Discover Mali and the Road to Timbuktu

Day 1 ­ Friday:  Depart New York/Kennedy Airport in the early evening.

Day 2 ­ Saturday:  Arrive Bamako, Mali where you will be met and transferred to the Mande Hotel.

Day 3 ­ Sunday:  Early departure for the charming town of Segou. Late morning arrival and check in at the Hotel Auberge. Lunch at the hotel. Afternoon city tour visiting the popular quarters, harbor and the Tapestry Center. Overnight at Segou. (B, D)

Day 4 ­ Monday:  Breakfast and then tour to Djenne. This is the devout center of Islamic learning. The marabouts have pupils from the length and breadth of Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.  The Grand Mosque is an incredible clay structure where the faithful, in flowing robes, saunter silently at the call to prayer. (B, D)

Day 5 ­ Tuesday:  Early breakfast and then depart for Mopti. Late morning arrival and check in at the Hotel Kanaga. Lunch at the hotel and in the afternoon, take a tour of the city. Mopti is a leading port and commercial town in Mali. Pirogues pole in and out and Bozo fisherman bring their day's catch to market. The waterfront is one enormous market. Visit the mosque, the fishing port and the market. (B, L, D)

Day 6 ­ Wednesday:  Morning transfer to the airport for a flight to Timbuktu. Transfer to the Hotel Azalai. Afternoon city tour visiting the mosques, explorer's houses, the museum, Ahmed Baba Center and the museum and the Sacred Well. Timbuktu is a little town of sand filled streets and Tuaregs, who have fled the desert. Camels still bring salt in great slabs to its market place. Return to the hotel for lunch and then take a camel ride through the city.

Day 7 ­ Thursday:  Breakfast and transfer to the airport for your return flight to Mopti. Lunch and then an afternoon boat cruise on the Niger and Bani Rivers to explore the fishing villages.  The beautiful sunset over the river and port is unforgettable. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Kanaga. (B, D)

Day 8 ­ Friday:  After breakfast, depart for Sangha and the Dogon Country. Upon arrival, visit cliff villages, the Toguan House of Elders, the Fetishist Houses.  For the Dogon, there is always drought. In their beautiful, barren, baking land they proudly persist and a resilient animist culture exists with them. They seek not to disturb the earth, only to adapt to the natural order. Lunch at the Campment Hotel and return to Mopti for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 9 ­ Saturday:  Breakfast and return to Bamako. Afternoon city tour with dinner then transfer to the airport for your evening departure.

Day 10 ­ Sunday: Arrive New York in the morning.