Mali Eco-Tour :

Day 1 Saturday: Arrival in Bamako, MALI

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

Day 2 Sunday: Bamako - Djenne (570 km; ~7hrs)

Breakfast, then begin your ecotour of Mali with a scenic drive through the heartland to Djenne; with sight-seeing en-route; overnight in Djenne (Hotel Campement, or similar)

Day 3 Monday: Djenne - Mopti (130 km; ~1½hr)

Visit Djenne, ancient sister-city of Timbuktu, on its colorful weekly market day; see the magnificent Great Mosque, the world's largest mud brick architecture, one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; stroll through the ancients streets and alleys, and visit the tomb of the young girl sacrificed to appease the spirits; drive to Mopti for overnight (Hotel Ya Pas de Probleme, or similar)

Day 4 Tuesday: Mopti - Timbuktu (550 km; ~6hrs)

Interesting drive across the Sahel ecosystem, to the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert; observe the limited but robust vegetation adapted to this harsh climate; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel du Desert, or similar)

Day 5 Wednesday: Timbuktu - Sahara Desert

Visit the legendary and historical city of Timbuktu: see the ancient mosques and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Institute archives of ancient Islamic manuscripts, the explorers' houses, and the market which receives the azalaïs, the salt caravans from the desert — at one time salt was literally worth its weight in gold; visit a dune reclamation project and plant some trees to combat desertification; in the afternoon, depart on your camel caravan into the desert to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes; the Tuareg people are known as the Princes of the desert, or the Blue Men of the desert (for the blue tinge on their skin from their indigo-dyed clothing); overnight camping with your Tuareg hosts

Day 6 Thursday: Timbuktu - Dogon country (670 km; ~8hrs)

Return drive across the Sahel, all the way to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; lunch break and sightseeing en-route; overnight in Sangha, on the edge of the Bandiagara escarpment (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)

Day 7 Friday: Dogon Country

Morning foot-trek to 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; your trek will be tailored for you, according to your ability and desire to trek; afternoon visit to a traditional medicine research center; option to witness a traditional Dogon mask dance; overnight camping in a Dogon village

Day 8 Saturday: Dogon country - Mopti (120 km; ~2hrs)

Plant mango trees in a Dogon village; afternoon return drive to Mopti; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Ya Pas de Probleme, or similar)

Day 9 Sunday: Mopti / Niger River

Full day's sailing excursion on the Niger River; visit Bozo fishing villages and nomadic Fulani camps along the shore; observe the large variety of Mali's birds, and perhaps see hippos in the river (do not approach—hippos are dangerous); overnight camping on the river bank

Day 10 Monday: Mopti - Teriyabugu - Segou (450 km; ~5½hrs)

Drive to Teriyabugu village to see a remarkable rural sustainable development project, founded in the 1980's — farming, small-animal husbandry, bee-keeping, tree-farming, solar-energy production, biogas and biofuel production; onward to Segou for overnight (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 11 Tuesday: Segou - Bamako (235 km; ~3hrs)

Visit Segou, Mali's former colonial capital; see the interesting mixture of colonial and traditional architecture, and stroll through the pottery market on the waterfront; also visit Sekoro village, former capital of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly; return drive to Bamako; rest of day at leisure; overnight in Bamako (Hotel Mande, or similar)

Day 12 Wednesday: Bamako - final departure

City tour of Bamako: panoramic overview of this sprawling city from Point G; visit the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village and the fetish market for traditional medicine; also visit Bamako's "submersible bridge" (passable only in the dry season), a remarkable local adaptation to the cycles of the river; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure