.
Day 5: Bobo – Mopti
Depart to cross the border of Mali and reach Mopti, the venice of Mali.
Day 6: Mopti – Timbuktu
Early in the morning depart to Timbuktu via Douentzan. Arrive Timbuktu and then visit the city: the mosque the old city, the explorers houses, the manuscripts etc. Lunch in Timbuktu. Camel ride to visit Tuareg camp.
Day 7: Timbuktu – Mopti
Drive back to Mopti
Day 8: Mopti - Kona Mopti
Cruise in a traditional motorized pirogue named pinasse to Konna, a Fulani village located at 55 km from Mopti. This highlight will enable you to visit Fulani, Songhaï, bozo villages on the river shore.
Day 9: Mopti - Dogon country
Breakfast then Mopti city tour: the big mosque, the bustling market, the fishing port where pirogues are made etc… After lunch in Mopti drive to the fascinating Dogon country, stop in Songho, a Dogon village known for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto.
Day 10: Dogon country – Djenné
This morning, we travel to Djenné, Mali's architectural city. Upon arrival you will discover this city: the big mosque, the Qu'ranic schools, etc.
Day 11: Djenné – Ségou
Visit Djenné on its weekly market day, have lunch in Djenné or stop and have lunch when driving to Ségou via San.
Day 12: Ségou – Bamako
Ségou city tour: the local brewery, the colonial Sudanese style houses, the old district of Ségou named Sekoro.
Day 13: Bamako – Kita
Bamako city tour: the national museum the craft centre, the overview from Point G, the market. After lunch drive to Kita, Malinké ethnic group city located at 120 Km from Bamako.
Day 14: Kita – Kaye
Depart in the morning to Kayes, lunch en route.
Day 15: Kaye
Kayes city tour: the colonial buildings, the market… Drive to visit the waterfall of Felou
Day 16: Kaye – Matan
This morning you will be heading for Senegal, have lunch en route. Upon arrival in Matan, a Senegalese city
Day 17: Matan - Saint Louis
Drive to Saint Louis, have a picnic lunch en route.
Day 18: Saint Louis – Dakar
Tour of the city and drive to Dakar; have lunch en route heading for Dakar.
Day 19: Dakar – Gorée – Dakar
Depart in the morning to Island of Gorée where slaves were regroupped and embarked to the Americas.
Day 20: Dakar
Tour of Dakar city: the museum, the market, the craft center and have your lunch in town.
The Difference...
Environment
The operator minimises their impact on the harsh environments you will travel through. Their philosophy has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with them receives an overview of their Responsible Travel Policy, to understand their environmentally sustainable principles, and outline how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling. As they know the danger that nature faces today, the operator minimizes domestic flights on their trip, most of the travelling is done on the ground. |  |
During the trip you will camp in villages because they have not got big hotels to waste water and some of them use solar energy for their light. They encourage travellers to minimise 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.
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emissions created by fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. The operator believes the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, they support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power and the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while they believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, they have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution because the countries that you will visit are deserts and planting trees will be good for the population.
They also help a bee protection organization in Ségou named (GIPA). They try to advise local people not to use fire to obtain honey. The operator provides them with alternative methods during the trip to inform them how they could get honey without killing the bees, as in the Malian society they use fire to kill bees to get their honey.
Community
You will have an opportunity to shop for local sculptures and the unique masks that are made in these areas surrounding the bustling market in Bodo Dioulasso, the local guide in Goree Isle and Dogon Country and enjoy an optional camel trip to a Tuareg encampment close to Timbuktu and a local boat in Mopti. The time you spend in these regions will directly benefit the local community. The tourist taxes and the use of locally sourced people will bring a lot to the local communities.
Additionally everything that is needed is purchased en route, buying from local traders and markets in sufficient quantities to ensure they do not exploit, but equally so that they have enough for your trip! In many cases, the routes taken are varied thus ensuring the visits do not impact negatively on the local communities and the income brought is distributed fairly. All of the accommodation used is locally owned.
The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emissions created by fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. The operator believes the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, they support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power and the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while they believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, they have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution because the countries that you will visit are deserts and planting trees will be good for the population.
They also help a bee protection organization in Ségou named (GIPA). They try to advise local people not to use fire to obtain honey. The operator provides them with alternative methods during the trip to inform them how they could get honey without killing the bees, as in the Malian society they use fire to kill bees to get their honey.
Community
You will have an opportunity to shop for local sculptures and the unique masks that are made in these areas surrounding the bustling market in Bodo Dioulasso, the local guide in Goree Isle and Dogon Country and enjoy an optional camel trip to a Tuareg encampment close to Timbuktu and a local boat in Mopti. The time you spend in these regions will directly benefit the local community. The tourist taxes and the use of locally sourced people will bring a lot to the local communities.
Additionally everything that is needed is purchased en route, buying from local traders and markets in sufficient quantities to ensure they do not exploit, but equally so that they have enough for your trip! In many cases, the routes taken are varied thus ensuring the visits do not impact negatively on the local communities and the income brought is distributed fairly. All of the accommodation used is locally owned.
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