Mali · Burkina Faso · Ghana
Togo · Benin

Day 1 : Arrival in Bamako, MALI

International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening; airport-to-hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (Grand Hotel, or similar)

Day 2 : Bamako - Segou (235 km; ~3hrs)

Begin your West African journey with a city tour of Bamako, Mali's lively capital city; visit the National Museum, the city market and artisans' village; afternoon drive to Segou, Mali's former colonial capital; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 3 : Segou - Koutiala - Bobo Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO (380 km; ~4½hrs)

Onward drive through picturesque countryside in the heartland of West Africa, through Mali and cross into Burkina Faso; city tour of Bobo Dioulasso, as time permits: see the old mosque, the Houet Museum, and visit the old Kibidwe artisans' district, where you will see blacksmiths, potters, and dyers at work; overnight in Bobo Dioulasso (Hotel Auberge, or similar)

Day 4 : Bobo Dioulasso - Ouagadougou (355 km; ~4 hrs)

Onward to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's vibrant capital city; after lunch, visit the Grand Market and the National Museum, with its interesting collection of regional clothing, masks, household utensils and ancestral statues; also visit the crafts markets at the Artisans' Center, where you will find basketry, batik fabrics, wooden statues and masks, jewelry, leatherwork and bronze castings; overnight in Ouagadougou (Hotel Silmande, or similar)

Day 5 : Ouagadougou - Tamale (400 km; ~5hrs) - Kumasi, (390 km; ~4½hrs) GHANA

Depart francophone Burkina Faso for anglophone Ghana; lunch stop in Tamale; onward to Kumasi for overnight (Hotel Georgia, or similar)

Day 6 : Kumasi - Elmina (240 km; ~3hr)

Visit Kumasi, in Ghana's Ashante country: the National Cultural Center, the Manhyia Palace, and the Kejetia market, the largest market in West Africa; afternoon drive to Elmina; enjoy a walking tour of St. George's Castle, and finish with a stroll to St. Jago Hill for a panoramic overview of historic Elmina; overnight in Elmina (Elmina Beach Resort, or similar)

Day 7 : Elmina - Cape Coast (15 km; ~¼hr)- Accra (150 km; ~1½hrs)

Short drive to Cape Coast; visit the historic old town section; and visit Cape Coast Castle, former bastion of the Atlantic slave trade, now a Unesco World Heritage site; drive to and overnight in Accra (Novotel Accra, or similar)

Day 8 : Accra - Lome, TOGO (200 km; ~2½hrs)

Onward drive across the border to Lome, Togo (and back into francophone Africa); afternoon city tour of Lome: visit the National Museum, the large and colorful city market, the fetish market (for voudou practitioners) and the artisans' village; overnight in Lome (Hotel Sarakawa, or similar)

Day 9 : Lome - Ouidah (110 km; ~1½hr) - Cotonou, BENIN (40 km; ~½hr)

Depart Togo for Benin, last stage of your West African journey; visit Ouidah, an important traditional religious center and ancient slave depot, which sent tens of thousands of slaves to the new world; visit the Museum in the old Portuguese fort, the temple of pythons, the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Kpasse sacred forest; trace the route of the famous "Slave Road" which leads to the slavery memorial of Zoungbodji; perhaps also witness a traditional voodoo ceremony featuring the spirits of departed ancestors; onward to Cotonou for overnight (Novotel Orisha, or similar)

Day 10 : Cotonou/Ganvie - final departure

City tour of Cotonou, including the huge Dantokpa market, the second largest in West Africa (after Kumasi in Ghana); pirogue excursion to visit Ganvie fishing village, built on stilts over the lagoon; this village was created in the 18th century by the Tofinu people, to escape the slave-raids of their neighbors; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure