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Mali: Desert Music Tour Day 1 Book now!
Arrival in Bamako, Mali

International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening (hotel check-in 2:00 PM or later); airport to hotel transfer.

Overnight in Bamako (hotel)

Day 2 - Bamako - Sevare

Begin your journey with a drive through the heartland of Mali: see traditional villages and the daily rural lifestyle.

Overnight in Sevare (hotel, breakfast)

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Mali: Desert Music TourBook now! Dates: TBA 15-Day Festival Tour Cost: $5000 per person Beneficiary: Fabric of Life This perfectly unusual journey welcomes travelers to Timbuktu via private pirogue, sailing up the Niger River. Discover the varied birdlife along the shore, hippos in the river and rural villages with beautiful mosques. Travelers will then attend Mali's Festival in the Desert, a world music and Tuareg culture festival. The festival is one-of-a-kind, modeled on traditional gatherings and celebrations of the Tuareg people, the "Blue Men of the Desert." It features musicians from Mali, Mauritania, Niger and many other countries worldwide. It is also an opportunity to interact with the Tuareg people, as it is their event, and the festivities will include traditional singing, dancing, swordplay, camel races and artisans' exhibits. The 15-day extended tour travels back through Dogon country, a final addition to your full immersion in Malian’s varied topography and culture. You will have time to visit and acquaint yourself with many local social initiatives and projects during this part of the tour.

Mali: Desert Music Tour Logistics

Cost includes:

7 nights hotel (double occ.), including breakfast (B)

day-room in Bamako on the last day

7 nights camping; bring your sleeping bags for the cold December nights, especially in the desert; tents are provided

Total 27 meals, as shown above: 14 breakfasts (B), __ lunches (L), dinners (D); excluding drinks

Bottled mineral water is included with meals while sailing

Bottled mineral water (3 liters/day/person) at the festival site

All ground transportation by 4x4 vehicle; maximum 4 travelers per vehicle

Private river boat for 3-day sail from Mopti to Timbuktu

Festival entry pass (priced separately, but included in tour package)

English-speaking guide for the entire tour

Airport transfers for Bamako arrival and departure (you will need to provide your Bamako arrival/departure flight details)

All hotel taxes, local tourism taxes and site visit fees, as per tour program

Cost Does Not Include:

International airfare to/from Bamako

Mali visas

Non-specified meals, drinks/bottled water

Tips, personal expenses and sleeping bags.

Day 9 - Essakane - Sevare/Mopti

Return travel to Timbuktu, cross the Niger River by ferry, and continue to Mopti.

Overnight in Mopti/Sevare (hotel, breakfast)

Day 10: Sevare/Mopti - Djenne - Dogon country

Onward to Djenne: visit Timbuktu's historic sister-city on its colorful weekly market day; see the magnificent Great Mosque—originally built in the XIIIth century, the world's largest mud brick architecture, and one of Unesco's World Heritage sites. In the afternoon onward drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country.

Overnight camping in a Dogon village (with breakfast and dinner)

Day 11: Dogon country

Visit Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment, another Unesco World Heritage site. You will see many examples of the classic traditional Dogon architecture and contemporary fetishism. Visit Amani village, with its sanctuary of sacred crocodiles; visit Tireli village and witness a traditional Dogon mask dance: this spectacular ceremony is an authentic representation of one of the Dogon people's funerary rites.

Overnight camping in a Dogon village with breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6-8 - Desert Festival days

Onward drive (2 hrs) across the dunes to Essakane and enjoy the three days of festivities: music at night, and during the daylight hours more music, dancing, swordplay, poetry, arts and crafts, camel races, and more!

Overnight camping in Essakane with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner on the three festival days

Day 12 - Dogon country - Mopti

Visit the Dogon village Songo, renowned for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings. Circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for all Dogon boys aged 9-14 years old: the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families. Return drive to Mopti. remainder of day for relaxation at the hotel (enjoy the swimming pool!).

Overnight in Mopti (hotel, breakfast)

Day 13 Mopti - Segou

Visit Mopti, called the Venice of Mali because it is nestled between the Bani and the Niger rivers. Mopti is also the "melting pot" of Mali, home to many of Mali's diverse ethnic groups: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Hausa, Songhai. Visit Komoguel mosque, the fishing port and the interesting local market. Afternoon drive to Segou for overnight.

Overnight in Segou (hotel, breakfast)

Day 14 Segou - Bamako

City tour of Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial capital. Stroll through the traditional pottery market on the waterfront. Visit Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom, now just a sleepy village on the banks of the Bani River. See the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly. Afternoon return travel to Bamako.

Overnight in Bamako (hotel, breakfast)

Day 15 Segou - Bamako

Bamako city tour: begin with a panoramic overview of this sprawling city from Point G, then visit the National Museum, the colorful city market, the artisans' village and the fetish market for traditional medicine. Hotel day-room check-out is at 6:00 PM. At the appropriate time, transfer to the airport for your onward flight home.

Day room (breakfast)

Hotel check-in 2:00 pm; check-out 12:00 noon
Day-room check-out 6:00 pm (later check-out is at the traveler’s expense)

Let us know if you need a room earlier and/or later than the tour-included dates and times.

Day 3 & 4 - Sevare –Mopti (Sail the Niger River)

Onward travel to Mopti, to begin your three full days of sailing the beautiful Niger River: visit Bozo fishermen's villages and nomadic Fulani camps along the way. See Mali's varied birdlife along the shore, and very likely see hippos in the river (caution—do not approach the hippos).

Overnight camping on the riverbank with breakfast, lunch, dinner on both sailing days

Day 5 - Sail to Timbuktu (Niger River)

Final moments to take in the sights and sounds of the Niger River, and arrive in Timbuktu. Transfer from port to town; city tour of Timbuktu: visit the old mosques and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Institute’s archives of ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the city market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert — historically, salt from the north was traded for gold and slaves from the south.

Overnight in Timbuktu (hotel, breakfast)