Timbuktu Signature

Private vehicle for the day with your english speaking guide.

Today you will visit the National Museum, highlights include the stylized antelope mask of Bamana; various Senoufo statuary, and, of course, the world-renowned antique Dogon Sculptures. The artisan center houses an abundance of shops and stalls selling crafts and curios such as leatherwork, fabric, silverware, masks, carvings and bronze figurines. There is also the artisan’s workshop where you can watch woodcarvers, silversmiths, drum makers and other craftspeople at work.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide.

Take your flight from Bamako to Timbuktu today. The flight duration is approximately 2.5 hrs.

Explore Timbuktu and the surrounding areas with your private vehicle and english speaking guide.

Lunch at a local restaurant

Timbuktu is a legendary city at the border of the Sahara, which was in the past a strategic place in the trans-Sahara trade. At the same time it was an important centre of study of law and theology. In this city you’ll visit the Djingareiber-mosque, built in the 14th century, the Sidi Yahiya –mosque, the Sankoré-mosque, the house of the explorers (Gordon Laing, René Caillé and Heinrich Barth),the Ahmed Baba centre (manuscripts) and the museum. Later in the afternoon you'll go for a sunset trip on the back of a camel to visit the Touaregs(Blue Men of the desert).

Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide.

Take your morning flight from Timbuktu to Mopti today. The flight duration is approximately 1 and a half hour.

Explore Mopti with your english speaking guide in your own private vehicle.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Upon arrival into Mopti you will have a tour of the harbour followed by a canoe-trip at sunset to the junction of rivers Bani and Niger. Mopti is built on three islands at the junction of rivers Bani and Niger. It is an important trade center and a lively town where a lot of ethnic groups live together: the Bozo, Dogon, Bambara, Bella-farmers, Tuareg and the Fulani. The market and the port are full of colours and smells. You can see in the port how the colourful ‘pinasse’-boats are made.

Today you'll have a full day trip with a ‘pinasse’ on the river Niger with picnic. The canoe will bring you to the place where the rivers Bani and Niger meet and further. You can enjoy the wonderful landscape and fishing scenes, watch the wide variety of birds and with a bit of luck observe hippopotami. Lunch will be eaten on the pinasse or at the banks of the river. A few stops will be included to visit the villages near the river.

Drive to Dogon Country (1.5 hs). Today you will visit several Dogon villages.

The Dogon left the Mandingue-country to escape from the Islam and settled themselves in the 15th century in the region that is now known as Dogon country along the cliffs of Bandiagara which are about 200 km long and 200 m high. When the Dogon arrived they encountered the Tellem, pygmies who lived from hunting and collecting fruits and lived in caves in the cliff face. After two centuries of living next to each other the Dogon drove the Tellem away but the houses of the pygmies in the cliff face still exist; they were and still are used by the Dogon as a place for offerings. Because of their isolation the Dogon had few influences from outside and could maintain their culture.

Private vehicle and english speaking guide for the day.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Private vehicle and english speaking guide for the day.

Today you will visit different Dogon villages. Djiguibombo, a beautiful village on the plateau where you see the first ‘tounga’, the ‘discussion hut’, and the house of traditional medicine. In Kani Kombole you will discover its beautiful contemporary mosque, called ‘the small mosque of Djenne’; Teli, a beautiful village built on the slope of a rock, and Begnematou, a village where three religions (Islam, Christianity and animism) live together in peace. Begnematou offers a beautiful view and authentic scenes of village life. Finally on to Songo, known for its’ two yearly circumcision rituals and accompanying rock paintings.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Drive from Bandiagara to Djenne (3hs) with private vehicle, driver and English speaking guide.

Private vehicle and english speaking guide for the duration of the day.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Djenne, founded in the 9th century, received ivory, gold, slaves, wool and cola nuts from the south and transported these products to the north. Since the 12th century the city became very important for this trade. For Muslims, Djenne is an important religious city because of the mosque and the many Koranic schools. Your visit to Djenne, will include its phenomenal mud mosque, the grave of Tapama Djenepo, the young Bozo-girl buried alive to save the city from a flood, and the architectural remainders of Moroccan colonisation.

Drive from Bamako to Segou (4.5 hs) with private vehicle, driver and English speaking guide.

Private vehicle and english speaking guide for the day.

Lunch at a local restaurant (included in tour price).

Visit to Segou, the old capital of the Bambara kingdom and an important city during the colonial period which is still visible in the architecture of some old houses in town and to Segoukoro, the old village of Segou.

Drive from Segou to Bamako with private vehicle, driver and English speaking guide.

Private vehicle for the day with your english speaking guide.