Bamako, Mali
West Africa
Tel +223.6673.1631
Tel +223.7641.7383
tours@sagatours.com

[ Text-only ]

See our Facebook photo albums

dogon granaries

Yangasso Tour

Mali · Burkina Faso · Niger · Benin

Bamako to Bobo, Niamey to Ganvié

19 days / 18 nights hotel, no camping

Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, beginning on a Saturday in Bamako, MALI and ending on a Wednesday in Cotonou, BENIN; there are no fixed-date group 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.

ITINERARY

Day 1 Saturday	Arrival in Bamako, MALI International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening; our staff will meet you in the Arrivals hall of Bamako airport, and provide your hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako	Grand Hotel, or similar	(no meals)
Day 2 Sunday	Bamako – Segou (235 km: ~3hrs) Welcome to West Africa ! Begin your West African journey with a city tour of Bamako, Mali's vibrant capital city: over-view of this sprawling city from Point G, with a visit of the ancient grottos and rock paintings. Then on to the National Museum (see www.mnm-mali.org) with its impressive collections of textiles from the 11th to the 20th century; ancient Bamanan, Dogon and Senoufo sculptures; terracota objects from archeological sites; and contemporary African paintings and sculptures. In the afternoon we will visit the city market and the artisans' village, then we will drive through the heartland of Mali to Segou; overnight in Segou	Hotel Independance, or similar	Breakfast
Day 3 Monday	Segou – Djenne – Mopti (465 km; ~6hrs) 8h00 AM departure (or earlier) for our onward drive to Djenne, ancient sister-city of Timbuktu, arriving in time to see the large and colorful weekly market. Djenne was one of the first commercial centers of the Sahel region: it was the meeting place of the nomads from the Sahara, the local farmers and cattleherders, and the fishermen from the inland delta of the Niger. After exploring the market, we will stroll the ancient alleys and narrow streets, and see the oldest house in Djenne, dating from the XII^th century; also see the magnificent Great Mosque, the world's largest mud brick architecture, originally constructed in the XIII^th century, this is one of Unesco's World Heritage sites. We will visit the Djenne museum as we depart Djenne, driving onward to Mopti for overnight	Hotel Kanaga, or similar	Breakfast
Day 4 Tuesday	Mopti / Niger River City tour of Mopti, called the Venice of Mali because it is surrounded by the waters of the Niger and the Bani rivers; we will see the Komoguel mosque, the fishing port (see pirogues being made by hand), and the bustling market where many of Mali's ethnic groups come to trade: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg and Songhay—shop for gold or silver jewelry, hand-made cotton or wool blankets, or some of Mali's beautiful wood carvings (masks, statues, etc.). At day's end we will enjoy a tranquil sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional pirogue; overnight in Mopti	Hotel Kanaga, or similar	Breakfast
Day 5 Wednesday	Mopti – Timbuktu (380 km; ~5½hrs) Enjoy an early morning walk along Mopti's riverfront: note the cargoes of salt slabs just arrived from the northern salt mines, or smoked fish to ship south; see young boys bathing sheep in the river before taking them to market. Around 9h00 AM, we will depart Mopti for an interesting drive across the Sahel ecosystem, to the legendary city of Timbuktu, gateway to the Sahara Desert; along the way, we may see desert nomad families travelling with their camels and goat herds; ferry-crossing and onward to our hotel, for overnight in Timbuktu	Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar	Breakfast
Day 6 Thursday	Timbuktu / Sahara Desert Today we visit the legendary and historical city of Timbuktu. In its glory-days, Timbuktu attracted Muslim scholars from the entire Arab world; 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. Lunchtime break, then in the afternoon we depart on our camel caravan into the Sahara 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 NB: due to security concerns we do not go deep into the desert.	Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar	Breakfast
Day 7 Friday	Timbuktu – Dogon country (455 km; ~6½hrs) Breakfast, then 8h00 AM departure from Timbuktu for our return drive across the Sahel, all the way to Mali's fascinating Dogon country. The Dogon tribe originated in the south of Mali, which they fled to preserve their animist religion from the spread of Islam. When they arrived at the Bandiagara cliffs, they found the Tellem people occupying grottos carved in the face of the cliff; they eventually displaced the Tellem people, and used the grottos to bury their dead; funerary rites are an important part of the Dogon culture; We will check into our hotel, then in the late afternoon we will visit Songo village, renowned for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings—circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for all Dogon boys aged 9-14 years old; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families; overnight in Bandiagara	Hotel Falaise, or similar	Breakfast
Day 8 Saturday	Dogon country 7h00 AM breakfast, then we head for the escarpment; today we will visit the architectural wonders that are Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment: Banani (note the ancient Tellem cave dwellings in the cliff face), Ireli, Amani (visit the sanctuary of sacred crocodiles, totem animal of the Dogon people); and Tireli village, where we will witness a fascinating traditional Dogon mask dance, part of the Dogon people's funerary rites; overnight in Bandiagara	Hotel Falaise, or similar	Breakfast
Day 9 Sunday	Dogon country – Bobo Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO (560 km; ~7½hrs) Breakfast, then 8h00 AM departure from Dogon country, on our way to Burkina Faso; we cross the border and continue to Bobo Dioulasso for overnight	Hotel Auberge, or similar	Breakfast
Day 10 Monday	Bobo Dioulasso – Banfora – Bobo Dioulasso (one-way 85 km; ~1¼hr) Today we visit Bobo Dioulasso, the "house of the Bobo merchants" in the local language; this is Burkina Faso's second largest city. We will see the old mosque, and visit the Houet Museum, which has an interesting clothing exhibit, including war tunics worn by the army of Samory Toure in his seige against Sikasso in the 19th century; there are also replicas of traditional Bobo and Fulani homes in the museum courtyard. We will visit the old Kibidwe artisans' district where we will see traditional blacksmiths, potters, and dyers at work. In the afternoon, we take an excursion to Banfora and Lac Tengrela, to see the hippos; return to Bobo Dioulasso for overnight	Hotel Auberge, or similar	Breakfast
Day 11 Tuesday	Bobo Dioulasso – Ouagadougou (355 km; ~4½hrs) Onward drive Ouagadougou; we will check into our hotel, then explore Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital city: we will visit the Grand Market and the National Museum, with its interesting collection of regional clothing, masks, household utensils and ancestral statues; then the crafts markets at the Artisans' Center, where we will find basketry, batik fabrics, wooden statues and masks, jewelry, leatherwork and bronze castings. We will also visit the Music Museum if it has reopened (closed for renovations). Overnight in Ouagadougou	Hotel Silmande, or similar	Breakfast
Day 12 Wednesday	Ouagadougou – Niamey, NIGER (500 km; ~6½hrs) After breakfast, we will depart Burkina Faso for Niger—observe the Sahelian countryside and rural villages as we drive northeastward; we cross the border and continue to Niamey for overnight	Grand Hotel, or similar	Breakfast
Day 13 Thursday	Niamey NB: due to security concerns we do not go into the desert. Today we will have a city tour of Niamey, including the National Museum and exhibits of dinosaur skeletons, as well as the infamous Arbre de Ténéré, the large city market, and the artisans' village Wadata; we will visit the Grand Mosque with its massive minaret and tiled dome. In the afternoon we take an excursion to Koure to see one the last remaining herds of giraffes in West Africa; return to Niamey for overnight	Grand Hotel, or similar	Breakfast
Day 14 Friday	Niamey – Parakou, BENIN (620 km; ~8hrs) We will depart the Sahel today, on our way to the greener tropics; see the countryside change as we cross into Benin and continue south, for overnight in Parakou	Hotel Majestic, or similar	Breakfast
Day 15 Saturday	Parakou – Abomey (300 km; ~4hrs) Today we continue onward to Abomey, city of Benin's former Danhomey kings; we will begin our city tour of Abomey (see below), as time permits; overnight in Abomey	Motel d'Abomey, or similar	Breakfast
Day 16 Sunday	Abomey Today we have a full day to continue exploring Abomey, former capital of the Danhomey kingdom; we will visit the Royal Palace and Museum, site of the the ancient palaces of the twelve kings of Abomey (Unesco World Heritage site), who reigned from 1620 through 1900; we will visit the artisans' center, renowned for traditional tapestries and bronze castings, formerly reserved for the royal court only; in the afternoon, we can explore the Dahomey Trail with its unrestored palaces and fetish temples; overnight in Abomey	Motel d'Abomey, or similar	Breakfast
Day 17 Monday	Abomey – Ouidah (120 km; ~1½hr) Onward drive to Ouidah, the voudou capital of West Africa, and an important traditional religious center and ancient slave depot, which sent thousands of slaves to the new world; we will 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; overnight in Ouidah	Hotel DK, or similar	Breakfast
Day 18 Tuesday	Ouidah – Cotonou (40 km; ~¾hr) Drive to Cotonou, capital city of Benin; we will have a city tour of Cotonou, including the fish market and the international Dantokpa market, with its fetish section and handcraft center; we will visit the local Missebo market, which has a huge selection of colorful African fabric; we will also visit artisans at work in the Handicraft Promotion Center; overnight in Cotonou	Hotel du Lac, or similar	Breakfast
Day 19 Wednesday	Cotonou / final departure (110 km; ~1½hr) This morning we will take a short drive to Abomey-Calavi for a private pirogue excursion to Ganvie village, built on stilts over the lagoon waters of Lake Nokoue; this village was created in the 18th century by the Tofinu people, to escape the slave-raids of their neighbors; women sell fish, fruits and vegetables from their canoes, and fish-farming is practiced within enclosures of trees and branches that surround the village. We will return to Cotonou and have the remainder of day at leisure, for last-minute shopping, or just relax at your hotel before you onward flight; evening transfer to the airport	day-room	Breakfast

1 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.

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.

Tour package includes:

18 nights hotel, double occupancy, with breakfast
day-room in Cotonou on the final day
private ground transportation by air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle, with driver and fuel
sunset sail on the Niger River by private river boat
traditional Dogon mask dance in a village
camel caravan into the Sahara Desert to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes
optional excursion to Koure in Niger, to see giraffes
pirogue excursion to Ganvie village in Benin
experienced English-speaking guide throughout
airport transfers upon arrival in Bamako and departure in Cotonou
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 Bamako, MALI and onward from Cotonou, BENIN; tourism visas (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin); lunches, dinners, drinks/bottled water; tips and personal expenses.

Hotel upgrades in the capital cities are available, upon request.

Please note: Saga Tours does not handle international air reservations and ticketing.

Before reserving, please see our Terms and Conditions

Yangasso Tour

Mali · Burkina Faso · Niger · Benin

Bamako to Bobo, Niamey to Ganvié

19 days / 18 nights hotel, no camping

Home

Multi-country Tours

Mali Tours

Reserve a Tour

FAQs