Mali tour / Dogon Country Trek -

3-day Dogon country trek, plus Mopti, Djenne, Segou and Bamako

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 — Sevare (630 km; ~7˝hrs)

Begin your journey with a drive through the heartland of Mali, towards Dogon country; en route visit Terekongo, a Bobo village with a sacred well; overnight in Sevare (Hotel Flandre, or similar)

Day 3: Sevare — Dogon country (110 km; ~2hrs)

Short drive onward to Mali's fascinating Dogon country; visit the village Songo with its renowned rock paintings and circumcision grotto; circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years, and the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families. Continue to Sangha; check into your hotel, then visit Sangha, Ogols and Bongo; see the traditional women's house, the sacrificial altar of the Hogon (the Dogon people's traditional and religious leader); visit a Dogon seer and optionally have a divination ceremony performed; overnight at your Sangha hotel (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)

Days 4, 5 and 6: Dogon country trek

Begin your trek along the magnificent Bandiagara escarpment; depending on your stamina, visit the villages Arou, Koundou, Ireli, Banani, Ibi, Yuga Na, Yuga Pili and Yuga Dogourou; camping in a village on nights 4 and 5; overnight at the Sangha hotel on night 6

Day 7: Dogon country — Mopti (120 km; ~2hrs) / Niger River

Depart Dogon country and drive to Mopti, also known as the Venice of Mali, because it is sometimes completely surrounded by the waters of the Niger and Bani rivers; city tour, including the mosque, the port, and the bustling local market where many of Mali's ethnic groups come to trade: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg and Songhay; enjoy a relaxing sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional pinnace (motorized riverboat); overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)

Day 8: Mopti — Djenne (130 km; ~1˝hr) — Segou (332 km; ~4˝hrs)

Drive to Djenne, historical sister-city of Timbuktu and one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; visit the town and see the magnificent Great Mosque — originally constructed in the XIIIth century, it is the largest mud-brick architecture in the world; also visit bogolan artisans (makers of traditional mudcloth) in their workshops; in the afternoon, drive to and overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)

Day 9: Segou — Bamako (235 km; ~3hrs)

City tour of Segou, Mali's second largest city and former colonial capital; stroll through the pottery market on the waterfront; also visit Sekoro village, ancient capital of the Bambara kingdom, now just a sleepy village on the river; see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly. Onward drive to Bamako; city tour of Bamako, as time permits: overview of the sprawling city from Point G, visit the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village; in the evening, transfer to the airport for your final departure