Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana — 23 days

Day 2 Saturday: Bamako - Segou (235 km) (B)
Bamako city tour: start at Point G and the panoramic overview of the city; visit the National Museum, the city market and the artisans' village, where you will see local craftsmen at work: silversmiths, woodcarvers, weavers, and leatherworkers; in the afternoon, 3-hour drive to Segou; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 3 Sunday: Segou - Mopti (405 km) (B)
Visit Segou, Mali's second city and former colonial capital; see the interesting mixture of traditional and colonial architecture; stroll through the pottery market on the waterfront; visit Sekoro village (the "old Segou"), former capital of the Bambara kingdom; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly; in the afternoon, 3½-hour drive to Mopti; overnight in Mopti/Sevare (Hotel Kanaga / Hotel Ambedjele, or similar)

Day 4 Monday: Mopti - Djenne (130 km) - Mopti (B)
City tour of Mopti, called the Venice of Mali; see the beautiful mosque and the fishing port, bustling commercial center; excursion to Djenne to see the colorful weekly market; 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; return to and overnight in Mopti/Sevare (Hotel Kanaga / Hotel Ambedjele, or similar)

Day 5 Tuesday: Mopti - Timbuktu (550 km) (B)
After breakfast, depart Mopti and drive across the Sahel (~6 hours), to the legendary city of Timbuktu, at the edge of the Sahara Desert ! overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 6 Wednesday: Timbuktu / Sahara Desert (B)
Visit the mythical city of Timbuktu: see the ancient mosques (built in the XIV^th century) and former universities, the museum and the Ahmed Baba Institute archives of ancient 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; return to and overnight in Timbuktu (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

Day 7 Thursday: Timbuktu - Mopti (550 km) / Niger River (B)
Return drive (~6 hours) across the Sahel, to Mopti; arrive in time to enjoy a relaxing sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional pirogue; overnight in Mopti/Sevare (Hotel Kanaga / Hotel Ambedjele, or similar)

Day 8 Friday: Mopti - Dogon country (120 km) (B)
After breakfast, drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; visit the Dogon village Songo, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto; continue to Sangha, on the edge of the Bandiagara escarpment; overnight in Sangha (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)

Day 9 Saturday: Dogon country (B)
Descend the Bandiagara escarpment to visit the villages Banani (note the ancient Tellem cave dwellings in the cliff face), Ireli, Amani (visit the sacred crocodile sanctuary), and Tireli, where you will witness a fascinating traditional Dogon mask dance; overnight in Bandiagara (Hotel Kambary / Hotel La Falaise, or similar)

Day 10 Sunday: Dogon country - Bobo Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO (540 km) (B)
Breakfast, then depart Mali and drive (~6 hours) to Burkina Faso; overnight in Bobo Dioulasso (Hotel auberge, or similar)

Day 11 Monday: Bobo Dioulasso - Banfora (85 km) (B)
Visit Bobo Dioulasso ("house of the Bobo merchants"), Burkina's second largest city; see the old mosque and visit the old Kibidwe artisans' district, where you will see blacksmiths, potters, and dyers at work; in the afternoon drive to Banfora; overnight in Banfora (Hotel Canne a Sucre, or similar)

Day 12 Tuesday: Banfora - Bobo Dioulasso (85 km) (B)
Visit the Karfiguela waterfalls and enjoy a boat ride on Lac Tengrela before returning to Bobo Dioulasso; overnight in Bobo (Hotel Auberge, or similar)

Day 13 Wednesday: Bobo Dioulasso - Ouagadougou (355 km) (B)
After breakfast depart for Ouagadougou (~4 hours); en route, cross the Deux Bales National Park and perhaps see elephants; brief stop in Sabou village to see the crocodiles; overnight in Ouagadougou (Hotel Silmande, or similar)

Day 14 Thursday: Ouagadougou (B)
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; 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 15 Friday: Ouagadougou - Tamale, GHANA (360 km) (B)
Depart Burkina Faso for Ghana (~4 hours); overnight in Tamale (Gariba Lodge, or similar)

Day 16 Saturday: Tamale - Mole National Park (135 km) (B)
Visit the Tamale market and the National Cultural Center; afternoon drive to Mole National Park; overnight in Mole Park Hotel (or similar)

Day 17 Sunday: Mole National Park (B)
Day of game drives in Mole Park; perhaps see elephants, buffalo, hippos, various species of antelopes, monkeys and birds; overnight in Mole Park Hotel (or similar)

Day 18 Monday: Mole Park - Larabanga - Kumasi (350 km) (B)
Visit Larabanga to see the old mosque which may be the oldest building in Ghana. Onward to Kumasi, in Ghana's Ashante country; overnight in Kumasi (Hotel Georgia, or similar)

Day 22 Friday: Cape Coast - Accra (165 km) (B)
Drive to Accra, with a visit of Winneba, traditional capital of the Afutu people, en route; visit the lively fishing harbor; check-into your Accra hotel and enjoy a free afternoon by the pool; overnight in Accra (Hotel Shangri-La, or similar)

Day 23 Saturday: 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