Massina Tour : Mali and Burkina Faso

Saga Tours of Mali — West Africa Adventure Travel
Tel +223.6673.1631
Tel +223.7641.7383
tours@sagatours.com

[Full graphics version]

Massina Tour – 15 days
Mali and Burkina Faso

An enchanting glimpse into the heart of West Africa

14 nights hotel; no camping

Every tour is private, scheduled on dates of your choice, beginning and ending on a Friday in Bamako, MALI; 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.

Day 1 Friday: 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)

Day 2 Saturday: Bamako - Segou (235 km; ~3hrs)
Welcome to West Africa ! Begin your personal discovery journey through Mali; have breakfast, then depart at 9h00 AM: we will drive to and visit Segou, Mali's former colonial capital, with its interesting mix of traditional and colonial architecture. After lunch, we will visit the market and the Kasobane boutique with its high-end traditional and contemporary textile art; we will stop by the Nieleni cooperative, which makes hand-woven high-quality wool rugs; then visit another women's cooperative that makes traditional millet beer. We end the day with stroll through the traditional pottery market on the waterfront; overnight in Segou (Hotel Independance, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 3 Sunday: Segou - Mopti (405 km; ~5hrs) / Niger River
Breakfast, then 8h00 AM departure and onward drive through the heartland of Mali, to Mopti, the "melting pot" of Mali, located between the Bani and the Niger rivers; afternoon city tour of Mopti: 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.); in late afternoon, we will enjoy a tranquil sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional pirogue; overnight in Mopti (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 4 Monday: Mopti - Djenne (130 km; ~1½hr) - Mopti
9h00 AM we depart on our excursion to Djenne, to experience the large weekly market, when Djenne is at its colorful best. 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, and return to Mopti for overnight (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 5 Tuesday: 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)
with Breakfast

Day 6 Wednesday: 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 (Hotel Hendrina Khan, or similar)

NB: due to security concerns we do not go deep into the desert.

with Breakfast

Day 7 Thursday: 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; overnight in Bandiagara (Hotel La Falaise, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 8 Friday: Dogon country
This morning we will visit the Dogon village Songo, renowned for its rock paintings and circumcision grotto; traditional circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families.
Then we continue to Sangha and enjoy a walking tour of this large agglomeration of 10 distinct Dogon villages–some animist, some Islamic; we will see some beautiful examples of the unique Dogon architecture and fetishes. We will descend the Bandiagara escarpment (on foot, if you wish) to the village Banani, one of the most beautiful of the cliff villages; option to witness a traditional Dogon mask dance; then we return to and overnight in Sangha (Hotel Campement Guina, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 9 Saturday: Dogon country - Ouahigouya, BURKINA FASO (150 km; ~4hrs)
We will visit Madougou village on the Senou plain in the morning, then depart Dogon country and Mali, driving through picturesque villages and cross into Burkina Faso; arrive in Ouahigouya; overnight in Ouahigouya (Hotel Amitie, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 10 Sunday: Ouahigouya - Ouagadougou (180 km; ~2½hrs)
This morning we visit Ouahigouya, capital of the old Yatenga kingdom; we will visit the historic Yatenga Naba's compound (Naba = "King") and Naba Kango's tomb—Naba Kango was one of the most fearsome of the Mossi rulers; he died violently in 1787; in the afternoon, we will drive to Ouagadougou for overnight (Hotel Silmande, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 11 Monday: Ouagadougou
Today we have a full day to explore Ouagadougou, capital city of Burkina Faso: we will visit the Moro Naba's palace and the Grand Market; we will also visit the Music Museum if it is reopened (currently under renovation), and the crafts markets at the Artisans' Center, where we will find talented artisans making basketry, batik fabrics, wooden statues and masks, jewelry, leatherwork and bronze castings.
In the afternoon we take an excursion to the Parc Urbaiin Bangr-Weoogo—with its crocodile lagoons, a mini-zoo, and well-tended gardens,it makes a nice respite from the city; overnight in Ouagadougou (Hotel Silmande, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 12 Tuesday: Ouagadougou - Deux Bales National Parc - Bobo Dioulasso (355 km; ~5½hrs)
Today we will visit the National Museum, with its interesting collection of regional clothing, masks, household utensils and ancestral statues. Then we depart Ouaga and drive southwest towards Bobo Dioulasso; en route, we will visit Sabou village with its totem crocodiles, and Deux Bales National Parc in the hopes of spotting elephants; continue to and overnight in Bobo Dioulasso (Hotel Auberge, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 13 Wednesday: Bobo Dioulasso - Sikasso (Mali) (170 km; ~3hrs)
This morning we visit Bobo Dioulasso, the "house of the Bobo merchants" in the local language; this is Burkina Faso's second largest city. We will visit old mosque, the Houet Museum, and the old Kibidwe artisans' district where we will see traditional blacksmiths, potters, and dyers at work. In the afternoon we depart Bobo Dioulasso, cross the Mali border, and continue to Sikasso for overnight (Hotel Kaaky, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 14 Thursday: Sikasso - Bamako (375 km; ~5hrs)
Today we visit historic Sikasso, former capital of the Kenedougou empire, in the heart of Senoufo country, and Mali's green belt. We will visit the Mamelon, residence of the former kings of Sikasso; and the Tata, remnants of a large palisade that encircled the city and for a time held off the French colonial army; after lunch, we will drive to Bamako for overnight (Grand Hotel, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 15 Friday: Bamako - final departure
And today we visit Bamako: 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 also visit the city market, the artisans' village, and the fetish market for traditional medicine. In the evening, transfer to the airport for your onward flight
with 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:

14 nights hotel, double occupancy, with breakfast
day-room in Bamako 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
Sahara Desert excursion by camel caravan to visit a Tuareg camp on the dunes
experienced English-speaking guide throughout
airport transfers upon arrival and departure in Bamako
all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes
all site visit, excursion and entry fees as per tour program

Tour package does not include: international airfare to/from Bamako, MALI; tourism visas (Mali and Burkina Faso); lunches, dinners, drinks/bottled water; optional Dogon mask dance; tips and personal expenses.

Optional traditional Dogon mask dance in a village — upon request

Hotel upgrade is available in Bamako and Ouagadougou; contact us for prices.

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