Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana — 12 days

Day 2 Sunday: Bamako - Segou (235 km) (B)
City tour of Bamako: visit the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village, the fetish market for traditional medicine; in the afternoon, drive to Segou; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 3 Monday: Segou - Djenne (320 km) - Mopti (130 km) (B)
Drive to Djenne, arriving in time to see the colorful weekly market, when Djenne is at its colorful best; stroll around the market stalls, spread out before the magnificent Great Mosque, the world's largest mud brick architecture and one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; in the afternoon, drive to Mopti for overnight (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)

Day 4 Tuesday: Mopti - Timbuktu (550 km) (B)
City tour of Mopti, the Venice of Mali, nestled between the Niger and the Bani rivers; Mopti city tour: see the beautiful mosque, the fishing port, and the bustling market where many of Mali's cultural groups can be seen: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg and Songhay; then drive across the Sahel, to the legendary city of Timbuktu, at the edge of the Sahara Desert ! overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 5 Wednesday: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert (B)
Visit the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert; city tour: see the old mosques (built in the 14^th century) and former universities, the museum and archives of scholarly Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, the city market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert; in the afternoon, excursion into the Sahara Desert by camel caravan to visit a Tuareg camp; enjoy tea on the dunes with your Tuareg hosts, the Princes of the Desert; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 7 Friday: Mopti - Dogon country (120 km) (B)
Onward to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; explore magnificent villages along the Bandiagara cliff, and see many examples of the unique traditional architecture and fetishes; overnight in Bandiagara (Hotel Kambary / Hotel La Falaise, or similar)

Day 8 Saturday: Dogon country - Ouagadougou, BURKINA FASO (445 km) (B)
After breakfast depart Mali's Dogon country for Burkina Faso's capital city, Ouagadougou; city tour of Ouagadougou: 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 9 Sunday: Ouagadougou - Tiebele (175 km) - Tamale, GHANA (360 km) (B)
Excursion to Tiebele village, in Gourounsi country; visit magnificent fortress-like houses and compounds, colorfully painted with traditional motifs; onward to Tamale for overnight (Gariba Lodge, or similar)

Day 10 Monday: Tamale - Kumasi (360 km) (B)
Continue to Kumasi, in Ghana's Ashante country; visit Kumasi: the National Cultural Center, the Manhyia Palace, and the Kejetia market, the largest market in West Africa; overnight in Kumasi (Hotel Georgia, or similar)

Day 11 Tuesday: Kumasi - Cape Coast (140 km) - Accra (165 km) (B)
Drive to Cape Coast; Visit the Cape Coast Castle, former bastion of the Atlantic slave trade, now a Unesco World Heritage site; excursion to nearby Elmina; enjoy a walking tour of St. George's Castle; finish with a stroll to St. Jago Hill for a panoramic overview of historic Elmina; drive to and overnight in Accra (Hotel Shangri-La, or similar)

Day 12 Wednesday: Accra - final departure (B)
City tour of Accra, including the National Cultural Center, National Museum, and the Nkrumah Mausoleum; walking tour of James Town, and crafts shopping at the Trade Fair Centre; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure