Mali Tours

Mandinka has 8-day and 14-day Mali tour itineraries. Both feature tours of Djenne, Mopti, and the Dogon Country.  The 14-day Mali tour also includes Timbuktu and visits among the Tuareg. We can also provide a custom travel itinerary to include anything specific you want to see while travelling in Mali.

     Mali Expedition (8 Days)

About Mali

Rock paintings and carvings which can be seen in the regions of Timbuktu and Gao suggest that northern Mali has been inhabited for more than 50,000 years. It is a country with a proud and fascinating history. From the vibrant capital of Bamako, through the bustling port of Mopti, to the farthest reaches of human habitation in fabled Timbutktu, Mali has both spectacular scenery and captivating culture. You will travel through some of the most exotic places on the continent as you discover the world’s largest mud building, the mosque of Djenne, and go on to trek the enchanting Dogon country with its “witch’s hat” hamlets and welcoming inhabitants. Rising high above the villages, you will be able to take in the magnificent view of the colossal Bandiagara Escarpment, with its ancient cliff dwellings still in use today. Cruise the Niger River in a motorized longboat as you enjoy the rich bird life of the Inland Delta and visit island-dwelling fisher tribes. In Bamako you can meander through the busy market, get a glimpse of salt slabs brought from the desert, and listen to some of Mali’s world-renowned musicians. The truly adventurous will want to climb the challenging Hand of Fatima in the Hombori Mountains. And you cannot visit Mali without experiencing Timbuktu, the town at the end of the world, where the camel caravans still depart as they did a thousand years ago, on their timeless journeys across the Sahara.

Total area: 480,000 sq. mi.
Population: 12 million
Capital: Bamako
Currency: CFA
Official language: French
Local languages: Bambara, Dogon, Fula, Songhai, Bozo, Tamashek
Religion: Muslim (80%), indigenous (20%)

Mali Expedition (14 Days)
Day 1	Arrive Bamako, be met by guide at airport and transfer to 4-star hotel (Hotel Salaam)
Day 2	Drive to Djenne, Timbuktu's ancient sister-city on the Niger; marvel at the magnificent Grand Mosque, the largest mud structure in the world and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites (Campement du Djenne)
Day 3	Continue walking tour of Djenne in the morning, then drive to Mopti in the afternoon (Hotel Kanaga)
Day 4	Explore Mopti, also known as the Venice of Mali due to its location between the Bani and Niger rivers; board a pinasse (motorized longboat) to see Mopti’s vibrant port and visit island-dwelling fishermen; take a stroll in the bustling market where many of Mali's ethnic groups come to trade (Hotel Kanaga)
Day 5	Drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; visit Songo village, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto; continue to Sangha, comprised of 10 distinct animist and Islamic villages; walking tour of Sangha; overnight at compound of village chief
Day 6	Trek along Dogon villages of the dramatic Bandiagara Escarpment; see many examples of the typical Dogon architecture and ancient Tellem cave dwellings situated on the cliff; overnight in a Dogon village
Day 7	Continue our expedition in Dogon country; overnight in village
Day 8	Finish our trek and travel back to Mopti (Hotel Kanaga)
Day 9	Embark on our river journey to Timbuktu; enjoy colorful settlements along the banks of the Niger and extraordinarily beautiful scenery as we pass from lush wetlands into the grassy scrublands of the Sahel (camping in tents by the side of river)
Day 10	We continue our cruise upriver towards the Sahara, noting the changes in vegetation and wildlife as we approach the desert (tented camping)
Day 11	Arrive in Timbuktu, the mythical “city of gold” and magical “last place on earth”; see the ancient mosques and former universities, the museum, the explorers' houses, and the market which receives the azalaïs (the salt caravans from the desert) (Hotel Colombe)
Day 12	Continue our tour of Timbuktu in the morning; in the afternoon, depart on your camel caravan into the desert to visit a Tuareg camp; the Tuareg people are known as the Princes of the Desert (Hotel Colombe)
Day 13	Fly to Bamako (Hotel Salaam) or have the option to drive to Mopti (Hotel Kanaga) and visit Segou the following day
Day 14	Finish in Bamako, relax in a day room until transfer to the airport for your departure flight (Hotel Salaam)

For questions, more information, and to schedule a tour, please contact us.