Terminus Timbuktu Tour -

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 - Djenne (570 km; ~7hrs)

Enjoy Mali's sahelian scenery on your scenic drive through the heartland of Mali, to Djenne; see cotton and millet fields, baobab trees, traditional villages with their unique architecture; overnight in Djenne (Hotel Campement, or similar)

Day 3: Djenne - Sevare (120 km; ~1½hr)

Explore Djenne, Timbuktu's ancient sister-city; see the fabulous Great Mosque, originally constructed in the XIII^th century, one of Unesco's World Heritage monuments; visit mudcloth artisans in their workshops; mudcloth is a traditional Malian textile art; after lunch, drive to Sevare for overnight (Hotel de Sevare, or similar)

Day 4: Sevare - Hombori (315 km; ~3½hr) - Douentza (142 km; ~1½hr)

Onward drive across the Sahel, to Hombori; visit the Hand of Fatima, an amazing natural rock formation in the Hombori Mountains; this traditionally sacred site looks like a giant hand emerging from the ground; overnight in Douentza (Hotel Falaise, or similar)

Day 5: Douentza - Timbuktu (315 km; ~4½hrs)

Continue driving across the Sahel, to mythical Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert ! overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 6: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert

Full day in Timbuktu to explore this legendary city: visit the old mosques, 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; historically salt from the north was exchanged for gold and slaves from the south; in the afternoon, enjoy an outing into the great Sahara Desert by camel caravan to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes; the Tuareg people are known as the "Blue Men" of the desert, because of the blue tinge on their skin from their indigo-dyed clothing; return to and overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 7: Timbuktu - Sevare (540 km; ~6hrs)

Say goodbye to Timbuktu and return drive across the Sahel, back to Sevare; overnight in Sevare (Hotel de Sevare, or similar)

Day 8: Sevare - Dogon country (110 km; ~2hrs)

Enter Mali's magnificent Dogon country: visit the Dogon village Songo on the plateau, see its renowned rock paintings and circumcision grotto; this is the sacred site of circumcision ceremonies for the Dogon people; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families; onward to the escarpment, and visit the cliff village Banani; overnight camping in Banani village

Day 9: Dogon country

Full immersion in wonderful Dogon country; descend the Bandiagara escarpment and visit the villages Tireli, Amani (see the sanctuary of sacred crocodiles, totem animal of the Dogon people), and Ireli; overnight camping in Koundou village

Day 10: Dogon country

Visit Yenduma village and the three Yuga villages, on their own miniature escarpment which has separated from the main cliffs; then back up the main cliffs to Sangha; overnight in Sangha (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)

Day 11: Dogon country - Mopti (120 km; ~2hrs) / Niger River

After breakfast, depart Dogon country and drive to Mopti, also called the Venice of Mali because it is surrounded by the waters of the Niger and the Bani rivers; see many of Mali's ethnic groups converge in this important Niger River port city: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Fulani, Dogon, Songhay, Tuareg and Haussa; enjoy a tranquil sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional riverboat; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)

Day 12: Mopti - Segou (405 km; ~4½hrs)

Drive to Segou; en route, visit the village Terekongo, site of a sacred well of the Bobo people; check into your hotel, then visit Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial capital, with its beautiful old Sudanese-style colonial architecture; enjoy a stroll through the pottery market on the riverbank; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 13: Segou - Bamako (235 km; ~3hrs)

Visit Sekoro, the "old Segou" and ancient capital of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of king Biton Coulibaly; and return drive to Bamako; check into your Bamako hotel, then enjoy a Bamako city tour (as time permits): the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village and the fetish market for traditional medicine; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure