Mali Desert Festival
14 days | Trip Code: DDDF
Countries Visited
- Mali
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- Trip Style: Limited Edition
- Service Level: Standard
- Physical Demands Rating: 3
Highlights
Bamako, Timbuktu, Sahara Desert, Djenne, Dogon Country, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso.
Description
An exciting 14-day adventure in Mali! Enjoy the dancing, music, camel races and revelry at the Festival of the Desert, as well as the scenery, architecture and landscape of this fascinating country.
More Information?
Check out our Trip Details for even more information about this trip.
- Price does not include festival permit, this is to be paid locally at Festival entrance, approx 200EUR.
- ex Bamako
- Bamako city tour, Dogon village visit, Mopti city tour, Sekoro village visit, Tomb of King Diton Coulibaly, Sikasso city tour, Mamelon & Tata visit, Grotto of Misiri Koro.
- Max 15, Avg 10
- Please note that the DDDF100104 (January 4th, 2010) departure will run as follows (inclusions remain as per published itinerary):
Day 1 Arrival, Bamako
Day 2 Mopti (B)
Days 3-4 Dogon Country (2B,2D,1L)
Day 5 Timbuktu (B)
Days 6-8 Festival in the Desert (3B,3L,3D)
Day 9 Mopti (B)
Day 10 Djenne (B)
Day 11 Segou (B)
Day 12 Sikasso (B)
Day 13 Bamako (B)
Day 14 Depart Bamako - Chief Experience Officer (CEO) throughout, Local guides.
- 13 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 5 Dinners.
- Mini van, 4WD vehicle
- Hotels (8 nts), Tents (5 nts).
- Allow USD190-250 for meals not included.
- Not available on this tour.
- If you want to do this trip without the festival, then check out the Mali Dogon Discovery, DDDD.
- Price does not include festival permit, to be paid locally at Festival entrance, approx 200EUR.
For the January 2nd departure:
Day 1 Arrive Bamako
Arrive in Bamako any time.
Day 2 Bamako, Mopti (B)
Today we travel to Mopti, known as the Venice of Mali, for its location between the Bani and the Niger rivers.
Day 3-4 Dogon Country (2B,L,2D)
Travel to the fascinating Dogon Country, where we experience some of Mali's most ancient traditions and ways of life. Visit Dogon villages and see many examples of the typical Dogon architecture and ancient Tellem cave dwellings situated on the cliff. We will have a chance to visit one of the 700 villages and truly understand what it's like to live in West Africa.
Day 5 Timbuktu (B)
Today we journey across desert landscape to the legendary Timbuktu. Wander the dusty streets of Timbuktu at your leisure, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djinguiraiber Mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, and the Palace of Bouctou where you can take an optional visit to these fantastic places.
Day 6-8 Festival of the Desert (3B,3L,3D)
Drive to Essakane where we will immerse ourselves in this world famous desert festival, spending the next three days enjoying dancing, music, camel races and other activities. Camp under the stars in the Sahara.
Day 9 Mopti (B)
In Mopti there will be time to take an optional visit to the beautiful mosque, the fishing port and the bustling market, where you can shop for gold or silver jewelry, Tuareg leatherwork, or Fulani blankets of cotton or wool.
Day 10 Djenne (B)
After some more time to explore Mopti with a tour of the city, we make our way to Mali's architectural jewel, Djenne. Founded in the fourth century, Djenne has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. The atmosphere in the streets transports us back to medieval times. There will be free time to visit its colourful and bustling market.
Day 11 Segou (B)
After breakfast we will travel to Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial administrative centre. Admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture. Take an optional visit the port, the pottery market, traditional weavers and other artisans. We will visit a Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom and see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly.
Day 12 Sikasso (B)
Enjoy a tour of Sikasso and visit the Mamelon (residence of the former kings of Sikasso), and the Tata (remnants of a large palisade that encircled the city and for a time held off the French colonial army). We will also visit the grotto of Misiri Koro, home of the protector spirits of the Mande people.
Day 13 Bamako (B)
Return to Bamako where we will enjoy a city tour of the capital. Visit the city market, the antiquary and the artisans' village where you will see silversmiths, woodcarvers, weavers, and leather workers at work, before enjoying one last night together.
Day 14 Depart Bamako (B)
For the January 4th departure:
Day 1 Arrive Bamako
Arrive in Bamako any time.
Day 2 Bamako, Mopti (B)
This morning we will depart the capital city of Bamako to drive to Mopti, known as the Venice of Mali, for its location between the Bani and the Niger rivers. Overnight in Mopti.
Day 3 Timbuktu (B)
Today we journey accross desert landscape to the legendary Timbuktu. Located at the terminus of the great trans-Saharan caravan route, Timbuktu became fabulously wealthy in the 16th century. Wander the dusty streets of Timbuktu at your leisure, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djinguiraiber Mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, and the Palace of Bouctou where you can take an optional visit to these fantastic places.
Day 4-6 Festival of the Desert (3B,3L,3D)
Drive to Essakane where we will immerse ourselves in this world famous desert festival, spending the next three days enjoying dancing, music, camel races and other activities. Camp under the stars in the Sahara.
Day 7 Mopti (B)
We journey back accross the Sahara, and south again to Mopti where you will have free time to relax and reflect on the amazing experience we just had. In Mopti there will be time to take an optional visit to the beautiful mosque, the fishing port and the bustling market, where you can shop for gold or silver jewelry, Tuareg leatherwork, or Fulani blankets of cotton or wool.
Day 8 Djenne (B)
After some more time to explore Mopti with a tour of the city to see the fascinating mix of Malian cultures: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg, Songhaï and Hausa, we make our way to Mali's architectural jewel, Djenne. Founded in the fourth century, Djenne has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. The atmosphere in the streets transports us back to Medieval times. There will be free time to visit its colorful and bustling market.
Day 9 Dogon (B,D)
Today we will travel to the fascinating Dogon Country, where you will get a chance to experience some of Mali's most ancient traditions and ways of life.
Day 10 Dogon (B,L,D)
Visit Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment and see many examples of the typical Dogon architecture and ancient Tellem cave dwellings situated on the cliff. We will have a chance to visit one of the 700 villages and truly understand what it's like to live in West Africa.
Day 11 Segou (B)
After breakfast we will travel to Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial administrative centre. Admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture. Take an optional visit the port, the pottery market, traditional weavers and other artisans. We will visit a Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom and see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly.
Day 12 Sikasso (B)
Journey to Mali's green belt where we will stop at Sikasso. We will take a tour of Sikasso and visit the Mamelon (residence of the former kings of Sikasso), the Tata (remnants of a large palisade that encircled the city and for a time held off the French colonial army). We will visit the grotto of Misiri Koro, home of the protector spirits of the Mande people.
Day 13 Bamako (B)
Early in the morning we will end our journey by returning to Bamako where we will enjoy a city tour of the capital. Visit the city market, the antiquary and the artisans' village where you will see silversmiths, woodcarvers, weavers, and leather workers at work, before enjoying one last night together.
Day 14 Depart Bamako (B)
- - Book this departure
- - Guaranteed departure
- - Departure has a discount
- - Requested space available
- - Wait list available
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This guide content provides general destination information. Events and highlights mentioned may or may not be experienced on your tour. Refer to your Trip Details document for inclusions.
Places To See
Dyingerey Ber Mosque
Of Timbuktu's three great mosques, Dyingerey Ber is the oldest, dating from the early 14th century. The interior is a forest of 100 sturdy pillars, and there are a series of interconnecting rooms with holes in the walls through which worshippers, unable to hear the imam, could look through into the main prayer hall to see when to pray.
You can go into this mosque, west of Place de l'Indépendance, but sometimes only with a guide.
Djenné's Monday Mosque Market
This colourful market takes place in front of Djenné's fairytale mud mosque, the largest mud-built structure in the world. By mid- to late-morning, Djenné is awash with traders selling everything from cloth to calabashes, spices to spaghetti, pottery to pungent local foods and prize goats.
Pre-Departure Information
When to go?
The very best time to visit Mali is between November and January, before the heat hits in March and after the wet humid season. Trips down the Niger are also a good bet in November as the river is usually high enough for passenger boats to get through. By December and January boat trips may be more of a hop from one sandbank to another if not cancelled altogether. November, though, is also the high tourist season so if you prefer to sacrifice a bit of comfort for peace and quiet, you could go in December for the crossing of the cattle at Diafarabé. Mali's most famous cultural event is the Festival in the Desert, a musical extravaganza of the country's best musicians amid the sand dunes near Timbuktu which takes place in early January. In fact anytime from October through to February is a reasonable time to go, but trying to get around Mali in the hot season from March to May is strictly for masochists.
Travel Visa Overview
Visas are required for all visitors. Visas are available at the border but it can take an age (and the odd bribe) to get one. Depending where you get your visa, the price can vary wildly.
Electricity
220V
50Hz
Electrical Plugs
European plug with two circular metal pins
Health Information
Malaria
Malaria precautions should be taken.
Weather Information
At the borders of the clenching grasp of the Sahara, the southern part of Mali is the most hospitable. The rainy season - when torrential downpours and thunderstorms are preceded by strong winds - runs from June to September with July and August the wettest months. It's hottest between April and June, when temperatures frequently exceed 40°C (104°F). September and October are also extremely hot and Timbuktu in particular can be unpleasant. From November through January the alize (a steady, mild northeasterly) wind blows cooler air, keeping daytime temperatures in the 30s (86-102°F) - Malians refer to this period as the cold season! From January to June, the hot and dusty harmattan (a dry, dusty wind) blows, irritating throats and, on some days, reducing visibility to a few hundred metres. December to March tends to have the best combination of heat and humidity with neither being too high - at least by Mali standards.
History and Culture
Pre-20th Centure History
Mali is a country old enough to have rock paintings that date back to a time when the Sahara was a blossoming paradise, but the first known empire in the region was the Empire of Ghana. This was destroyed in the 11th century by Muslim Berbers from Mauritania and Morocco, who objected to the lukewarm manner in which the empire embraced Islam. By the middle of the 13th century, however, Sundiata Keita, leader of the Mandinka people, had strategically converted the empire to Islam and taken out a monopoly on the gold and salt trade. Under the influence of several progressive Mansas (Lords), Djenné and Timbuktu became the commercial Shangri-las of West Africa, with several mosques and a couple of universities being built as part of the push to create a great and powerful empire.
But to the east the Songhaï had established their own city around Gao. They were powerful and well organised and, more to the point, had been busy creating a professional army and a civil service while the Mali empire had been building universities. When push came to shove, traders and students were no match for soldiers and bureaucrats, and the Songhaï Empire took over the Sahel. Their victory was short-lived, however, lasting a mere century before there was another bloody loss to the Moroccan Berbers. At the same time European ships were plying the coast of West Africa, thus circumventing the Saharan trade route and knocking the bottom out of the Sahel wealth. The city of Timbuktu was abandoned, addding to its out-of-the-way reputation. In 1883 Mali became a French colony and, although a few railways and irrigation systems were built, Mali was always considered the poor cousin of other West African colonies.
Modern History
In June 1960 Mali finally gained its independence and merged with Senegal to form a federation, but the honeymoon was short and turbulent and by August Senegal had seceded and Modibo Keita became the first president of the Mali Republic. Keita opted to play both sides of the political fence by retaining political and economic ties with France but relying heavily on Soviet military advice. In a fit of national pride Mali left the franc zone in 1962, established its own currency, and embarked on a series of disastrous socialist policies that sent the economy bust and caused a national tightening of the belt. These austere cost-cutting ventures proved to be highly unpopular and in 1968 Moussa Traoré took over the country in a bloodless coup.
Traoré ruled Mali from 1968 to 1991 but not always well and not always benevolently. Mali was a relatively peaceful republic in the 1970s and '80s, although there were several obligatory coup attempts and a well-publicised student strike in 1979. In 1991, however, all Traoré's sins came home to roost. His heavy-handed treatment of Tuareg rebels, his repeated refusals to consider political pluralism, and his open-fire policy toward strikers and rioters led Lt.Col Amadou Toumani Touré to take control of the country and appoint a civilian, Soumana Sacko, to head a transitional government. In 1992 multiparty elections were held and Alpha Konaré was invested as President. Konaré was reelected by a landslide in 1997, but could not run for a third term.
Recent History
Touré, who'd become a national hero for his abdication in favour of a democratic process following the coup he staged, came out of retirement to win the presidency in May 2002, although the result was stained somewhat by allegations of irregularities.
Though the former general is widely respected for his peace efforts and humanitarian work, there were signs of tensions within the political elite. The government resigned en masse without explanation October 2002, and its replacement - dubbed a 'government of national unity' - did likewise in April 2004.
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