Bamako, Mali
West Africa
Tel/Fax +223.2020.2708
Fax +223.2020.9002
sagatours@sagatours.com
[Text-only version]
Wasulu Tour –
Senegal · Mali · Burkina Faso · Ghana
The bright stars of West Africa
15 days / 14 nights hotel, no camping
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Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, beginning on a Tuesday in Dakar, SENEGAL and ending on a Tuesday in Accra, GHANA; there are no fixed-date scheduled departures.
Contact us for prices. Groups of any size are welcome. Be sure to specify the month/year of travel, and how many persons are in your party—prices are digressive, so a better value per person for a party of four than a party of two, etc.
Option: add Timbuktu to this tour; this adds three supplemental days (see bottom of page).
Please specify if you want to add Timbuktu.
ITINERARY
20 Oct. 2009
Day 1 Tuesday: Arrival in Dakar, SENEGAL
International flight arrives in Dakar in the evening; airport-to-hotel transfer; overnight in Dakar (Hotel Novotel / Savana / Farid or similar)
Day 2 Wednesday: Dakar/Goree Island - Saint Louis (265 km; ~3½hrs)
City tour of Dakar including the colorful Kermel market; then board the ferry for Goree Island, old slavery depot for some 300 years; visit the House of Slaves and the Historical Museum; lunch on Goree, then return to Dakar by ferry and onward drive to historic Saint Louis; overnight in Saint Louis (Hotel Cap St. Louis, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 3 Thursday: Saint Louis / Parc Djoudj (60 km; ~½hr)
Excursion to the Parc Djoudj national bird sanctuary, one of Unesco's World Heritage sites, and one of the richest in birds in the world; enjoy a pirogue ride to better view the many species of cormorants, pelicans, ducks, flamingos, various songbirds and more; you may also see crocodiles, boas and wild boars; in the afternoon, visit old colonial Saint Louis city; overnight in Saint Louis (Hotel Cap St. Louis, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 4 Friday: Saint Louis - Dakar (265 km; ~3½hrs)
Return drive to Dakar; remainder of day at leisure; overnight in Dakar (Hotel Novotel / Savana / Farid or similar)
with BreakfastDay 5 Saturday: Dakar - Bamako - Segou (235 km; ~3hrs)
Airport transfer for 08h00 AM flight to Bamako; city tour of Bamako: get a panoramic overview of this sprawling city from Point G; then visit the National Museum, the city market, and the artisans' village; afternoon drive to Segou; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 6 Sunday: Segou - Mopti (405 km; ~4½hrs)
Morning tour of Segou, Mali's second city and former colonial capital; see the interesting mix of colonial and traditional architecture; 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; afternoon drive to Mopti; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 7 Monday: Mopti - Djenne (130km; ~1½hr)
- MoptiExcursion to Djenne on its weekly market day, when Djenne is at its colorful best; stroll around the market stalls, spread out before the magnificent Great Mosque; this is the world's largest mud brick architecture, originally constructed in the XIIIth century, one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; in the afternoon, return to Mopti in time to enjoy a relaxing sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional hand-made pirogue; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 8 Tuesday: Mopti - Dogon country (120 km; ~2hrs)
Drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; explore magnificent villages along the Bandiagara cliff, and see many examples of the unique traditional architecture and contemporary fetishes; exact village to be visited will depend on your walking/climbing preferences; option to witness a traditional Dogon mask dance, an authentic representation of one of the Dogon people's mourning rituals; overnight in Sangha (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 9 Wednesday: Dogon country - Ouagadougou, BURKINA FASO (330 km; ~6hrs)
Depart Dogon country, driving through picturesque rural villages and cross into Burkina Faso; onward to Ouagadougou for overnight (Hotel Silmande, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 10 Thursday: Ouagadougou
Full day to explore Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital city; visit the Grand Market and the National Museum, with its interesting collection of regional clothing, masks, household utensils and ancestral statues; visit the Music museum, and 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)
with BreakfastDay 11 Friday: Ouagadougou - Tiebele - Tamale, GHANA (460 km; ~6hrs)
Onward to Tiebele village, in Burkina's Gourounsi country; visit magnificent fortress-like houses and compounds, colorfully painted with traditional motifs; continue to the Ghana border, and onward to Tamale for overnight (Gariba Lodge, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 12 Saturday: Tamale - Kumasi (390 km; ~4½hrs)
Visit the Tamale market and the National Cultural Center; then depart for Kumasi, with a visit to the Baobeng-Fiema monkey sanctuary en-route; overnight in Kumasi (Hotel Georgia, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 13 Sunday: Kumasi - Elmina (240 km; ~3½hrs)
Visit Kumasi: 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; finish with a stroll to St. Jago Hill for a panoramic overview of historic Elmina; overnight in Elmina (Elmina Beach Resort, or similar)
with BreakfastDay 14 Monday: Elmina - Cape Coast - Accra (165 km; ~2hrs)
Drive to Cape Coast to visit the 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)
with BreakfastDay 15 Tuesday: Accra - final departure
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
with Breakfast1 km ~ 0.6 mile; distances are approximate
Driving times are approximate, depending on local conditions, stops, and border crossings
NB: Hotels subject to availability; see proposed hotels description.
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The tour with these hotels is our default "Better" standard (3-4* hotels where available).
Upgrade to "Best" standard (4-5* hotels where available) is also possible. NB: in rural areas there is little choice of accommodations, and we utilize the same "best available" hotels for all tour standards. |
Please note: during the rainy season (July/Aug/Sep) the visit to Parc Djoudj in Senegal is replaced by the Langue de Barbarie bird sanctuary, as Parc Djoudj is closed.
Tour package includes:
- 14 nights hotel, double occupancy, with breakfast
- day-room in Accra on the final day
- private ground transportation by air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle, with driver and fuel
- one-way airfare Dakar-Bamako; with airport transfers
- ferry excursion to Goree Island
- excursion to Parc Djoudj national bird sanctuary
- sunset sail on the Niger River
- experienced English-speaking guide throughout
- airport transfers upon arrival in Dakar and departure in Accra
- all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes
- all site visit, excursion and entry fees as per tour program
Tour package does not include: international flights to Dakar, SENEGAL and onward from Accra, GHANA; tourism visas (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana); lunches, dinners, drinks/bottled water; tips, optional Dogon mask dance, and personal expenses.
Optional traditional Dogon mask dance in a village — upon requestHotel upgrades in the capital cities are available upon request.
NB: Posted itineraries are subject to change, and quoted prices are accordingly subject to change; itineraries and prices are locked-in when a tour is booked; airfare is subject to change until tickets are purchased.Please note: Saga Tours does not handle international air reservations and ticketing.
Optional Timbuktu extension :
Day 8 Tuesday: Mopti - Timbuktu (550 km; ~6hrs)Interesting drive across the Sahel ecosystem, to the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert; overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)with Breakfast |
Day 9 Wednesday: Timbuktu - Sahara DesertVisit 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; 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); return to Timbuktu for overnight (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)with Breakfast |
Day 10 Thursday: Timbuktu - Mopti (550 km; ~6hrs)Return drive across the Sahel to Mopti; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)with Breakfast |
Day 11 Friday: tour resumes where it was interrupted, Day 8 - Day 15 (becoming Day 11 - Day 18) |
Supplemental services package:
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NB: Posted itineraries are subject to change, and quoted prices are accordingly subject to change; itineraries and prices are locked-in when a tour is booked.
Please note: Saga Tours does not handle international air reservations and ticketing.
Before reserving, please see our Terms and Conditions
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