12 Days Mali: Desert Caravans Tour Package

Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights 
Priced From: $4,975 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: Feb, Sep, Oct, Dec

Mali is a country of many cultures, as you discover on this journey. At a Bogolan fabric factory cooperative, listen to a master craftsman explain the preparation of traditional mud cloths. Watch rural Bambara women extract shea butter from karite fruit; view Dogon dances and visit a ritual cave; and travel down the Niger River in a traditional pirogue (dugout canoe) to visit a Bozo fishing village and Fulani nomadic herders.

Days 1-2: USA or Canada/Bamako, Mali

Board a flight to Bamako where you are met and transferred to your hotel.
Hotel Salam

Day 3: Bamako/Segou

En route to Segou, stop in Wolodo and watch rural Bambara women extract shea butter from the fruit of the Karite tree. Pay a visit to Kasobané, a cooperative of Bogolan fabric factories. Here, a master craftsman explains the preparation of traditional mud cloths. Discover the techniques of preparing the mud cloths — bogolan, bassilan and indigo — and take the opportunity to participate in the process as well. See the color vats, view cloths drying and explore the display room of exquisitely designed textiles. You even have the opportunity to create your own Bogolan design.
Hotel Independence B L D

Day 4: Segou/Bandiagara

Visit the Bobo village of Kanga with its beautiful roadside granaries. Meet the family of the local griot (storyteller) and join villagers who play African rhythms on xylophone, drums and by hand clapping. Sit down to lunch before continuing to Bandiagara in the heart of Dogon country.
Hotel Kambary B L D

Day 5: Bandiagara/Sangha/Tirelli/Bandiagara

Explore the culture of the Dogon people in Sangha. Descending from the plateau, drive through breathtaking scenery, with incredible views of the beautiful Dogon villages with mud houses perched on the cliff sides. Along the way, your guide points out the ancient Tellem villages etched into the cliffs and the villages of Banani and Irelli (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). From here, continue to Tirelli where you witness the spectacular Dogon mask dance — one of the most invigorating tribal dances in the world. Afterward, join the village chief for a picnic lunch.
Hotel Kambary B L D

Day 6: Bandiagara/Songho/Mopti

Drive to Songho and view the rock paintings in the famous Dogon ritual cave. Continue to Mopti, one of Mali's liveliest trading centers. The harbor is filled with hundreds of pirogues (dugout canoes) transporting both goods and people to and from neighboring villages. Here, you find various tribes converging to sell leather goods, jewelry, masks, cloth, amber and intricately woven Fulani wedding blankets. Visit the port, the market and the mosque before sitting down to a riverside lunch.
Hotel Kanaga B L D

Day 7: Mopti

Float down the majestic Niger River by pirogue and visit a Bozo fishing village and Fulani village of nomadic herders. A stop is also made at the river village of Sarakole to see its beautiful mosque. During your cruise down the river, look for wildlife and the colorful birdlife that live along the delta.
Hotel Kanaga B L D

Day 8: Mopti/Djenné/Mopti

Explore ninth-century Djenné on foot to see the famous Grand Mosque, the largest mud building in the world. On market day in Djenné, the square fills with the people of the various ethnic groups which make Mali so colorful. They all come to shop at the weekly market, and the list of goods is endless. Stop in Sevaré to visit Peace Corps Baba's Art Gallery Bead Museum, housing a fascinating collection of West African beadwork.
Hotel Kanaga B L D

Day 9: Mopti/Timbuktu

Transfer by air to Timbuktu. According to the city's inhabitants, gold came from the south, the salt from the north and the divine knowledge from Timbuktu. Located at the point where the Niger river flows into the edge of the desert, Timbuktu became a thriving port of trade, taking in goods from the Mediterranean, West Africa and North Africa, including salt and gold. Visit local monuments before meeting the nomadic Tuaregs, the "blue men of the desert," so named for their bright indigo robes. Dine under the desert stars for a traditional barbecue dinner and dancing.
Hendrina Khan Hotel B L D

Day 10: Timbuktu/Bamako

Learn about Mali's culture and history during a private lecture led by the curator of the archaeological and anthropological National Museum. Test your bargaining skills in one of the many markets where everything from silver, leather and wood carvings is sold. This evening, a local griot, a highly revered source of cultural history, local knowledge and traditional storytelling, spins tales during dinner.
Hotel Salam B L D

Day 11: Bamako/USA or Canada

Your day is at leisure to further explore the city on your own or enjoy the amenities of your hotel. Gather tonight for a farewell dinner to share stories with your fellow travellers, and later board your international flight.
Hotel Salam(dayroom) B D

Day 12: USA or Canada

12/10