Dynamic Tours to Timbuktu and Beyond!
Cultural and Heritage Colossus
Burkina Faso—Ghana--Mali
27 Days
DAY 1: Ouagadougou (Burkina-Faso)
Meet your guide and driver upon arrival at airport in Ouagadougou the administrative capital city of Burkina Faso. After being assisted with airport formalities you transfer to the hotel. Spend the evening settling in and relaxing.
Day 2: Ouagadougou
After breakfast set out on an excursion of the village of Laongo. Return to Ouaga in the afternoon; places to visit include the luxurious palace of the Mossi king, the busy Grand Marché (Great Market) and the National Museum with its great historical and cultural collections. The tour also includes a visit to the busy crafts markets at the Artisans' Center, with its beautiful basketry, batik fabrics, wooden statues and masks, bronze castings, etc.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch (Dinner O/N Hotel)
Day 03: Ouaga – Tièbilé
After breakfast travel from Ouaga to Tièbilé, a very scenic trip, so get your cameras ready for some unique pictures. Arrival around lunchtime and afternoon visit of the village of Tièbilé.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 04: Tièbilé
Full-day excursion of Tièbilé including Tangassoko painted houses and the market and Nazinga elephants too.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 05: Tièbilé-Boltanga (Ghana)
Leave in the early morning for an exhilarating road voyage from Burkina Faso to Ghana; along the way enjoy picturesque landscapes. Arrival in Boltanga for lunchtime afternoon visit of Boltanga.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 06 and 07: Boltanga
Two full-day visit of Boltanga including Sirigu to visit SWOPA. The group will stay in the beautifully painted houses of VOPAC, which offers a more authentic experience. Try your hand weaving, pottery, basket-making, or cooking local dishes.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 08: Boltanga-Wa
Departure for Wa after breakfast. Full-afternoon visit of village of Wa and places of interest including the chief’s palace, the slave routes, the defense walls of Nalerigu.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 09: Wa-Gaoua
Drive to Goua after breakfast; places to visit include the Poni Museum, dedicated to the Lobi culture; see the distinctive, fortress-like Lobi architecture; also visit the mysterious stone ruins of Loropeni, whose origins are unknown but the local Gan people call them the "house of refusal"; Loropeni is also the site of a very exciting weekly market held every five days. Possible trip to Tiekouna village for pottery.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 10: Gaoua-Banfora
After breakfast embark on an excursion to the natural waterfalls of Banfora to enjoy the sight of hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic birds in the Tingrela Lake. This is a heavenly visit where nature overwhelms with its beauty and calm.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 11: Banfora-Bobo
Enjoy the scenic drive to Bobo Dioulasso. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure in Bobo.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 12, 13: Bobo
City tour of Bobo’s old district, a place of great history and culture to experience the serene juxtaposition of the old and new in perfect symbiosis such as the old mosque built in 1890 and the very modern Houet Museum. Visit the old Kibidwe artisans' district, where you will see blacksmiths, potters, weavers and dyers at work.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 14: Bobo-Mopti
Travel to Mopti, the Venice of Mali because of its location on three small islands in the inland delta of the Niger River. Ride on a traditional handmade pirogue to fully experience the magic of the Niger River, one of Africa’s greatest rivers and stop over at the fisherman’s village to mingle with the locals and learn about their traditions. Many ethnic groups such as the Bozo, Fulani, Tuareg, Songhai, and Dogon call Mopti home so this trip day will reveal the diversity and harmony within Mali. Visit the magnificent mud buildings and the colorful market full of artisans.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 15, 16: Mopti-Dogon VILLAGES
Spend 2 days touring the Dogon villages of Songho, Sangha, Ireli, and Tirelli, and discover the mystique that has made the Dogon cliffs one of the most acclaimed sites in Mali and throughout the world. Start in Songho, which is famous for its rock paintings. In addition to the ingenuity of houses perched as high as 200m up the cliffs, the Dogon are well known for their wooden sculptures, “bogolan” mud cloth, their ancient rituals, and traditional weaving. During this trip take part in a traditional Dogon mask performance; visit ritual sites, the sacred Crocodile River. You may even meet with the Hogon, spiritual chief of the Dogon. Dogon country is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 17: Sangha-Mopti
On your second stop in Mopti you will venture deeper into the old city, which still feels like Mopti in 14th century with its beautiful adobe houses and mosques. Witness the skills of great artists making Tuareg leatherwork, woven Fulani cotton and wool blankets, gold and silver jewelry, and intriguing pottery. Sail on the Niger River with stops in fisherman villages and witness the vital role the river plays in the daily lives of people in Mopti. On this leg of your Mopti tour will you will see the most amazing sunset on the river.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 18: Mopti-Timbuktu
Fly out to Timbuktu for a visit of the fabled city’s legendary sites such as the Sidy Yaya and Djingareiber mosques, handicraft centre, museum, local artisan bakeries, and marvel over ancient manuscripts of 13th century scholars in the Ahmed Baba center.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 19: Timbuktu
Full-day visit of Timbuktu experience the Sahara Desert first hand with an excursion by camel caravan to a Tuareg camp on the sand dunes.
Day 20: TIMBUKTU-MOPTI
Leave the mysterious city of Timbuktu for Mopti, the Venice of Mali. Arrive in Mopti and spend the afternoon relaxing or strolling through town to reconnect with the locals and visit pottery villages.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 21: Mopti-Djénné
Cross the Bani River to get to Djénné, also known as the twin city of Timbuktu. Once there visit the word’s biggest mud edifice, the Great Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 22: Djénné
On this full-day visit of the city of Djénné learn the history of the city while you visit the grave of the self-sacrificing young girl after whom the city was named. The trip will be planned so you can experience the bustling Monday market, a world-renowned weekly affair. Visits to the pottery villages and mud-cloth shops will be the main events.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 23: Djénné-Segou
From Djénné travel to Ségou through cotton and calabash fields. Stop in San to visit Térékoungo the animist sanctuary and the Bobo sacred well. Arrive in Ségou visit of pottery village of Kalabougou. Enjoy the festival’s opening ceremonies, concert, story-telling, and traditional dances in the evening.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 24: Segou
Full day visit of Ségou, excursions to nearby cultural sites including: Kalabougou, the pottery village, and Sékoro meaning “old-Ségou”, former capital of the Bambara kingdom. Visit on of busy port on the banks of the Niger River; traditional boat cruise on the Niger to visit pottery and fishing villages.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 25: Segou-Bamako
Tour Bamako situated on the banks of the Niger River, one of Africa’s great rivers. Mali is a country of many ethnic groups, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing, jewelry, and distinct way of life and there is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako with its large art and craft center where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. Another highlight of your tour is the Grand Marché, “Great Market” where you can spend hours exploring hundreds of stalls. From carvings and fabrics to beads, brass and gold, there is a staggering variety of goods. Visit the museum, handicraft center, local weavers, and the recycling market.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 26: Bamako
Take a city tour of Mali’s vibrant capital city of Bamako. Visit the national museum, women’s museum and Médine recycling market. Have lunch at the African restaurant “Le Santoro” then visit the handicraft centre and enjoy a panoramic view from “the hill of knowledge.” A visit to Bamako is hardly complete without a trip to its world-renowned “Great Market” in the heart of the city.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 27: Bamako
Excursion to the Mandingo mounts. Explore the prehistoric cave of Kourukorokalé, Faraba a typical Mandingo village and the sacred hut of Kangaba, which houses sacred stones and other items. Learn about the history of the Manding Empire from the traditional wordsmiths, the griots. Have lunch in Kangaba then return to Bamako to spend the rest of the day relaxing and transfer to airport for your international flight back.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
