Saga Tours of Mali — West Africa Adventure Travel
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Kabara Tour – 15 days
Mali · Burkina Faso · Benin

Explore the wonders of West Africa !

14 nights hotel; no camping


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


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)
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)
with Breakfast

Day 3 Sunday: Segou - Mopti (405 km; ~5hrs)
Today we visit Segou, Mali's second city and former colonial capital, with its interesting mix of traditional and colonial architecture; we will stop by the Kasobane boutique with its high-end traditional and contemporary textile art; we will visit the Nieleni cooperative, which makes hand-woven high-quality wool rugs, and visit another women's cooperative that makes traditional millet beer; then we will visit traditional pottery market on the waterfront, before taking a short drive to Sekoro village, which was the original Segou and former capital of the Bambara kingdom; we will meet the village chief, who is a descendant of the founding King Biton Coulibaly.
In the afternoon, we will drive onward to Mopti for overnight (Hotel Kanaga, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 4 Monday: Mopti - Djenne (one-way 130 km; ~1½hr) - Mopti / Niger River
This morning is our city tour of Mopti, the "melting pot" of Mali, located between the Bani and the Niger 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.
Next is our excursion to Djenne, Timbuktu's historical sister-city, on its colorful weekly market day when villagers from miles away come to buy and sell. 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 XIIth century; also see the magnificent Great Mosque, the world's largest mud brick architecture, originally constructed in the XIIIth century, this is one of Unesco's World Heritage sites; we will visit the Djenne museum on our way out of town, as we return to Mopti in time to enjoy a relaxing sunset sail on the Niger River by private river boat; overnight in Mopti (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; we will visit 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 (500 km; ~7-8hrs)
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 Sangha/Bandiagara (Hotel Campement Guina / Hotel La Falaise, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 8 Friday: Dogon country
Today we will visit Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment (another Unesco World Heritage site); we will see many examples of the classic traditional Dogon architecture (small stone houses and circular granaries) and contemporary fetishism. We will descend the Bandiagara escarpment to visit Dogon cliff villages Banani, Ireli, Amani (see the sanctuary of sacred crocodiles, totem animal of the Dogon people), and Tireli, where we may (optionally) witness a traditional Dogon mask dance, which is part of the Dogon people's funerary rites; overnight in Sangha/Bandiagara (Hotel Campement Guina / Hotel La Falaise, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 9 Saturday: Dogon country - Bobo Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO (525-600 km; ~7-8hrs)
This morning we will visit Songo village, renowned for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings; traditional circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families. Then we will depart Mali for Burkina Faso; we cross the BF border and continue to Bobo Dioulasso for overnight (Hotel Auberge, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 10 Sunday: Bobo Dioulasso - Ouagadougou (355 km; ~4½hrs)
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 see the old mosque, the Houet Museum, and visit the old Kibidwe artisans' district where we will see traditional blacksmiths, potters, and dyers at work; in the afternoon, we 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 - Natitingou, BENIN (485 km; ~7hrs)
In Ouagadougou we will visit the National Museum, with its interesting collection of regional clothing, masks, household utensils and ancestral statues; we will also make a brief stop at the Artisans' Center, where we will find basketry, batik fabrics, wooden statues and masks, jewelry, leatherwork and bronze castings. Then drive to Fada N'Gourma, onward to the Burkina-Benin border and continue to Natitingou, in Somba country; overnight in Natitingou (Hotel Tata Somba, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 13 Wednesday: Natitingou - Abomey (420 km; ~6hrs)
We will visit the Natitingou Museum for an interesting overview of the Somba culture. Then we drive to Abomey, the former Danhomey kingdom, where we will visit the Royal Palace Museum, site of the ancient palaces of the twelve kings of Danhomey, who reigned from 1620 through 1900; we will also visit the artisans' center, renowned for traditional tapestries and bronze castings, formerly reserved for the royal court only. Overnight in Abomey (Motel d'Abomey, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 14 Thursday: Abomey - Cotonou (135 km; ~3hrs)
This morning we continue our southerly route to Allada, site of the first kingdom formed by the Adja descendants of Tado, Togo; the road through town is part of the original slave route used by traders from the ancient Allada kingdom. We will visit the royal palace of the 16th King of Allada, and perhaps meet the King. We will also visit Togoudo's sacred forest, which has several fetishes and is the site of many vodou ceremonies. And ultimately we continue to Cotonou for overnight (Hotel du Lac, or similar)
with Breakfast

Day 15 Friday: Cotonou / Ganvie - final departure
Today we will visit colorful Cotonou, including the huge Dantokpa market, the second largest in West Africa (after Kumasi in Ghana), and the large artisans' center, where artisans can be seen working their crafts.
In the afternon we will take a pirogue excursion to visit Ganvie fishing 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 return to Cotonou; in the evening, transfer to the airport for final departure
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:

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

Optional traditional Dogon mask dance in a village — upon request

Hotel 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.

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

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